Aoudad, or Barbary sheep, are native to the mountains of North Africa, brought to Texas last century for game ranching. Unlike many ranch exotics, aoudad didn’t stay behind the fence: they’ve established free-ranging, self-sustaining herds in the rugged canyons of Big Bend, the Guadalupe Mountains, and the Davis Mountains, rocky, arid terrain that closely resembles their native range.
Reports peak in April, though ranch activity, hunting season, and the difficulty of spotting a sand-colored animal against sand-colored rock all shape when and where people report them. NatureServe doesn’t assign Texas aoudad a state rank (SNA) because it tracks them as introduced rather than native wildlife.
The species is a strange case: it’s globally listed Vulnerable by the IUCN because of decline in its native North African range, even as its introduced Texas population thrives, common enough to sit at the 85th percentile of the state’s mammal records.
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