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Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
A curious mother bighorn sheep approaches the open window of the photographer’s car on Mt. Evans Road near Summit Lake, surrounded by clouds, Sept. 11, 2023.

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

By Colorado Public Radio Staff
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The Colorado state mammal springs up near-vertical cliff faces with ease, thanks to specialized hooves. Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep have modified toenails that can snag little protrusions, and soft, rubbery inner pads give extra grip bounding up slopes. Coming down, the bighorn can leap as much as 20 feet, spreading its toes to use as brakes on dizzying descents. Bighorns were once plentiful, but just a few hundred remained in 1944 when biologists lured about two dozen in South Park to grow their numbers once again across the state. One little band, on the way to relocation on Pikes Peak, got stuck in Green Mountain Falls when the truck broke down. The driver released the animals, they headed east, and ended up in the Garden of the Gods. Their descendants now draw thousands of visitors each year, eager to see the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep.

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