Their flanks are tawny, shading to yellowish white on their undersides and distinctive white marking on their hindquarters. Both sexes have horns which spiral around the sides of their heads. When the length of a ram's horns begins to block his vision, he rubs off the tips on a rock. Once widespread from Canada to California and Mexico, desert bighorn are now so few in number and generally so well-secluded in their rocky habitat that they are seldom seen. Their ideal habitat is the arid, desolate rocky ranges which jut up from the low desert plains.
Bighorn sheep feed on various grasses, young plants and leaves.
During winter, they eat woody plants. In desert areas, their main diet is shrubs and cacti. Like all sheep, bighorn digest their food in four-chambered stomachs, which allows them to eat even the toughest plants. Except for summer when bighorn must drink at least every four days, they are able to get most of their water from the wide variety of plants they consume. However, when water is available, bighorn will drink every day.