Ammotragus
|am-mo-tra-gus|
🇺🇸
/ˌæməˈtræɡəs/
🇬🇧
/ˌæməˈtrɑːɡəs/
sand goat (goat of arid rocky places)
Etymology
'Ammotragus' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'ammos' and 'tragos', where 'ammos' meant 'sand' and 'tragos' meant 'goat'.
'Ammotragus' was formed in New Latin (scientific nomenclature) from the Greek roots 'ammos' + 'tragos' to denote a 'sand-goat' and was adopted as the genus name for the Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) in zoological classification.
Initially it literally meant 'sand-goat' (a goat of sandy or rocky habitats); over time it became fixed as the taxonomic genus name 'Ammotragus' referring to the Barbary sheep and related populations.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a genus of caprine mammals in the family Bovidae, native to arid, rocky regions of North Africa; commonly represented by the Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia), also called the aoudad.
Ammotragus is represented in zoos and some introduced populations outside its native range.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/01 12:12