Andy Warhol's Endangered Species series was born out of a conversation between Warhol and the commissioner and publisher, Ronald Feldman, concerning the ecological issue of beach erosion. Given Warhol's curiosity with animals, he was eager to take on the project proposed to him by Feldman. The resulting screenprints highlighted ten endangered animals in a colorful, upbeat manner, which Warhol described as "animals in make up." His focus on the animals in isolation, with the Pop Art palette, puts them on a level of superstardom along with the infamous screenprint subjects of Warhol's past, such as Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor and Muhammad Ali.

The present work depicts the bighorn ram or sheep, native to North America. While just 200 years ago they were once widespread in the western United States, Canada, and northern Mexico, the population of bighorn sheep dropped severely in the early 20th century due to hunting, habitat destruction, and disease. The first conservation efforts began in the 1930s with a campaign led by the Arizona Boy Scouts, the result of which was the creation of several hundred acres of wildlife refuge.

The complimentary purple and yellow that define the ram's face and body allow the light green of his horns to jump off the page. Warhol’s creative eye and attention to detail can be seen in the linear details that both emphasize his horns' ridges and accentuate the ram's fur. Representing its pupil with a gentle spiral, he further highlights the animal's defining curved horns.