The Aoudad, or Barbary Sheep (Ammotragus lervia), is a large, horned ungulate common across the rugged mountains of Texas. Despite its strong presence, the Aoudad is not native to Texas. This mammal, characterized by impressive backward-sweeping horns and a long fringe of hair, was deliberately introduced by humans. Its success makes it a non-native, exotic species in North America.
The True Origin of the Aoudad
The Aoudad’s true home is the arid, mountainous terrain of North Africa, specifically the Barbary Coast and regions surrounding the Sahara Desert. Its native range extends across a vast area, including countries like Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. This species is naturally adapted to survive in dry, rocky environments with limited forage and water availability, a trait that contributed to its proliferation in Texas.
The Aoudad’s presence in Texas traces back to the mid-20th century, primarily the 1950s. While the species was imported to the U.S. around 1900 for zoos, its introduction to the Texas wild began with deliberate releases. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department conducted the first releases in 1957 in the Palo Duro Canyon area to create a new game animal. Animals introduced onto exotic game ranches later escaped or were intentionally released, establishing a free-ranging population.
Establishment and Range in Texas
The Aoudad quickly adapted to the dry, rough habitats of West Texas, mirroring its native North African home. This adaptability allowed the species to establish itself firmly as a free-ranging exotic ungulate across significant portions of the state. The primary stronghold for the Aoudad is the Trans-Pecos region, which includes the rugged mountain ranges of Far West Texas.
The population is not limited to the Trans-Pecos; Aoudad are also found along the Caprock Escarpment of the Panhandle and the Edwards Plateau. The Texas population has grown exponentially, with estimates suggesting the free-roaming population west of the Pecos River may exceed 100,000 animals. Thriving due to reproductive potential and a lack of natural predators, the Aoudad is the most numerous free-ranging exotic ungulate in Texas. Hunting is the primary means of population control, managed legally as a non-native game animal, often with no closed season or bag limits on private land.
Ecological Consequences of a Non-Native Species
The thriving Aoudad population poses significant ecological challenges to Texas’s native wildlife and fragile desert ecosystems. The most direct and concerning impact is the intense competition with the native Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) for resources. Both species occupy the same high-elevation, rugged habitats and compete directly for limited forage and water sources, particularly during extended drought periods.
Aoudad are highly efficient at exploiting resources, capable of switching their diet from grasses to browse, giving them a competitive advantage over native species like Desert Bighorn Sheep and Mule Deer. Their presence complicates conservation efforts for the native Desert Bighorn Sheep, whose populations are being painstakingly restored after being historically extirpated. Aoudad are also socially aggressive, and large groups can prevent Bighorn Sheep from accessing water sources.
A primary threat involves the risk of disease transmission from the non-native Aoudad to the native Bighorn Sheep. Research confirms that Aoudad can carry and transmit respiratory pathogens, such as Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (MOV), which are often fatal to native Bighorn Sheep, even if the Aoudad show no signs of illness. The presence of this species introduces a significant disease risk that undermines decades of conservation work aimed at restoring Texas’s native ungulate populations.