PENINSULAR BIGHORN Ovis canadensis cremnobates (Elliot) 



Order: ARTIODACTYLA Family: BOVIDAE 



Distinguishing characteristics : A small, desert-inhabiting, bighorn sheep, similar to the 

 Nelson bighorn, but even paler in coloration; horns in males, and over-all size of males 

 and females, larger than Nelson bighorn. 



Present distribution : Santa Rosa Mountains and other parts of extreme southern California , 

 south into northern Baja California, Mexico. 



Former distribution : Same . 



Status : Buechner (I960: 64) says that the race seems secure in the mountains of southwestern 

 California, including the Santa Rosa Mountains. However, it is now known some habitat in 

 private ownership may be developed as home sites. 



Estimated numbers : 971 estimated by California Department of Fish and Game in 1971 . 



Breeding rate in the wild : One (occasionally 2) lambs per ewe annually. Lamb mortality 

 is around 90 percent. 



Reasons for decline : Heavy hunting pressure, particularly in Baja California despite the 

 decree of total closed season that has existed there for over 40 years, plus drought. 



Protective measures already taken : Taking and possession prohibited by California law 

 in Baja California. 



Measures proposed : Strict enforcement of game laws in Baja California to reduce poaching 

 pressure. Buechner (1960: 64) states: "The entire peninsula area ought to be studied 

 carefully to determine the distribution of bighorn sheep and the magnitude of the poaching 

 problem before herds become further decimated as human populations increase . " 



Number in captivity : Unknown . One male at University of California at Riverside Deep 

 Canyon Research Center. 



Breeding potential in captivity : Good. 



Remarks : This subspecies intergrades with the desert bighorn, Ovis c . nelsoni , in extreme 

 southern California, and it is often impossible to assign individual specimens from that area 

 to either subspecies. 



References : 



Buechner, H. K. 1960. The bighorn sheep in the United States. Wildlife Monogr. 



No. 4:1-174. 

 Menez, A. Z. 1961. Present conditions of the bighorn mountain sheep in the State 

 of Baja California, Mexico. Fifth Annual Meeting, Desert Bighorn Council, 

 April 4-7, 1961, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, pp. 13-16. 



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