A visitor to Utah’s Zion National Park recently shared images from a trip in March, when she observed bighorn sheep from a highway turnout.
Some of Kris Clifford’s images are closeups, but one presents a wider view intended to show how well the animals blend into their environment.
How many bighorn sheep can you spot in the image posted above and immediately below? (Answer at the bottom of this post.)
Clifford, who is from Southern California, told FTW Outdoors that she had pulled over on the Zion – Mount Carmel Highway to enjoy the “scenic views” and look for sheep.
“I had been told there might be bighorn sheep along this road so I started looking around,” she said.
Desert bighorn sheep, which have inhabited the southwest for more than 12,000 years, have smaller bodies but longer legs and shorter coats than their Rocky Mountain relatives.
But they share the same extraordinary climbing and camouflage skills.
Desert bighorn sheep prefer the steep, rocky terrain of Zion’s east side because they’re less vulnerable to predators, such as mountain lions, while traversing sandstone cliffs.
“I had not noticed them when I parked,” Clifford continued. “I then spotted the larger male on the rock and at first I thought he was the only one.”
Clifford’s Facebook images clearly show more than one sheep. The wider shot, she said, “was just to show how well they blend, and that I was not close.”
She said that besides sheep, she spotted lots of deer, two juvenile California condors and a roadrunner.
The wider shot, with the sheep circled, is posted below.
