Sonoran sheep (SciiFii)

The Sonoran sheep (Alectratovis sonora) is a species of wild sheep that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the warm and hot grasslands, shrublands, scrublands, and deserts across North America to help boost biodiversity. The Sonoran sheep stand 60 to 90 cm (2.0 to 3.0 feet) tall at the shoulder, with a length around 1.5 meters (4 ft 11 in), and weigh 40 to 140 kg (88 to 309 lb). They are deep reddish-brown, darkening with age, with a slightly lighter underbelly and a darker line along the back. Upper parts and the outer parts of the legs are a uniform reddish- or grayish-brown. Some shaggy hair is on the throat (extending down to the chest in males) with a sparse mane. Their horns have a triangular cross-section. The horns curve outward, backward, then inward, and can exceed 76 cm (30 in) in length. The horns are fairly smooth, with slight wrinkles evident at the base as the animal matures. The Sonoran sheep feeds primarily at dusk, dawn and during the night, on a diet of grass, herbs, and foliage from shrubs and trees. By feeding at night, when plants accumulate moisture from the atmosphere or become covered in dew, the Sonoran sheep gains much needed water, enabling this sheep to survive without drinking water during dry periods in its arid habitat. Sonoran 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 Sonoran sheep) for mating. Sonoran sheep rams fight one another to obtain dominance and win an opportunity to mate with females. Sonoran 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. Sonoran 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 Sonoran sheep is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the Sonoran sheep's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii