Aoudad  (Barbary Sheep) (Ammotragus lervia)

Originally from the Atlas and Ennedi mountains of North Africa, Aoudad sheep were first brought to the United States in the early 1900s for exhibition in zoos and parks. Free-ranging populations currently exist in California, New Mexico and Texas.

Adults are about 190.5 cm long and up to 101.6cm tall at the shoulder. The adult ram weighs as much as 136kg and the adult ewe can weigh up to 68kg. Both males and females have horns that curve backward and downward in a semi-circle.

Aoudad sheep generally prefer to live in steep canyon areas with woody or brush cover. They may feed and travel in valleys or agricultural fields near canyons.

The Aoudad is active mostly in mornings and evenings. In Palo Duro Canyon, in the Texas Panhandle, they tend to move more significantly in the summer than in winter. Mostly browsers, their food mainly consists of woody plants, but also weeds and grasses. Aoudad sheep live about 10 to 15 years in the wild.