Aoudad (Barbary sheep)

Originating in the hills of the Sahara, the aoudad was introduced to Europe in the 1800s and to the southwest United States in the 1 950s.

It was introduced to and later flourished in New Mexico and northern and western Texas.

Aoudad resembled a goat more than a sheep in many ways, but biochemical analysis indicates that they are more closely relate to sheep.

The animals are powerful, with large and very thick horns and avid rock-climbers. Female: 3o -6o kgs are approximately half the size of make: 1oo -145 kgs. Their hair is short and ranges from tan to brown-red in color.
Aoudad (Barbary sheep)

Siberian bighorn sheep

It was first described by Russian naturalist Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz (1793-1831), who explored the Bering Strait region, Kamchatka, Aleutians, Chile and California. They are closely related to North America species such as bighorn sheep.

Siberian bighorn sheep also known as snow sheep or Northeast Asiatic Thinhorned Sheep, a well-adapted mountain dweller, extremely agile and nimble, able to move quickly over steep, uneven terrain.

As in all will sheep, sexual dimorphisms privileges males, which are about 25 percent bigger than females. The males’ horns are much larger and similar to those of the bighorn.

The body weight of rams approaches 150 kg and its height at the withers is about 1 meter in the largest subspecies.

Within bachelor hers, a prominence hierarchy is formed based primarily on horn size. These hierarchies remain relatively stable, even in the bring season, with larger getting the majority of the mating rights.

Siberian bighorn sheep occurs in mountain forest, rocky meadows and bare slopes to 6500 ft in Siberia and northeast Asia, where open meadows for feeding lie adjacent to steep cliffs for resting.
Siberian bighorn sheep

Bighorn sheep

Wild mountain sheep of western North America, named for the massive, curled horns of the rams. Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) are relatively large-bodies, social animals.

The horns are used by the ram, a male bighorn sheep, to battle with other males in head-butting jousts. Rams thus become symbols of natural instincts and strength, as well as masculinity, aggression and a procreative force of life.

As well as their massive horns, which can weigh up to 30 pounds (14 kg), these sheep have a reinforced skull that is linked to the spine by a thick tendon.

Wyoming has some good bighorn sheep hunting concentrated mostly around Yellowstone National Park and in the Wind River Range. Unfortunately, much of the sheep hunting tales place in designated wilderness, where nonresidents are required to hunt with a guide, so the nonresident doesn’t have many options for hunting on his own.

Bighorn can live 15-16 years in the wild. The main causes of death are predation by maintain lions, bobcats, coyotes, disease, accidents and ingestion of poisonous plants.
Bighorn sheep