Aoudad (pronounced "owe-dad")
Last Update 2014
(AKA Barbary Sheep)
The Aoudad is the only wild sheep species in Africa. It looks like a cross between a sheep and a goat being stocky with short legs and a long face. The coat of fur is a sandy brown color, is woolly during the winter months and molts to a sleek coat during the summer.
Body Length: 51 – 64 inches
Tail Length: 4 – 9 inches
Male Weight: 220 – 308 pounds
Female Weight: 88 – 121 pounds
Horns: Swept backward and inward in an ark. Male horns are thicker, longer, heavily ridged compared to the slender horns of the female.
The sheep live in groups of three to six individuals, each having one adult male, several females and their offspring. Mating season is during October and November with births taking place 150 – 165 days later.
Gestation period is approximately 160 days in which the Aoudad will birth 1 to 2 young, rarely will they have three. Sexual maturity is reached after 18 months and they have a life span of 20 years. Breeding can occur at any time of the year but the peak is September to November.