On Monday, April 26, 2010, a female desert bighorn sheep was born at the Los Angeles Zoo.  The healthy newborn lamb is on exhibit with her parents in the North American area of the Zoo. As male desert bighorn sheep mature, they develop massive spiraled horns that may add up to one third of their total body weight.  Females have much smaller horns.  However, both sexes have excellent vision and hearing as well as an innate ability for climbing rugged terrain.

Photo Credits: Tad Motoyama / Los Angeles Zoo

On March 25th, twin ewe (female) lambs were born to Cosley Zoo’s ewe Opal.  Each of the lambs weighed about 10 lbs at birth. Another of the Wheaton, Illinois Zoo’s ewes, Pearl, gave birth to a single ram (male) lamb on April 2nd.  He weighed a whooping 15 lbs at birth!

Photo Credits: Sarah Parisi / Cosley Zoo

More pics and info below the "fold"...

ZooBorns usually eschews domestic breeds but the recent announcement of twin Jacob's four-horned lambs at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Queens Zoo seemed appropriate for spring. Jacob's sheep may be descendants of Norse breeds brought to England by the Vikings during raids over 1,000 years ago.

Watching the video below, ZooBorns co-founders can't help but think it vindicates their moderately crazy 10th grade English teacher and his analysis of Blake's poem The Lamb, "It's exciting to pet the lamb and see him spring about and all that." - Mr. B, 1996

The Taronga Zoo is brimming with Barbarys...  baby Barbary Sheep, that is.  Over the past few weeks the tiny sheep have hit the scene and clearly are having no trouble acclimating to their surroundings.