Dall Sheep (Ovis
dalli dalli)
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 Dall sheep inhabit the subarctic mountain ranges of Alaska, and are often confused with Mountain goats which inhabit Alaska's coastal mountain ranges. © Patrick J. Endres
Dall Sheep inhabit the mountain ranges of Alaska. Dall sheep
are found in relatively dry country and frequent a special combination
of open alpine ridges, meadows, and steep slopes with extremely
rugged "escape terrain" in the immediate vicinity.
They use the ridges, meadows, and steep slopes for feeding
and resting. When danger approaches they flee to the rocks and
crags to elude pursuers. They are generally high country animals
but sometimes occur in rocky gorges below timberline in Alaska.
 Male Dall Sheep have thick curling horns. The females have shorter, more slender, slightly curved horns. © Patrick J. Endres
Male Dall sheep are called rams. They are distinguished by
massive curling horns. The females, called ewes, have shorter,
more slender, slightly curved horns. Most generally, a 12-year-old
sheep is considered very old. As rams mature, their horns form
a circle when seen from the side. Ram horns reach half a circle
in about two or three years, three-quarters of a circle in four
to five years, and a full circle or "curl" in seven
to eight years.
Life history
 Lambs are born in May. © Patrick J. Endres
The young, called lambs, are born in late May or early June.
As lambing approaches, ewes seek solitude and protection from
predators in the most rugged cliffs available on their spring
ranges. Ewes bear a single lamb, and the ewe-lamb pairs remain
in the lambing cliffs a few days until the lambs are strong
enough to travel. Lambs begin feeding on vegetation within a
week after birth and are usually weaned by October.
 Dall sheep ewe and lamb in falling snow, Atigun Canyon, Brooks range, Alaska. © Patrick J. Endres Normally, ewes have their first lamb at age 3 and produce a
lamb annually. Sheep have well-developed social systems. Adult
rams live in bands which seldom associate with ewe groups except
during the mating season in late November and early December.
The horn clashing for which rams are so well known does not
result from fights over possession of ewes, but is a means of
establishing order. These clashes occur throughout the year
(among females, as well) on an occasional basis. They occur
more frequently just before the rut when rams are moving among
the ewes and meet unfamiliar rams of similar horn size. Dall
rams can sire offspring at 18 months of age, but normally they
do not breed successfully until they approach dominance rank
(at full curl age and size).
Food habits
 During the summer when food is abundant, the sheep eat a wide variety of plants. © Patrick J. Endres
The diets of Dall sheep vary from range to range. During summer,
food is abundant, and a wide variety of plants is consumed.
Winter diet is much more limited and consists primarily of dry,
frozen grass and sedge stems available when snow is blown off
the winter ranges. Some populations use significant amounts
of lichen and moss during winter.
 Males live in bands which seldom associate with female groups except during the mating season in late November and early December. © Patrick J. Endres Many Dall sheep populations visit mineral licks during the
spring and often travel many miles to eat the soil at these
unusual geological formations. As several different bands of
sheep meet at mineral licks, ram and ewe groups may mingle and
young rams join the ram band which happens to be present at
the time. This random contribution of young rams to different
ram bands may benefit sheep by maintaining genetic diversity.
 Dall sheep prefer habit with rugged ground in order to escape from predators that cannot travel quickly through such terrain. © Patrick J. Endres
Text from the State of Alaska Fish and Game
Wildlife Notebook Series(used with permission)
Text: Wayne E. Heimer
Revised by Ken Whitten and reprinted 1994 back to top of page
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The large, curling horns reveal growth rings, which are used to determine the age of the animal.
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