AOUDAD -- NEITHER GOAT NOR SHEEP

[billrquimby]

After seeing threads about aoudad hunting on this and another forum, I thought someone would want to know they are NOT sheep, even though that's what many experienced international hunters call them.

 

These critters actually are closer to goats than sheep, and to be correct, the males should be called "billys," the females "nannies," and their young "kids."

 

Below is from the SCI Record Book.

 

Bill Quimby

 

 

 

Aoudad or Barbary Sheep - Africa

Ammotragus lervia

Arrui (Spanish), Mähnenschaf (German), Mouflon à manchettes (French). Also called arui (Arabic).

"Aoudad" seems to be an anglicization of its Tunisian name “udad,” and is a better name than Barbary sheep, because this animal is not really a sheep, and is found in many parts of northern Africa besides the former Barbary States or Barbary coastal region. The name "Barbary" originates from the Berber people, the chief inhabitants of the region.

DESCRIPTION Shoulder height 36-40 inches (91-102 cm). Weight 200-250 pounds (90-115 kg).

The aoudad is a medium-sized mountain animal that is biologically intermediate between a goat and a sheep. It is strongly built, with a short mane on neck and shoulders and long flowing hair on throat, chest, forelegs and tail. The general color is sandy brown, with underparts paler. As in goats, the aoudad has a scent gland beneath the tail, but does not have glands between the hoofs, in the groin area or in front of the eyes. Its chromosome number is 58, which is the same as in the urials, but is different from the 60 that is universal in true goats. Aoudads will hybridize with domestic goats, but not with sheep. The horns (both sexes) are sheep-like, being smooth, thick, triangular in section, and curved to form a semi-circle over the neck (supracervical horns). Females are much smaller than males and lighter in color, with less hair and much smaller horns.

BEHAVIOR Usually lives in small family groups with an adult male. Old males and pregnant females may be solitary. Breeds mainly from September to November, but there is some activity throughout the year. A single young (often two) is born 5-1/2 months later. Newborns are able to get about in moderately rugged terrain almost at once, and are sexually mature at about 18 months. Females have been known to give birth twice in one year. Captives have lived as long as 20 years.

Feeds early morning and late afternoon, resting in shade at midday. Eats grasses and foliage, sometimes standing on its hind legs to browse. Drinks water where available, otherwise obtains moisture from its food. Will descend from rocky terrain in evening to feed on plains. Eyesight and hearing are very good, sense of smell is good. Alert and wary. An agile climber and jumper.

HABITAT Rocky mountains and desert hills.

DISTRIBUTION Desert hills and mountains of northern Africa from Morocco and Mauritania eastward to Libya and Chad. Also in northeastern Sudan. Believed extinct in Egypt.

Has been introduced on private ranches in South Africa, which is far outside its natural range, and also in Spain, Mexico and the United States.

REMARKS The aoudad is a superb game animal that is difficult to hunt under almost any circumstances.

TAXONOMIC NOTES Five extant subspecies are listed: angusi (Niger), blainei (Libya, Sudan), fasini (Libya, southern Tunisia), lervia (Morocco, northern Algeria, northern Tunisia), and sahariensis (western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, southern Algeria, southern Libya, Chad). Their limits are unclear and we do not separate them. A sixth subspecies, ornatus, formerly occurred in Egypt, but is believed extinct.

STATUS The aoudad may never have been common in northern Africa because of its limited habitat in the desert environment. In recent years, its numbers have been reduced in many places from overhunting by local people, to whom it represents an important source of meat, skins and other parts; however, it is believed to still occur in much of its original range. To the best of our knowledge, Chad and Sudan are the places it can be hunted today in its natural range.

 

[hoghntr]

I just know I REALLY REALLY want to harvest 1.

[hunter4life]

I agree Bill. It is neither a goat nor a sheep. With that being said, who made the rule that they are called billies and nannies.

 

Everybody I know that hunts them calls them by: Rams, Ewes and Lambs. I live in the middle of "sheep" country here in SE NM and you will never convince me to call them otherwise.

[Benbrown]

Good post, thanks! However, the vernacular has them as "sheep".

 

Trying to get folks to do otherwise is about as fruitless as getting them to pronounce "Coues" as "cows" (the way that Elliot Coues himself pronounced it).

[hoghntr]

Whatever they are 1 is on my BUCKET LIST

 

But I hate the taste of goat meat like makes me gag kinda hate.. So do these taste like goat or sheep or desert sheep or?? If they smell like a goat then they taste like 1. who has killed 1 and knows the answers to my highly technical questions?

[AzDiamondHeat]

My good friend just shot one last week. Popular opinion is they taste like butt.

[billrquimby]

If an animal will breed and produce hybrid offspring with a goat but not a sheep, it is more goat than sheep. Calling them rams, ewes and lambs is like calling a male elk a buck, a female whitetail a cow, a young duck a gosling, or a baby coyote a kitten.

 

hoghntr: I didn't like the taste of my desert bighorn, but I do like cabrito when it's prepared properly.

 

Bill Quimby

[trphyhntr]

So what is it

[billrquimby]

It's an Ammotragus lervia.

 

Bill Quimby

[22-6mm]

Have taken several and have been very pleased, and surprised at how good they are. No fat, very lean, a little tough.

[billrquimby]

"Have taken several and have been very pleased, and surprised at how good they are. No fat, very lean, a little tough."

 

It's nice to know the flavor is good. Cooking the toughest meat in a Crock Pot for 10-11 hours or 24 hours in a mesquite-fired pit Mexican style will make it tender.

 

Bill Quimby

[hunter4life]

I have killed and eaten a bunch of them. Ewes and young rams have good flavor and are not too tough.

Big rams have fine flavor, but are tough as boot leather. The whole thing is done as ground meat or sausage. I have never had one that had a gamey or bad flavor.

 

Bill, if that argument holds true then why don't we call bull elk, stags, and cow elk, hinds, or vice versa. They will interbreed with red deer and produce fertile offspring.

Are the goat - aoudad hybrids sterile or fertile?

[DesertBull]

Whatever they are called I just applied for the tag and plan on killing one.

[IA Born]

Bill, if that argument holds true then why don't we call bull elk, stags, and cow elk, hinds, or vice versa. They will interbreed with red deer and produce fertile offspring.

Are the goat - aoudad hybrids sterile or fertile?

 

 

For the sake of argument, elk and red deer/stag are genetically identical, which is why they can produce viable, fertile offspring. If you took the DNA from a North American elk and a European red deer/stag, you couldn't tell the two apart by species. I sat in on a conservation genetics class almost 10 years ago and we discussed the paper and the species' genetics. I wish I still had that paper. Technically, they should have the exact same scientific name. Taxonomically, they should probably be subspecies, but it will likely never get published or recognized as such because of the record books. Evolving on separate continents for 10,000 years is what has lead to differences in antler growth and vocalizations, but they are still genetically identical. We don't call bull elk stag and cow elk hinds because we do our own thing compared to Europe/Asia. Its like "orthopedic" in NA and "orthopaedic" in Europe.

 

Bill is correct in that Audad are more genetically akin to goats than sheep and I doubt any interbreeding would result in viable offspring, thus making them true hybrids, but arguing over common vernacular is kind of mute. Its kind of like when people tell me they've seen chicken hawks or timber rattlesnakes here in Arizona. Rather than trying to correct everyone and sound righteous (like I used to 20 years ago), I just start talking about it with them. heck, the biologist/taxonomist in me has even learned to start saying "Coos" when referring to those little whitetails!

 

Having said all of that, I'm with Hoghutr and DesertBull in that hunting and harvesting a nice rambilly is one of my bucket list items!

[cramerhunts]

Right, wrong, or indifferent I will always call them sheep and refer to them as ewes, rams, and lambs. I've been fortunate to hunt them quite a few times and it's almost as addicting as any other "sheep" hunt I've been on.

 

As for the taste, I actually think it is quite good as long as it is taken care of properly. The older rams can be pretty tough but still have great flavor. I've yet to eat any that I didn't like.