Barbary Sheep

The Barbary sheep has the distinction of being the only wild sheep species in Africa, and the only species in the genus Ammotragus. In appearance, it is somewhat of an intermediate between a sheep and a goat. It is a stocky, heavily built animal, with short legs and a rather long face. The coat, which is generally a sandy-brown colour, is woolly during the winter, but moults to a finer, sleek coat for the hot summer months. Both sexes have horns that sweep backwards and outwards in an arch; those of the male are much thicker, longer and more heavily ...

 Barbary sheep are found in arid mountainous areas where they graz and browse grasses, 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 flee at the first sign of danger.They are well adapted to their habitats which consist of steep rocky mountains and canyons. When threatened, they always run up and bounce back and forth over the tops of the mountains to elude predators below. They stay in rough, steep country because they are more suited to the terrain than any of their predators. Aoudad are extremely nomadic and travel constantly via mountain ranges. Their main predators in North Africa were the Barbary leopard, the Barbary lion, and caracal, but nowadays only humans threaten their populations.