They are extremely nomadic and travel constantly via mountain ranges. They often flee at the first sign of danger, typically running uphill. They are well adapted to their habitat, which consist of steep, rocky mountains and canyons. They are very agile and can achieve a standing jump over 2 metres (7 ft). Barbary sheep are crepuscular - active in the early morning and late afternoon and rest in the heat of the day. They are able to obtain all their metabolic water from food, but if liquid water is available, they drink and wallow in it.
![running sheep anatomy running sheep anatomy](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/04/0a/19/040a198f3480e35ce06f79346e14a579--animal-anatomy-primates.jpg)
Taxonomy īarbary sheep are found in arid mountainous areas where they graze and browse grasses, bushes, and lichens. Aoudad has also been introduced in Croatia several times and there is a population in Mosor. The species has also been introduced to La Palma ( Canary Islands), and has spread throughout the northern and central parts of the island, where it is a serious threat to endemic vegetation. This species is a potential competitor to native ungulates inhabiting the Iberian Peninsula. The species is currently expanding, according to recent field surveys, now being found in the provinces of Alicante, Almería, Granada, and Murcia. Its adaptability enabled it to colonise nearby areas quickly, and private game estates provided other centers of dispersion. They have become common in a limited region of southeastern Spain, since its introduction in 1970 to Sierra Espuña regional park as a game species. Introduced populations īarbary sheep have been introduced to southeastern Spain, the southwestern United States ( Chinati Mountains on La Escalera Ranch, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Palo Duro Canyon, the Trans-Pecos, and other parts of Texas and New Mexico), Niihau Island (Hawaii), Mexico, and some parts of Africa. Range Natural range īarbary sheep naturally occur in northern Africa in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, northern Chad, Egypt, Libya, northern Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Sudan (west of the Nile, and in the Red Sea Hills east of the Nile).
![running sheep anatomy running sheep anatomy](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XJQivh6gx9A/T8LRdn_IH2I/AAAAAAAAAEw/kkevMEfmLfk/s1600/Untitled.png)
The horns are fairly smooth, with slight wrinkles evident at the base as the animal matures.
![running sheep anatomy running sheep anatomy](https://www.inaturephoto.com/img/s/v-10/p3801940181-5.jpg)
The horns curve outward, backward, then inward, and can exceed 76 cm (30 in) in length. Their horns have a triangular cross-section. Some shaggy hair is on the throat (extending down to the chest in males) with a sparse mane. Upper parts and the outer parts of the legs are a uniform reddish- or grayish-brown. They are sandy-brown, darkening with age, with a slightly lighter underbelly and a darker line along the back. Barbary sheep stand 75 to 110 cm (2.46 to 3.61 ft) tall at the shoulder, with a length around 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in), and weigh 30 to 145 kg (66 to 320 lb).