bighorn

bighorn
/big"hawrn'/, n., pl. bighorns, (esp. collectively) bighorn.
a wild sheep, Ovis canadensis, of the Rocky Mountains, with large, curving horns. Also called cimarron, Rocky Mountain bighorn, Rocky Mountain sheep.
[1775-85, Amer.; BIG1 + HORN]

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I

Stocky, climbing hoofed mammal (Ovis canadensis) of western North America.

Both sexes have horns that in the male may curve in a spiral more than 39 in. (1 m) long. Their fur is usually brown with a whitish rump patch. The related thinhorn, or Dall's sheep (O. dalli), of Alaska and Canada is similar to the bighorn. Both species are about 39 in. (1 m) tall at the shoulder, but the bighorn is heavier, weighing up to 300 lb (136 kg). They live in small groups among remote crags and cliffs of mountainous areas and feed mainly on grasses. Bighorn rams compete for females by launching themselves at each other from a few yards' distance and clashing horns.

Canadian bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis)

Harry Engels
The National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers
II
(as used in expressions)
Little Bighorn Battle of the

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Bighorn — Big horn , n. (Zo[ o]l.) The Rocky Mountain sheep ({Ovis montana} or {Caprovis montana}); called also {bighorn sheep}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bighorn — [big′hôrn΄] [after the bighorn sheep] river in WC Wyo. flowing northward into the Yellowstone River in S Mont.: c. 450 mi (724 km) …   English World dictionary

  • bighorn — ☆ bighorn [big′hôrn΄ ] n. pl. bighorns or bighorn any of a number of sheep with large horns, esp. a large, wild, hairy species (Ovis canadensis) of the Rocky Mountains …   English World dictionary

  • Bighorn — (engl., »Dickhorn«), s. Schaf …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Bighorn — Bighorn, s. Schaf …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Bighorn — 43°34′51″N 108°12′45″O / 43.58083, 108.2125 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bighorn — /big hawrn /, n. a river flowing from central Wyoming to the Yellowstone River in S Montana. 336 mi. (540 km) long. * * * I or mountain sheep Stocky, climbing hoofed mammal (Ovis canadensis) of western North America. Both sexes have horns that in …   Universalium

  • Bighorn — (as used in expressions) Bighorn, cordillera Bighorn, río Little Bighorn, batalla de …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • bighorn — /ˈbɪghɔn/ (say bighawn) noun (plural bighorn or bighorns) a wild sheep, Ovis canadensis, of south western Canada, western US and northern Mexico, with large, curving horns. Also, bighorn sheep …  

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