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AOUDAD |
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Classification: |
Ammotragus lervia - The
Barbary Sheep is a species of caprid (goat-antelope)
native to rocky mountains in North Africa. Aoudad is the
name for this sheep used by the Berbers, a North African
people, and it is also called arui and waddan (in
Libya). |
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Description: |
Barbary Sheep stand 80 to 100 cm (2.6 to 3.3 ft) tall at the shoulder and weigh 40 to 140 kg (88 to 310 lb). They are a sandy-brown color, darkening with age, with a slightly lighter underbelly and darker line along the back. Upper parts and the outer parts of the legs are a uniform reddish-brown or grayish-brown. There is some shaggy hair on the throat (extending down to the chest in males) and a sparse mane. Their horns have a triangular cross section. The horns curve outwards, backwards, then inwards and reach up to 50 cm (20 in). The horns are smooth, but wrinkled at the base. |
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Natural Habitat: |
Barbary Sheep are found naturally in northern Africa in Algeria, Tunisia, northern Chad, Egypt, Libya, northern Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including Western Sahara), Niger and Sudan (west of the Nile and east of the Nile in the Red Sea Hills).
They are found
in arid mountainous areas where they graze and browse
on grass, bushes and lichens. They are able to obtain all
their moisture from food, but if liquid water is
available, they drink it and wallow in it. Barbary Sheep
are crepuscular: active in the early morning and late
afternoon and resting in the heat of the day. They are
very agile and can achieve a standing jump of over 2 metres
(7 ft). Barbary Sheep are usually solitary and freeze
in the presence of danger. Although they are rare in its
native North Africa, they have been introduced to North
America, southern Europe and elsewhere. |
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