Desert Bighorn Sheep in the Valley of Fire – Nevada State Park

Desert Bighorn Sheep in the Valley of Fire, Nevada, trying to escape the tourist invasion…

It’s not very uncommon to see the Valley of Fire Desert Bighorn Sheep, but still you need a little luck. – And we had it Yay!!! 🙂

These animals are similar to their relatives that don’t live in the desert. The main difference is that they can resist without water for a long period of time. The Bighorn sheep is the state animal of Nevada.

Valley of Fire Desert Bighorn Sheep

While driving through the valley we suddenly noticed a traffic jam. From previous experiences visiting national parks we assumed that there must have been some wildlife ahead… Indeed, a hoard of sheep were crossing the main road. There was a big line of cars that were stopped and all the tourists were out photographing the animals. We did the same 🙂

I thought they were already accustomed to people, since there are thousand of tourists visiting this place every day of the year… But the sheep definitely looked scared, trying to escape the opponents.

… And they were running fast too!

It’s incredible to see their ability to climb the steep, abrupt rock walls. They were doing this even in zones that do not offer too much grip! Surviving is definitely an everyday challenge for them…

Here they are, already up high on the rocky hill. It was difficult to see them between bushes of the same color. – What a great adaptability to the environment!

Yes, there were quite a few of them… but not all crossed the road.

Some more timid were still on the other side, trying to hide behind the bushes.

Look at this cute one waiting for the aggressors to go away…

I read that the Desert Bighorn Sheep are sociable and live together. – It’s interesting however to learn that Bighorn Sheep live in separate ram and ewe bands. – They mix mainly in the mating season.

Judging from their size, I believe that these were females.

I can say that I was really lucky to see and be able to photograph the Valley of Fire Desert Bighorn Sheep! – I like to shoot animals in nature, but only with my camera 😉

Stay tuned for more about our trip to the Valley of Fire!

ReBlogged from: Vegas Great Attractions

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For the fun of challenges, I posted it to:

Word of the day: Escapade | Fandango’s One Word Challenge: Opponent