ZooNooz Article - september 2002

Barbary Sheep

Story by DEBBIE HAESLER
Photograph Taronga Zoo
Illustration Ngaire Sales

Barbary Sheep (Ammotragus lervia) are the only sheep native to Africa. They are also known as Aoudad (pronounced "a oo-dad" or "ow-dad"), the name used by a North African tribe, the Berbers. The scientific name is derived from the Greek words ammos meaning sand - referring to the sand coloured coat - and tragos meaning goat.

Barbary Sheep

They inhabit desert hills and mountain areas throughout Northern Africa, ranging across Morocco and the western Sahara to Egypt and Sudan. They prefer shady daytime retreats such as caves or rock overhangs, while at night they will graze on plains some distance from cover.

Sheep or goat?

Barbary Sheep appear to be mid-way between sheep and goats, similar to goats in appearance, but closely related to sheep.

Their coat is tawny-brown with a dense undercoat which is shed in spring. A mane of long, soft hairs distinguishes them from other wild sheep. They have no beard, which is characteristic of sheep, but the tail is short and goat-like with scent glands on the underside. Both sexes have a heavy fringe of lighter coloured hair on their throats. In males this is denser and longer and encompasses the chest and front legs, almost reaching the ground. They keep their coats groomed by scratching with their horns and hooves or rubbing against branches and rocks.

Males (and often females) have large, curved horns which sweep upward, backwards and then inwards. In males these may reach 80cm in length, and are thicker than the females' and heavily marked with transverse wrinkles. The horns contain a rich blood supply close to the surface which helps keep the animal cool. Horns are good fighting instruments and can be used for head butts, hooked together and used to pull in tests of strength, and pushed onto an opponent's back to force him down. In biblical times, horns were used as trumpets.

Male Barbary Sheep weigh up to 140kg, while females are much smaller, weighing only 60kg. They stand about 1m at the shoulder and are about 1.5m long.

Family matters

Barbary Sheeps

Barbary Sheep usually form small family groups with a single adult male attending females and their offspring. Breeding usually occurs from September to November and pregnancy lasts from five to six months. Most births produce a single offspring. Although the mothers continue to nurse for about six months, the young supplement this diet with grass when they are only one week old.

Newborn lambs are able to negotiate the rocky hills almost immediately after birth but they do not reach sexual maturity until they are about 18 months. They live for an average of 12 years in the wild and longer in captivity.

Feeding and moving around

Like most desert dwellers, Barbary Sheep are most active in the cooler hours of dawn and dusk when they roam in search of a variety of grasses, herbs and shrubs, sometimes getting onto their hind legs to reach foliage. Capable of producing water from their food, they can go without fresh drinking for long periods, but when water is available they drink and wallow liberally.

They are excellent climbers and can negotiate extremely rough terrain and leap easily between outcrops. The lack of vegetation in their habitat means they rely on camouflage for protection, and their instinct is to remain perfectly still if threatened.

Conservation

Although native to northern Africa, Barbary Sheep have been introduced successfully to South Africa, as well as the US and Mexico where their numbers have increased to the point where it is feared they may threaten native Mule Deer and Bighorn Sheep.

In Africa, encroachment of human settlements as well as competition and disturbance from livestock are thought to be the major reasons for declining numbers. The animals have also been hunted extensively by nomads in the Sahara for their horns and hides, while their meat has been a regular commodity in market stalls in Algeria and Morocco for nearly 100 years. Their main natural predators are the Leopard and the Caracal.

At our zoos

Taronga Western Plains Zoo has 36 animals, with a new breeding male just arrived from Adelaide Zoo to join the breeding program. Taronga Western Plains was the first zoo in Australasia to successfully use artificial insemination on any zoo animal to produce live young: two Barbary Sheep - one male and one female - were born in September 1999. Taronga has five females and one male.

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