The Dall sheep, Ovis dalli, a mountain sheep of far northern North America, was the subject of one o

One of Adolph's greatest works was in his studies of wolves and sheep. As Adolph Murie watched, a gray wolf, Canis lupus, ran downhill toward a herd of 20 Dall sheep, Ovis dalli. As the wolf approached, the herd of white sheep split into two bands. One band circled the wolf and ran up the slope, while the other ran downhill. In response, the wolf stopped. The two bands of sheep also stopped, only 30 to 40 m away from the wolf. Suddenly the wolf sprinted after the lower band, but they easily outran him on the steep terrain. Again, the sheep and the wolf stopped and rested. After an hour, the wolf broke the stalemate and again charged the lower band. The sheep avoided him, circling the wolf and rejoining the other half of their herd. A few minutes later the wolf abandoned the hunt, trotting away as the herd of Dall sheep watched from the ridge above