Yesterday, at Valley of Fire, we came upon a Bighorn Ram by the campgrounds near Poodle Rock. It was all by itself. We got out and took some photos. I have never seen a older or mangier Bighorn in my life. We got back in the Trekker and followed the Bighorn back into the campground and was able to drive up very close to the old fellow for some very close photos.
This was the first look that we got from the road. You can see the campground in the background.
A closer look at the old boy . . .
It let us drive right up close and everyone got some great close-up shots.
This is one old, grizzled Desert Bighorn!
Click on the photo for a closer look.
A second click even zooms in more.
Now, compare the old boy to one of the Hemenway Park sheep in Boulder City.
Quite a big difference, isn't there?
The old Valley of Fire Ram seems to have lived a very hard life. Biologists say that Bighorn Sheep in Nevada live to be about 12 years old, even though their lifespan can be 20 to 25 years.
They say that Nevada sheep suffer from parasites like Bott Fly and Lung Worm that shortens there natural lifespan.
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