Dall's Sheep

A Dall's sheep relaxes high on the cliffs.
A Dall's sheep high in the mountains of Denali National Park and Preserve.

NPS/Katie Thoreson

Dall's sheep are alpine adapted and mostly non-migratory. They are sensitive to environmental changes including harsh weather events, long-term environmental change, nutrition, predation and hunting, parasites, and disease. They are also an important subsistence resource, especially when caribou are scarce, as well as highly valued by sport hunters and wildlife enthusiasts. The National Park Service monitors Dall's sheep populations to understand the condition of the species and protect them in parks.
Dall's sheep rams on steep, rocky cliffs.
Monitoring Dall's Sheep in the Arctic

The Arctic Network monitors Dall's sheep in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve and Noatak National Preserve.

A band of rams and ewes, Dall's sheep on a rocky slope.
Monitoring Central Alaska Dall's Sheep

The Central Alaska Network monitors Dall's sheep in Denali and Wrangell-St Elias national parks and preserves.

Learn more about Alaska's Dall's sheep

Showing results 1-10 of 10

  • Denali National Park & Preserve

    Large Mammals in Denali: How Many Are There?

    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve
    six sheet in front of a large glacier and mountains

    Science Summary (2014) - Check out a yearly update of population estimates for "the Big Five" species of Denali - wolves, caribou, Dall sheep, moose and bears.

  • Series: Dall Sheep in Alaska's National Parks

    • Type: Series
    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve, Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve
    Two sheep rest on a snowy mountain

    Discover the importance of Dall Sheep in Alaska's National Parks

  • Dall Sheep and Climate Change

    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve, Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve
    ewe and lamb on a rocky outcropping

    How might climate change impact the world's northernmost wild sheep population?

  • Monitoring Dall Sheep

    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve, Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve
    A group of three dall sheep walk down a dirt road

    Discovery how and why scientists monitor Dall sheep in national parks throughout Alaska.

  • Hunting and Subsistence Use of Dall Sheep

    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve, Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve
    a male sheep

    Learn about the two ways humans harvest sheep - for subsistence use and in sport hunting.

  • The Social Structure of Dall Sheep

    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve, Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve
    A ewe and two lambs stand on a rocky cliff

    Dall sheep employ a sophisticated social structure.

  • Dall Sheep

    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve, Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve
    Close up of sheep face and horns

    Dall sheep are unmistakable, looking like pure-white bighorn sheep. Like bighorn sheep, they have large, curled horns, but Dall sheep horns are longer and skinnier than their southern counterparts. They inhabit mountain ranges in Alaska and Canada and are often visible from quite far away.

  • Denali National Park & Preserve

    Monitoring Dall Sheep in Denali

    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve
    A Dall sheep ewe stands on a hillside

    Science Summary (2018) - In Denali National Park and Preserve, both ground and aerial surveys are used to monitor Dall sheep population. The results of these surveys inform wildlife management decisions and ensure future park visitors can enjoy observing these incredible mammals.

  • Denali National Park & Preserve

    Surveying Dall Sheep in Denali

    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve
    three sheep on a dirt road

    Science Summary (2012) - Whether visitors on a bus into Denali National Park and Preserve spot “white dots with legs” high on the craggy slopes of Igloo or Cathedral Mountain, or experience full-curl rams smacking horns on the rocks of Polychrome, there is no better iconic image for wildlife protection in the park than the Dall sheep.

  • Denali National Park & Preserve

    Interrelationships of Denali's Large Mammal Community

    • Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve
    a bear looking at a moose and her calf

    Denali is home to a daily life and death drama for many animals, though the 'big five' mammal species stand out in the minds of many visitors. In addition to the opportunities for viewing or photographing Interior Alaska’s large mammals, Denali is a great natural laboratory to study the species and their interrelationships. Unlike the rest of Interior Alaska, the Denali carnivore/ungulate community has been little affected by human harvests for several decades.

Tags: sheep dall ram alaska park science dall sheep science wildlife
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Last updated: July 15, 2019

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