American snow sheep (SciiFii)

The American snow sheep (Ovis ohiohensis) is a species of wild sheep that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the cold and cool forests, open woodlands, grasslands, and shrublands across North America to help boost biodiversity. American snow sheep are very closely related to the similarly-looking Siberian snow sheep (Ovis nivicola). The American snow sheep have dark brown, short-haired coats with dark back stripes and black ventral areas and light-colored patches on their necks. The males are horned; some females are horned, while others are polled. The horns of mature rams are curved in almost one full revolution (up to 85 cm). American snow sheep have shoulder heights of around 0.9 meters and body weights of 50 kg (males) and 35 kg (females). The vegetation preferred by the species varies based on elevation and area. In higher elevations, they predominantly eat grasses, sedges, forbs, and shrubs. American snow sheep rams have a strict dominance hierarchy. Before mating season or "rut", which is from late autumn to early winter, rams try to create a dominance hierarchy to determine access to ewes (female American snow sheep) for mating. American snow sheep rams fight one another to obtain dominance and win an opportunity to mate with females. American snow sheep reach sexual maturity at the age of 2 to 4 years. Young rams need to obtain dominance before they get a chance to mate, which takes another 3 years for them to start mating. American snow sheep ewes also go through a similar hierarchy process in terms of social status in the first 2 years, but can breed even at low status. Pregnancy in females lasts 5 months, in which they produce one to two offspring. The conservation status of the American snow sheep is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the American snow sheep's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii