Dall Sheep

Dall Sheep

Ovis dalli

Silhouette: Scott Hartman · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
at Nahanni National Park

In 3 days >90%

6 Verified sightings at Nahanni National Park From 2019 to 2026
286 In all 3 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Dall Sheep

Dall sheep or thinhorn sheep (Ovis dalli), is a species of wild sheep native to northwestern North America. O. dalli live in mountainous alpine habitats distributed across northwestern British Columbia, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Alaska. They browse a variety of plants, such as grasses, sedges and even shrubs, such as willow, during different times of the year. They also acquire minerals to supplement their diet from mineral licks. Like other Ovis species, the rams engage in dominance contests with their horns.

The specific name dalli, is derived from William Healey Dall (1845–1927), an American naturalist. The common name, Dall's sheep or Dall sheep is often used to refer to the nominate subspecies, O. d. dalli. The other subspecies, O. d. stonei, is called the Stone sheep.

However, the pelage-based designations have been shown to be questionable. Complete colour intergradation occurs in both O. dalli sheep subspecies (i.e., Dall's and Stone's), ranging between white and dark morphs of the species. Intermediately coloured populations, called... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~70%
2 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~70%
3 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~60%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Zoo Pilsen 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
2 Yukon Wildlife Preserve 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
3 Seoul Zoo 🇰🇷 South Korea In captivity
4 Shubenacadie Wildlife Park 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
5 Bear Country USA 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
6 Novosibirsk Zoo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
7 Krefelder Zoo 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
8 Alaska Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
9 Como Park Zoo and Conservatory 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
10 Como Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
11 Lincoln Park Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Dall Sheep in Nahanni National Park?

Likely

About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Dall Sheep sighting in Nahanni National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

What time of day is best to see a Dall Sheep?

Between 2 and 5 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dall Sheep sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Nahanni National Park the best place to see a Dall Sheep?

3rd of 3

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Dall Sheep sightings, Nahanni National Park ranks 3rd at about 60%. The best odds are in Kluane National Park (Canada, about 70%) and Denali National Park (United States, about 70%).

Where does the Dall Sheep sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Dall Sheep is recorded against all the mammals logged in Nahanni National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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