Barbary sheep

TheBarbary sheep(Ammotragus lervia), also known asaoudad(pronounced [ˈɑʊdæd]), is aspeciesofcaprinenative to rocky mountains inNorth Africaand parts ofWest Africa.While this is theonly speciesin genusAmmotragus, sixsubspecieshave been described.  Although it is rare in its native North Africa, it has beenintroducedtoNorth America, southernEurope, and elsewhere.  It is also known in theBerber languageaswaddanorarwi, and in former French territories as themouflon.
Barbary sheep stand 75 to 110 cm (2 ft 6 in to 3 ft 7 in) tall at the shoulder, with a length around 1.5 m (5 ft), and weigh 30 to 145 kg (66 to 320 lb).They are sandy-brown, darkening with age, with a slightly lighter underbelly and a darker line along the back. Upper parts and the outer parts of the legs are a uniform reddish- or grayish-brown. Some shaggy hair is on thethroat(extending down to the chest in males) with a sparsemane. Theirhornshave atriangularcross-section.  The horns curve outward, backward, then inward, and can exceed 76 cm (30 in) in length. The horns are fairly smooth, with slight wrinkles evident at the base as the animal matures.
Barbary sheep areendemicto regions of Northern Africa primarily surrounding the barren center of theSahara Desert. Countries and territories where aoudad may be found includeAlgeria,Chad(north),Egypt,Libya,Mali(north),Mauritania,Morocco,Niger,TunisiaandWestern Sahara. West of theNile, they can be found inSudan; east of the Nile, in theRed Sea Hills.The now-extinctAncient Egyptian corkscrew-horned sheep(Ovis longipes palaeoaegyptiacus) was also thought to be a subspecies of wild barbary sheep.
Populations within its native range have been decreasing due to hunting, legal and otherwise, and destruction of habitat.
Barbary sheep have been introduced to southeasternSpainand the southwesternUnited States.
They have become common in a limited region of southeastern Spain, since its introduction in 1970 toSierra EspuñaRegional Park as agamespecies.  Its adaptability enabled it to colonize nearby areas quickly, and private game estates provided other centers of dispersion. The species is currently expanding, according to recent field surveys, now being found in the provinces ofAlicante,Almería,Granada, andMurcia.The species is a potential competitor to nativeungulatesinhabiting theIberian Peninsula, and has also been introduced toLa Palma(in theCanary Islands), and has spread throughout the northern and central parts of the island, where it is a serious threat toendemicvegetation.The aoudad has also been introduced in Croatia several times, where there is a population inMosor.
Although the species has not yet been recorded inAustralia, it is considered a pest species inQueenslandwith the potential to establish in the wild.
A. lerviais the only species in thegenusAmmotragus.  However, some authors include this genus in the goat genusCapra, together with the sheep genusOvis.
The subspecies are foundallopatricallyin various parts of North Africa:
Barbary sheep are found inaridmountainous areas where theygrazeandbrowsegrasses,bushes, andlichens.  They are able to obtain all theirmetabolic waterfrom food, but if liquid water is available, they drink and wallow in it. Barbary sheep arecrepuscular- active in the early morning and late afternoon and rest in the heat of the day. They are very agile and can achieve a standing jump over 2 metres (7 ft).  They are well adapted to their habitat, which consist of steep, rocky mountains and canyons. They often flee at the first sign of danger, typically running uphill. They are extremely nomadic and travel constantly via mountain ranges. Their mainpredatorsin North Africa were theBarbary leopard,Barbary lion, andcaracal, but now humans, feral dogs, competition due to overgrazing by domestic animals and droughtthreaten their populations.
Thebinomial nameAmmotragus lerviaderives from theGreekἄμμοςámmos("sand", referring to the sand-coloured coat) and τράγοςtrágos("goat").
Lerviaderives from the wild sheep of northern Africa described as "lerwee" by Rev. T. Shaw in his "Travels and Observations" about parts ofBarbaryandLevant.
TheSpanishnamed this sheep thearruis, from Berberarrwis, and theSpanish Legioneven used it as a mascot for a time.
Aoudad([ˈɑː.uːdæd]) is the name for this sheep used by theBerbers, a North African people, and it is also calledaruiandwaddan(inLibya).