Abstract

ESCOBAR-FLORES, Jonathan G. et al. Watering sites use by bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis cremnobates) and water quality analysis in Sierra Santa Isabel, Baja California, Mexico. Acta univ [online]. 2016, vol.26, n.1, pp.12-19. ISSN 2007-9621.  https://doi.org/10.15174/au.2016.822.

Water used by bighorn sheep during the 2011 and 2013 dry seasons and the rainy season and drought of 2015 in the Sierra Santa Isabel of the State of Baja California, Mexico was analyzed for seven physicochemical parameters. At four watering sites, 260 photographs of sheep were obtained. Females, yearlings, and lambs accounted for 73% of the photographs. In the rainy season at two watering sites, conductivity was 1.31 μS/cm2 and 1.92 μS/cm2 and total dissolved solids was 0.65 and 0.95 ppt, indicating low salt content and safe for bighorn sheep. The watering sites with greater use by bighorn sheep were El Zamora (n = 120) and El Cordero (n = 67), which also had the best water quality. The frequent use by females and yearlings of the two sites with optimal water quality support the belief that watering sites for lambing and recruitment of bighorn sheep is important.

Keywords : Baja California; bighorn sheep; water quality; camera traps.