The brown rocks and boulders in Joshua Tree National Park in California are a perfect backdrop for the sandy brown coloration of bighorn sheep to blend in so well you can hardly see them.
The folks at Joshua Tree captured an image of a bighorn sheep sitting on a rock out in the open, yet it blends in well enough to make it a fun search.
So, the national park posted the photo on its Facebook page, saying, “Bighorn sheep use a tactic called camouflage, or cryptic coloration, to blend into their environments. Their sandy brown fur disguises their appearance and helps them blend in with the surrounding rocky landscape, making it more difficult for predators (and hikers) to see them.”
Most commenters on Facebook located the bighorn sheep pretty easily, but the park suggested that sightings won’t always be as easy as this one.
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“While exploring the park, always keep an eye on the rocks and boulders around you…you could easily walk right by a bighorn sheep without even knowing!” the post on the Joshua Tree National Park Facebook page reads. “But please keep in mind, these animals are very sensitive to human disturbance. So, if you do see one in the park, help protect it by quietly viewing it from a distance.”
Nobody probably needs help locating the bighorn sheep in the photo, but just in case, here’s a closeup of the sighting:
