While searching for reptiles, I looked up to see this herd of desert bighorns watching from above. While leaving the area some time later, I looked back to see them perfectly posing atop this rock. Now estimated to only stand around 20,000 individuals, researchers place the original desert bighorn sheep population to have numbered over half a million. Their current numbers are actually a huge improvement over the 1960’s, when there were only approximately 6,000 left. The population growth of these endangered mammals can largely be attributed to federal and state protections, in addition to strong reintroduction efforts.
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