Barbary Sheep Taking Sand Bath

It's a upnormal moment when I saw these Barbary Sheep taking Sand Bath in the Zoo. I think they did this because of the hot weather so they try to decrease the body's heat with the water on the ground.
They are most active at dawn and dusk and try to stay in the shade and shelter during the heat of the day.Show more

The Barbary sheep looks like a mix between a sheep and a goat. It is stocky, with short legs and a long face. This sheep is about 80 to 100cm tall at the shoulder and they weigh between 40 to 140kg. Their horns can reach up to 50cm in length. Its coat is a sandy-brown colour but darkens as the animal ages. It is woolly during the winter but moults to a finer, sleek coat for the hot summer months.

Both males and females have horns that sweep backwards and outwards in an arch, although those of the male are much thicker, longer and heavily ridged.

One of the most distinguishable features about the Barbary sheep is the long, vertical fringe of hair that goes from the throat down to the upper part of the front legs. On the males, this is longer and almost touches the ground.