Aoudad

/ˈaʊ.dæd/ noun

Definition

A large wild sheep found in the mountains of North Africa, also called a Barbary sheep, with long curved horns and a shaggy mane.

Etymology

From Berber/Arabic languages of North Africa, possibly from a root meaning 'mountain' or 'rocky place.' The animal was named by local inhabitants long before it entered European zoological classification in the 1800s.

Kelly Says

Aoudads are so tough they can survive in the desert with minimal water and can leap vertically onto cliff faces—they've even been successfully introduced to remote mountains in the American Southwest and Mexico where they thrive. They're essentially the desert equivalent of mountain goats, evolved for North Africa instead.

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