There are approximately 2,500 Dall sheep in Denali
National Park. These sheep tend to stay up in the high
mountain areas where they are safely out of reach on animals that
hunt them.
Since Dall sheep only live in Alaska and western
Canada, I had never see one before but all that was about to
change. On our bus ride into the park, around mile 33, we
came to Igloo Mountain (4,800 feet). On the lower slopes of this
Mountain, we spotted our first Dall sheep (they looked like small
white specks). There 6 of them were grazing on the alpine
tundra. They looked so tiny but Chuck, our bus driver, told
us the oldest male sheep (around 13 or 14 years old) can grow to
be nearly 3 feet tall and weigh 200 pounds. The females grew to be
smaller and only would grow to be about 120 pounds.
Throughout our stay at the park we would see these
sheep grazing at higher elevations of the steep sides of
mountains. On our hike up Polychrome Mountain, we spotted
some Dall sheep grazing on the high tundra. We were able to
get really close to them before they moved off. They seemed to
graze on the ridges, meadows, and steep slopes eating flowers,
willows, grasses.
Later, we found out that they stay near the rugged
terrain to escape from their predators, mainly wolves but
occasionally a bear. The sheep have a low center of gravity,
four steady legs, and a soft pad on the bottom of their two-toed,
spread out hooves that really help them move easily through the
rocks. Because of this they can move more steadily and quickly
through the rugged mountains to outrun their prey.
Up on Polychrome Mountain, we were able to get
really close to these sheep and were fascinated by the males' huge
curled horns. Vergi, our bus driver, told us that the males
are the ones with the larger curled horns and the females had the
smaller straight horns. Their horns are made up of keratin
(the same substance of our fingernails) and their horns never fall
off. You can actually tell a sheep's age by their horn.
If they have a 1/4 circle they are about three years old. If they
have a half circle they are about 5 years old, and those that have
a full curl are anywhere from 7 -14 years old. She also said
that their horns are made up pf rings added one on top of another.
If you count the rings you can tell how old a sheep is. she
said it was to bad we were not around during the mating season
because the Male sheep head but each other to determine who is the
leader.
On our hike through the Divide Mountain Gap, we
found a Dall sheep's horn along the river. This meant that
this sheep had died since Dall Sheep keep their horns forever.
On
our hike to the Glacier in Unit 9 we came to a valley where
there were tons of Dall sheep (25 or more). On the right were 6
mother Dall sheep (ewe) with their baby sheep (lambs) very close
to the river. We were able to get a really good look
at them. We found some sheep scat that was full of their
hair.
A
ranger later told us that the sheep do hibernate but stay out all
winter. Their hair actually is hollow and the trapped air helps
insulate their bodies against the frigid Alaskan winters. In
the winter, their food becomes scarcer and they mainly eat mosses
and lichens.
