Great Plains sheep (SciiFii)

The Great Plains sheep (Oreonovis imperium), also known as the American wild sheep, is a species of wild sheep that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the forests, open woodlands, deserts, mountain areas, grasslands and and shrublands across North America to help boost biodiversity. The Great Plains sheep closely resemble a Racka sheep in appearance, but are wild animals and are slightly larger, growing on average to be about the size of the medium-sized miniature horse. Adult Great Plains sheep eat 16–19 kg (35–42 lb) of food a day. The vegetation preferred by the species varies based on elevation and area. The Great Plains sheep predominantly eat grasses, sedges, and forbs. Despite its woolly appearance, the Great Plains sheep has long, muscular legs that give the animal the ability to run quickly, similarly to other wild sheep, allowing it to easily escape from natural predators. Great Plains sheep live in herds typically numbering between two and 150 animals, segregated by sex, except during breeding season. Great Plains 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 Great Plains sheep) for mating. Great Plains rams fight one another to obtain dominance and win an opportunity to mate with females. Great Plains 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. Great Plains 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 Great Plains sheep is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the Great Plains sheep's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii