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Fauna Series No. 6

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Cover

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Summary

Introduction

Life History

Future

Conclusions

Bibliography

Photographs


Fauna of the National Parks — No. 6
The Bighorn of Death Valley 		National Park Service Arrowhead


INTRODUCTION

Chronology and Scope of the Present Study

The total volume of field data gathered by us is on file in the form of 17 progress reports comprising over 500 typewritten pages copied directly from field notes handwritten at the site of the observations. In addition there are 298 pages of a separate report on water sources. All of these typewritten data are on file with the National Park Service at Death Valley National Monument.

As a yardstick with which to measure the validity of this report, a record of the time spent in actual observation of bighorn, including dates, location, number of animals, age class and sex, and length of time observed is herewith included. (See table 1.)

TABLE 1.—Observations upon which report is based

[E, ewe; R, ram; L, lamb]

LocationDate Number of animalsHours of
observation
Badwater-Natural Bridge area
(Dec. 18, 1954—Jan. 24, 1955):
  Badwater
  Pothole Canyon
    Do
  Black Butte
  Natural Bridge
    Do

Badwater-Echo Canyon
(Feb. 12—Apr. 12, 1955):
  Badwater
    Do
  Echo Canyon
  Badwater
    Do

Death Valley bighorn census survey
(Apr. 5—July 14, 1955):
  Tin Mountain
  Indian Pass
  Willow Creek
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do

Willow Creek, Virgin Spring, etc.
(Aug. 19—Dec. 29, 1955):
  Virgin Spring
  Willow Creek
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do
  Virgin Spring
  Willow Creek
    Do
  Indian Pass
    Do
  Furnace Creek Wash
  Virgin Wash
    Do
  Dead Man's Curve
  Racetrack Wash
    Do
  Virgin Spring

Furnace Creek Wash
(Dec. 23, 1955— Apr. 17, 1956):
  Furnace Creek Wash
  Paleomesa
    Do
  Furnace Creek Wash
    Do
    Do
  Paleomesa
  Nevares Spring
  Furnace Creek Wash
  Nevares Spring
    Do
  Furnace Creek Wash
    Do
    Do
  Nevares Spring
  Furnace Creek Wash
    Do

Nevares Spring, Navel Spring, Willow Creek, etc.1
(May 31—Sept. 8, 1956):
  Nevares Spring
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do
  Willow Creek
    Do
  Indian Pass
  Nevares Spring
  Willow Creek
  Virgin Spring
  Monarch Canyon
  Nevares Spring
    Do
  Scotty's Canyon
  Willow Creek

Furnace Creek Wash, Navel Spring, Nevares Spring, etc.
(Oct. 29, 1956—Feb. 20, 1957):
  Navel Spring
  Furnance Creek Wash
  Big Wash
    Do
  Nevares Spring
  Big Wash
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do
    Do
  Navel Spring
  Big Wash
    Do
  Furnace Creek Wash
  Scraper Spring
  Furnace Creek Wash
    Do
  Paleomesa
  Big Wash
  Navel Spring
    Do
  Big Wash
  Box Canyon
  Nevares Spring
    Do
    Do
  Upper Echo Canyon
    Do
  Emigrant Wash
  Red Amphitheatre
  Upper Echo Canyon

Nevares Spring2
(Aug. 11—Sept. 10, 1957):
  Nevares Seeps

Jubilee Pass, Keystone Canyon
(Oct. 13—Dec. 5, 1957):
  Jubilee Pass
  Keystone Canyon Fan

Death Valley Buttes
(Feb. 9-16, 1958):
  Death Valley Buttes

Nevares Seeps
(June 1—Sept. 12, 1959):
  Nevares Seeps

Quartz Spring
(May 31—June 1, 1960):
  Quartz Spring

Death Valley Buttes
(Jan. 2—Feb. 2, 1961):
  Death Valley Buttes

Badwater
(Feb. 10—Mar. 1, 1961):
  Badwater


  Total hours of observation

Dec. 18, 1954—Jan. 24, 1955
Dec. 23, 1954
    do
Dec. 25, 1954
Jan. 23, 1955
Jan. 24, 1955



Feb. 14-25
Mar. 1
Mar. 2
Mar. 3
Mar. 20-30



June 7
July 2
July 8
    do
July 9
    do
    do
    do



Aug. 19, 1955
Aug. 24, 1955
    do
    do
Aug. 26, 1955
Aug. 31, 1955
    do
Sept. 1, 1955
Sept. 11, 1955
    do
Sept. 19, 1955
Sept. 20, 1955
Oct. 14, 1955
Oct. 26, 1955
Oct. 28, 1955
Nov. 1, 1955
Nov. 29, 1955
    do
Dec. 2, 1955



Dec. 23, 1955
Dec. 28, 1955
Dec. 29, 1955
Jan. 4-10, 1956
Jan. 11-19, 1956
Feb. 2-4, 1956
Feb. 4, 1956
Feb. 8, 1956
Feb. 9-28, 1956
Feb. 28, 1956
Mar. 1, 1956
Mar. 1-10, 1956
Mar. 10, 1956
Mar. 13-24, 1956
Mar. 26, 1956
Mar. 27, 1956—Apr. 8, 1956
Apr. 10-17, 1956




June 19, 1956
June 20, 1956
June 28, 1956
June 29, 1956
June 30, 1956
July 1, 1956
July 3, 1956
July 4, 1956
July 10, 1956
July 11, 1956
July 13, 1956
July 20, 1956
Aug. 8, 1956
Aug. 13, 1956
Aug. 17, 1956
Aug. 25, 1956
Aug. 30, 1956
Aug. 31, 1956
Sept. 1, 1956
Sept. 4, 1956
Sept. 5, 1956
Sept. 6, 1956
Sept. 7, 1956



Oct. 30, 1956
Oct. 31, 1956
Nov. 3, 1956
Nov. 4, 1956
Nov. 15, 1956
Nov. 16, 1956
Nov. 17, 1956
Nov. 18-19, 1956
Nov. 22, 1956
Nov. 23, 1956
Nov. 24, 1956
Nov. 25, 1956
Nov. 26, 1956
Nov. 28, 1956
    do
    do
Nov. 29, 1956
Nov. 30, 1956
Dec. 1, 1956
Dec. 2-3, 1956
Dec. 5, 1956
Dec. 10, 1956
Dec. 16, 1956
Dec. 18, 1956
Dec. 20, 1956
Dec. 27, 1956
Dec. 28, 1956
Dec. 29, 1956
Dec. 31, 1956
Jan. 31, 1957
Feb. 3, 1957
Mar. 11, 1957
Mar. 16, 1957
June 4, 1957


Aug. 11, 1957—Sept. 10, 1957



Oct. 21, 1957
Dec. 3-5, 1957



Feb. 9-16, 1958



June 1, 1959—Sept. 13, 1959



May 31, 1960—June 1, 1960



Jan. 2, 1961—Feb. 2, 1961



Feb. 10, 1961—Mar. 1961

6 (4 E,2 L)
5 (3 E, 1 L, 1 R)
1 (1 E)
9 (6 E, 2 L, 1 R)
5 (4 E, 1 L)
7 (4 E, 3 L)



4 (3 E, 1 L)
4 (3 E, 1 L)
6 (5 E, 1 L)
4 (3 E, 1 L)
1 (1 E)



9 (9 R)
5 (5 R)
3 (2 E, 1 L)
2 (1 E, 1 R)
1 (1 E)
1 (1 R)
2 (2 E)
2 (2 E)



2 (1 E, 1 L)
10 (4 E, 1 L, 5 R)
4 (1 E, 1 L, 2 R)
2 (1 E, 1 L)
3 (1 E, 1 L, 1 R)
3 (1 E, 1 L, 1 R)
1 (1 E)
2 (2 R)
1 (1 R)
1 (1 R)
6 (4 E, 1 L, 1 R)
6 (4 E, 1 L, 1 R)
3 (1 E, 2 R)
5 (2 E, 2 L, 1 R)
5 (2 E, 2 L, 1 R)
2 (1 E, 1 R)
1 (1 R)
1 (1 R)
3 (2 E, 1 R)



2 (1 E, 1 L)
5 (4 E, 1 L)
7 (5 E, 2 L)
7 (5 E, 2 L)
8 (6 E, 2 L)
2 (1 E, 1 L)
5 (2 E, 2 L, 1 R)
4 (2E, 2L)
2 (1 E,1 L)
10 (5 E,3 L,2 R)
1 (1 E)
2 (1 E, 1 L)
1 (1 E)
7 (4 E, 2 L, 1 R)
3 (2 E, 1 L)
7 (4 E, 2 L, 1 R)
2 (1 E, 1 L)




2 (1 E, 1 L)
1 (1 E)
14 (8 E, 3 L, 3 R)
2 (2 E)
3 (2 E, 1 R)
12 (7 E, 5 L)
1 (1 E)
1 (1 R)
9 (5 E, 2L, 2R)
7 (4 E, 3 L)
2 (1 E, 1 L)
13 (6 E, 5 L, 2 R)
11 (5 E, 5 L, 1 R) 111
5 (2E,1 L, 1R)
1 (1R)
1 (1R)
12 (5 E, 5 L, 2 R)
2 (1 E, 1 R)
6 (3 E, 2 L, 1 R)
1 (1 R)
2 (1E, 1R)
2( 1 E, 1 R)
5 (2 E, 2 L, 1 R)



4 (1 E, 2 L, 1 R)
1 (1 R)
5 (4 E, 1 R)
6 (4 E, 1 L, 1 R)
5 (2 E, 1 L, 2 R)
11 (7 E, 3 L, 1 R)
10 (7 E, IL)
18 (12 E, 5 L, 1 R)
5 (5 E)
13 (8 E, 4 L, 1 R)
13 (7 E, 5 L, 1 R)
9 (6 E, IL)
4 (3 E, 1 R)
5 (3 E, 2 R)
3 (2E, 1R)
1 (1 E)
5 (3 E, 2 R)
7 (5 E, 2 R)
6 (5 E, 1 L)
7 (5 E, 1 L, 1 R)
3 (2 E, 1 L)
3 (3 E)
3 (3 E)
2 (2E )
3 (3E)
7 (6 E, 1 R)
6 (3 E, IL)
1 (1 E)
1 (1 R)
10 (10 R)
10 (10 R)
2 (2 R)
1 (1 E)
1 (1 R)


47 (11 E, 9 L, 27 R)



7 (3E, 1L, 3R)
2 (1 E, 1 R)



14 (6 E, 6 L, 2 R)



23 (10 E, 4 L, 9 R)



28 (14 E, 12 L, 2 R)



27 (13 E, 9 L, 5 R)



12 (7 E, 4 L, 1 R)

77
7-1/2
5
1
1-1/2
6-1/2



132
5
3
4
65



1
5
1-1/2
1-1/2
1
1-1/2
3
1/2



4
1/2
1/2
1/2
1-1/2
1/2
3
1-1/2
1
3
2
6
4
2
2
1/2
1/2
1/2
2



6
1-1/2
8
50
65
12
1
2
116
4
2
39
1
77
1/2
33
20




1
1
10
2
11-1/2
8-1/2
1/2
1
8
3
1
8
2
3
1
1
4
1-1/2
1
2
2
1/2
3



1
6
4
3
2
3
10
18
5-1/2
5
6
8
1
1
1
1
3
10
7
15
2-1/2
4
1
1/2
5
3
1
1/2
1/2
1
1
1/2
1
1


420



7
10



88



120



9



28



5
1,693

1 From July 20 to Aug. 8, summer rains practically eliminated use of the springs by bighorn for the first time since June 1955.

2 From before dawn until after dark, every day for 30 days, we recorded the activities of everything that moved on the ground and in the air—420 hours at the site, 253 hours with the bighorn under observation.

The impact of 30 days of unbroken continuity in observation of 1 area and 1 group by the same personnel will be felt throughout this report, since it brought about a revision of our entire approach to the study.

Owing to the overlapping of time of observation of individual animals and the greater body of information involved, the numerical data for this period is presented in a different form. (See Tables 2. 6, and 8.)

Continued >>>




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