A local and photogenic Montana Bighorn Sheep bit the dust! Snail Horn was a ram that lived near Quake Lake. I remember seeing him a few times during the late summer rut. He would be chasing ewes around the cliff area just west of the Slide Inn.
Bighorn sheep are common in this area. The Rams hang out in bachelor groups until the Rut makes them compete to mate with the females. Big Rams get the prime pickings since they wear the biggest curled horns. Females also carry smaller horns.
Ram Horns are made for combat. The horns alone can weigh more than the entire skeleton. These battle helmets evolved to curve, so that they can distribute the shock of headbutting impacts. Rams may get a headache but can head “But” for 24 hours without stopping. Rut lasts a month each season.
Salt loving Rams and sheep have four chambered stomachs to process the protein rich, high fiber foods that grow at high altitudes. They are nicknamed “The Masters of the Rocks.”
Apparently, Snail Horn was injured as a young Ram fighting with the mature six plus year old veterans. His soft, small horn was bent, and scared. Horn is not antler. Keratin and other proteins form horns. They begin as byproducts from hair. Horns do not shed, throughout their 10–15-year lifetime. Any injuries will be seen in their headgear.
Snail Horn was 11 when he was found dead in front of the Slide Inn, along the Madison River. His other horn was infected, and he had a broken leg. The infection from the injuries killed him. He may have been hit by a tourist’s car or been injured fighting another Ram over the summer.
Antlers are not Horns and are found on Deer Species and are grown from living bones. The bone forms on a pedicle next to the ears. Antlers begin as soft and flexible scab covered appendages. The scab is called Velvet. This blood vessel filled material carries nutrients to the antler as it grows for just one season. When the day length/ photoperiod gets short, the antlers stop growing and the Velvet falls off. Antlers are now hard and ready to use for protection or rutting with other bucks/bulls. In March, these antlers fall off. New antlers begin to grow within days after shedding. New antler can grow 1-3 inches per day during the Summer, when food is abundant, and days are long.
Deer and horned Big Game will display abnormal headgear growth from due to genetics or injury. If a buck/Ram is injured on one side, that side’s antler/ horn will be smaller or distorted. The animal’s body uses more energy to repair its body that grows antlers. Rams react the same way. If injured when young, they will live with deformity.
Horned Big Game do not shed their headgear. The layers, like rings on a tree, can help determine the critter’s age. Montana Antelope does shed a sheath horn annually but not Bighorns. A boney core keeps the horn attached and shaped.
“Snail Horn” was unable to use its right eye for years. Thankfully, they also have other wonderful survival senses to help live a longer life. Deer and elk can have bent antlers that can grow into an eye or skull with drastic results.
You can see Snail Horns unique skull and horns at the FWP Region 3 office in Bozeman, MT.
Insects often infest antlers. Wasps will lay an egg in their soft antler velvet. This leaves abnormalities like holes, depressions, or odd curves in the mature antler.
Nature is amazing!
Montana Grant
