Battle of the Bighorn: Two rams lock horns in a grueling six hour fight for the affections of a female

A pair of bighorn rams battled it out for the affections of a ewe in a grueling six-hour encounter in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

The males backed up on their hind feet before charging into their rival with their curly horns. They slugged out the fight for six hours while other sheep around them continued to graze and stay out of the way.

The rams drive forward with their hind legs as they launch their horned heads forward in attack in the Waterton Canyon in the Colorado Rocky Mountains

The bighorn sheep were barely able to stand after the six-hour battle as they stumbled to a nearby creek for a much needed drink

One of the rams looks exhausted with his tongue hanging from his mouth as he makes his way towards refuge from the battleground

One of the rams tilts his head towards the other as he begins to push off his hind quarters to bash into his foe, as they fought to decide who would be the alpha male of their herd

After hours of fighting, the pair eventually backed away from each other, both walking to a nearby creek for water. Verdon Tomajko captured the encounter at Waterton Canyon – 30 miles from Denver, Colorado, USA.

The 49-year-old wildlife photographer from Boulder, Colorado, USA, said: ‘Late autumn is mating season, so this battle is the way in which they determine who wins the girl, similar to how elk or deer fight for hierarchy.

After their six-hour battle the rivals headed to a nearby creek for a drink, although it was not clear who won, they surely would have known who had come out on top

The pair of bighorn sheep look exhausted from their fight as they lean their heads against one and other in the battle for supremacy

Rams can charge at up to 40mph when they battle for dominance and fights like this one will typically last for hours, until one of the rivals submits

One of the rams displays its strength as he leaps into the air and shows his strength to the rival on the flat land of their battleground in the mountains

‘They would both back up and stand up on their hind feet, and as they dropped to all four feet they would use the momentum to charge into each other, ramming their heads and horns together. What the photos cannot show is the tremendous sound this makes, especially as it echoes through the narrow canyon. I watched these two males ramming into each other for six hours.

They move at incredible speeds as they bash heads, in battles which are similar to how their distant relations, stags, fight for power

Crack: The sound of their horns colliding reverberates through the canyon as they lock horns over the object of their affections

The bighorns walk behind a female, the photographer Verdon Tomajko, said: ‘They don’t really lock horns, they just continually rise up and ram into each other, and then do it again and again – I see stars just thinking about it.’

The fighting behavior is typically found in the fall when they seek to mate with ewes, the animals are found throughout the mountainous regions of North America

The pair continue to slug it out as other males stand idly by and wait to see who will be crowned champion of the canyon

‘They don’t really lock horns, they just continually rise up and ram into each other, and then do it again and again – I see stars just thinking about it. After the six hours hours they could barely walk, but they walked to the creek together for a drink of water. I truly do not know which was the winner, but I’m sure they know. I am always thrilled to watch animals displaying their unique behaviours, especially when I can witness such massive power.’

The bighorn sheep looked exhausted after their thrilling encounter continually sprinting into each other for hours on end

Bighorn sheep can be found in the mountains across North America, from the Rockies of Canada down to warmer climes in Mexico. They are named for their massive horns which can weigh up to 30 pounds (14 kilos) and stretch to more than three feet in length (over a meter). They will go to war in the fall as they battle for the affections of females and a dominant leader of the herd will be chosen from the winner.

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