Aoudad are native to northern Africa, but were introduced into the wild in Palo Duro Canyon, Texas, in 1957, according to a 2025 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension fact sheet . A new animal can often seem like a small addition to a landscape, but things can go wrong very fast. The animals now compete with native wildlife, including bighorn sheep, for habitat.
Since then, these long-horned sheep have spread to several regions of the state.
Aoudad, also known as Barbary sheep, are native to the dry mountains of northern Africa. The species is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Aoudads like rough, rocky terrain, and the fact sheet describes them as good climbers and generalist feeders. Depending on habitat, season, and rainfall, they can eat grasses, woody plants, or both. They don’t rely on standing water, as they get much of their moisture from plants. The Texas A&M fact sheet calls aoudad major competitors to native Texas wildlife for habitat and food. They share habitats with desert bighorn sheep and mule deer. This means that they compete both directly and indirectly for habitat and space, particularly in very large numbers. The Texas Tech account makes a similar point about bighorn.
The Texas Tech University account in The Mammals of Texas, Seventh Edition adds that fewer than 10,000 aoudad are thought to remain in their native range. Groups can range in size from 10 animals to several hundred. The Texas Tech account says it was once thought the total population of Texas was more than 5,000, but more recent estimates put the number at more than 30,000.
Because an animal that’s in danger in its homeland is now common somewhere far away from home, that makes their Texas story unusual,. Because of competition, aoudad and bighorn are both adapted to dry, rough land, so it is quite possible they could not coexist in the same area.
