| Barbary sheep | |
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Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Caprinae |
| Tribe: | Caprini |
| Genus: | Ammotragus (Blyth, 1840) |
| Species: | A. lervia |
| Binomial name | |
| Ammotragus lervia (Pallas, 1777) | |
| Subspecies | |
A. l. angusiRothschild, 1921 | |
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| Range ofAmmotragus lervia Extant (resident) Possibly extant (resident) Extant and reintroduced (resident) Possibly extinct Presence uncertain | |
| Synonyms | |
TheBarbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia), also known asaoudad (pronounced [ˈɑʊdæd]), is aspecies ofcaprine native to rocky mountains inNorth Africa and parts ofWest Africa.[1] While this is theonly species in genusAmmotragus, sixsubspecies have been described. Although it is rare in its native North Africa, it has beenintroduced toNorth America, southernEurope, and elsewhere. It is also known in theBerber language aswaddan orarwi, 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).[5] 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. Theirhorns have 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.[6]
Barbary sheep areendemic to 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,Tunisia andWestern Sahara. West of theNile, they can be found inSudan; east of the Nile, in theRed Sea Hills.[7] The now-extinctAncient Egyptian corkscrew-horned sheep (Ovis longipes palaeoaegyptiacus) was also thought to be a subspecies of wild barbary sheep.[8]
Populations within its native range have been decreasing due to hunting, legal and otherwise, and destruction of habitat.[9][10]
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Barbary sheep have been introduced to southeasternSpain[11] and the southwesternUnited States.[12]
They have become common in a limited region of southeastern Spain, since its introduction in 1970 toSierra Espuña Regional Park as agame species. 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.[13] The species is a potential competitor to nativeungulates inhabiting 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.[14] The aoudad has also been introduced in Croatia several times, where there is a population inMosor.[15]
Although the species has not yet been recorded inAustralia, it is considered a pest species inQueensland with the potential to establish in the wild.[16]
A. lervia is the only species in thegenusAmmotragus. However, some authors include this genus in the goat genusCapra, together with the sheep genusOvis.[4]
The subspecies are foundallopatrically in various parts of North Africa:[7]
Barbary sheep are found inarid mountainous areas where theygraze andbrowsegrasses,bushes, andlichens. They are able to obtain all theirmetabolic water from 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 mainpredators in North Africa were theBarbary leopard,Barbary lion, andcaracal, but now humans, feral dogs, competition due to overgrazing by domestic animals and drought[19] threaten their populations.
Thebinomial nameAmmotragus lervia derives from theGreek ἄμμοςámmos ("sand", referring to the sand-coloured coat) and τράγοςtrágos ("goat").
Lervia derives from the wild sheep of northern Africa described as "lerwee" by Rev. T. Shaw in his "Travels and Observations" about parts ofBarbary andLevant.
TheSpanish named this sheep thearruis, from Berberarrwis, and theSpanish Legion even 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 calledarui andwaddan (inLibya).
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