Changes in movement, habitat use, and response to human disturbance accompany parturition events in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis).

ABSTRACT: Parturition and the early neonatal period are critical life history stages in ungulates with considerable implications for population growth and persistence. Understanding the changes in behaviour induced by ungulate parturition is important for supporting effective population management, but reliably identifying birth sites and dates presents a challenge for managers. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) are one such highly valued and ecologically important species in montane and subalpine ecosystems of Western North America. In the face of changing patterns of anthropogenic land use, wildlife managers increasingly require site-specific knowledge of the movement and habitat selection characteristics of periparturient sheep to better inform land use planning initiative

SUBMITTER: Brushett A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10318713 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature