Desert bighorn sheep are crossing Interstate 40 in California

Date:  June 6, 2018

Source: Oregon State University

Desert bighorn sheep are able to climb steep, rocky terrain with speed and agility. New research shows that they can cross a four-lane highway.

At some point in the last decade, at least one of these rare beasts -- notable for their large curled brown horns -- crossed Interstate 40 in at least one location in the Mojave Desert of California, according to a new Oregon State University study published in the journal Molecular Ecology.

"This is an interesting development that helps increase our understanding of animal movement across human-created barriers," said Clint Epps, a wildlife biologist in OSU's College of Agricultural Sciences and lead author of the study. "Determining how species move across complex and fragmented landscapes and interact with human?made barriers is a major research focus in conservation."

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