Variety of goats of the name. Mountain goats - description and classification

Mountain goats are ruminant artiodactyl mammals belonging to the bovid family. The genus includes three species: ibexes, goats and tours. The domestic goat belongs to the domesticated representative of this genus. Today it is considered an independent biological species. The habitat of mountain goats is mountainous areas. Leaping, with agility and a fair amount of endurance, they are able to climb steep cliffs and survive on poor vegetation.

Tours

• . A variety of this mountain animal is also called the Kuban tour. There is a mountain tour in the Russian-Georgian border zone. Its range includes only an insignificant strip, the total area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich is slightly less than five thousand square kilometers, but even this territory is being cut over the years due to the human factor. Alarm signals are already coming from the International Union for Conservation of Nature. According to the organization, the Kuban tur is on the verge of extinction, because the total number of this mammal in the world is within ten thousand animals.

The West Caucasian mountain goat has massive and strong physique. The total body length of an adult male can reach 1.6–17 m, and the body height is from 1–1.2 m. The mass of large mature males is often at the border of one hundred kilograms, but usually the weight is not more than 70–80 kg. Females, as a rule, are more graceful: the body length is around 1.1–1.3 m, and the height is up to 80–85 cm, with a weight of 60–70 kg. The horns of females are not as large as those of males - they have only a slight bend towards the neck. Males, on the other hand, have overall and powerful horns approximately 80 cm long. True, unlike the East Caucasian relative, the diameter of its horn processes is not so huge.

Males, exactly like females, have a short tail, a small and wide beard. The upper part of the body of the East Caucasian tur is colored red-brown, the lower part has a yellowish tint. In the cold season dyed grey-brown color scheme, which allows the tour to camouflage itself from predators and poachers.

• East Caucasian tour. The animal is usually considered as a separate species from the Kuban tur, which, according to many zoologists, has similar features with the bezoar goat, which has been confirmed in numerous genetic studies. The visual similarity between the two species of Caucasian ibex explains hybridization. This thesis is not doubted by the examination, which indicates the similarity of the mitochondrial genome of the West Caucasian tur and its East Caucasian congener.

Mountain goats are one of the most graceful and agile herbivores. They belong to the genus Artiodactyls from the Bovid family and are among the ruminant mammals. In nature, they are found mainly in the Northern Hemisphere, the so-called Old World - Asia, North Africa and Europe. These wild representatives are the progenitors of domesticated goats. They have some similarities with mountain sheep. To date, there are about eight species, which are conditionally divided into 3 categories.

general description

The genus includes up to 10 species, which are divided into 3 categories: ibexes, tours and goats. Under general description Animals with the following constitutional features are included:

• Individuals of medium size: females are more graceful and weigh 40–50 kg, males - up to 160 kg.
• The impressive dimensions of males in height and length are 1 and 1.5 m, respectively. The females are much more compact.
• Obvious differences in the size of the horns and head: in females, the horns are 30-35 cm long, in males they can reach a meter.

Old goats have more curved horns than young goats, as they change shape as they grow older.. On this basis, you can approximately determine the age of the animal. Goats are called bovids because the horns are empty inside. And this does not change throughout life. The most numerous group - ibexes - has massive horns, with roller-like influxes.

As the name implies, animals live in the mountains. The main natural habitat of the accumulation of these representatives is Altai, the Caucasus, Tibet, the Pamir and Pyrenees mountains. Most of the species are listed in the Red Book, which is caused by their gradual extinction. Decorative horns and skins are valuable prey for hunters.

Sometimes mountain goats are called argali, but this is not true, since argali, or argali, refers to the type of mountain sheep.

Varieties

To date, there is no consensus in the scientific community about the number of breeds of mountain goats. There are 3 main breeds, including several subspecies:

• markhor goats;
• Caucasian mountain tours: Kuban, East Caucasian and Severtsov;
• Capricorns: Nubian, Siberian and Pyrenean.

Outwardly, they are similar to each other, although a professional will immediately notice the differences. The main subspecies of mountain goats are listed and characterized in the table:

Breed name and photo	Description
Nubian ibex	The most prominent representative of mountain goats, although significantly inferior in mass to other species. The fur is usually sandy in color with dark brown or black stains. The knees are painted white. Live in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula
Ibex	A rare species of ibex living in the mountains of Savoy and Piedmont. An adult male reaches 100 kg, a female - about 40 kg. They are distinguished by beautiful long and weighty horns - up to 10-15 kg, the length of which can be up to a meter. The color varies depending on gender: in males, the skin is rich brown, in females - golden brown
Siberian	The most numerous species. These mountain goats live in the harsh climatic conditions of Siberia, Altai, as well as in Afghanistan and India. Despite external unattractiveness, they have beautifully curved horns.
Iberian	A distinctive feature of this subspecies is an unusual color. A light sandy shade is observed in the neck and back, and rich resinous marks on the forehead, nose, legs and belly. Individuals have a medium-sized physique: the weight of males is not more than 80 kg. The horns are thinner than those of other subspecies, but in a graceful lyre-shaped configuration. Natural habitat - Iberian Islands and Spanish highlands
Caucasian mountain tour	Type of mountain tours living in the mountains of the Caucasus. It is characterized by brown short hair, impressive arched horns placed on the sides. The external beauty of animals is additionally emphasized by the relief surface of the horns. The male weighs over 100 kg, the females are much smaller. There are up to 10 thousand such copies around the world
Kuban mountain tour	The Kuban subspecies is distributed at the junction of the Russian-Georgian border. It has a beautiful golden-sand coat color. Adult males weigh up to 100 kg, and their height can be more than a meter. Males have large and curved horns, females have small, narrow horns.
East Caucasian (Dagestan) tour	It is outwardly difficult to confuse such goats with others. It's all about the unusual horns: the direction of their bend is spiral, like a lamb's, and they are located at an angle of 180 degrees to each other. A similar feature makes it easy to distinguish such individuals from other Caucasian "relatives"
Tour of Severtsov	Outwardly, they are in many ways similar to the Caucasian variety. The horns are large, similar in structure and shape. But the dimensions of Severtsov's tours are smaller. The coat is hard and dense, light beige
markhor goat	Markhorn goats are considered one of the most beautiful creatures of the wild. Their second name is markhor. They live in the mountainous parts of America, Asia and Europe. The name comes from the spiral configuration of the horns, like a corkscrew. In old goats, the length can reach 1.5 meters. The females have small horns, about 30 cm. They are also found in the Himalayas, Tibet, in the highlands of Tajikistan and Pakistan. Vintorogs are listed in the Red Book, as they are on the verge of extinction. Individuals are up to 90 kg with growth up to one and a half meters. These animals are fast and agile, climbing the steepest peaks. It is quite difficult to catch them, as they move at lightning speed. Attract attention with a thick hanging beard. The coat is predominantly short all over the body, with the exception of the sternum. In young animals, the color is grayish, with a red tint. For those who are older, it is off-white. Color tends to change depending on the season.

Characteristics and lifestyle

Animals prefer to settle in mountainous areas and in other hard-to-reach places, at an altitude of about 5 thousand above sea level. They spend almost the whole year there, going down for the winter period to wait out the severe frosts. Individuals are fully adapted to such conditions. With a sufficiently high running speed, they do not lose their balance and stay firmly on their feet even on gentle slopes. They can show their virtuoso climbing abilities especially brightly when they are escaping from the chase.

A characteristic feature of these wild inhabitants of the mountains is the ability to move along sheer cliffs, even jump to a solid height. Such dexterity is explained by the structure of the hooves - they are narrow, with a strong hoofed bend like a hook. It is due to it that adhesion to flat and smooth surfaces occurs.

An interesting fact is that the habitat of different subspecies does not intersect with each other. For example, the territories where the Ibeks live are prohibited for markhors. The exception is the Caucasian mountain goats and varieties, which do not interfere with each other's neighborhood. Most likely, this is due to the special secret that goats secrete. Each breed has its own specific smell, which is felt at a considerable distance.

Wild goats are sedentary, gathering in groups and. Males and females prefer to form separately, no more than five individuals in the family. Although in some regions there are mixed communities, for example in the Himalayas. In males, there is a clear division of power, where strong males dominate. They achieve a similar position in equal internecine fights, which occur quite often. Goats usually settle with their offspring. In winter, small groups merge into larger communities, numbering several dozen animals. Goats coexist with females only during the mating season.

Males of some species, such as ibexes, winter in a mixed herd, and keep apart in the spring.

Animals go out for grazing in the morning and in the evening, and in dangerous places - at night. During the day they prefer to hide in the most hidden corners. Goats are constantly in readiness to flee, as potential enemies include not only people, but also various large predators. The latter include: leopards, snow leopards, hyenas, lynxes, wolves, jackals. At the slightest sign of danger, a sound signal is given, like the bleating of a goat. Animals feel the approaching threat not only with their olfactory organs, but also with sensitive ears.

Goats are unpretentious in nutrition, which was facilitated by the meager natural flora of their usual habitats. They eat any pasture that they manage to get. But if there is a choice, they prefer moss and lichen, tree branches and bark, bluegrass and fescue grass. They do not refuse dry vegetation and even poisonous herbs. Markhors eat tree leaves during hungry periods. Goats especially like to feast on the bark of young trees. It is vitally important for these animals to feed on salt, which they lick off salt licks. For the sake of this valuable prey, they are ready to walk more than one kilometer or climb the highest slopes.

The mating hunt for goats falls in November - December. Males join the herds of females and begin to fight for the persons they like. Even such primitive animals have their own rules of battle:

• it is unacceptable to collide foreheads;
• they do not hit on unprotected parts of the body: they butt only with horns;
• do not catch up with the runaway enemy;
• don't beat the weak.

In mountain goats, a polygamous system prevails. The winner gets a "harem" consisting of 5-10 goats. After fertilization, pregnancy occurs, which lasts about 5-6 months. In one round, there are usually no more than two kids, who after a few hours can get up on their feet. After 1-2 days, the babies already accompany their mother on pasture. Goats have an increased maternal instinct. They hide weak babies from danger in hard-to-reach places, where they constantly visit to feed them. Up to a year and a half, mothers carefully take care of their brood. Puberty in mountain goats occurs in the second or third year of life.

In the natural environment, goats live from 5 to 10 years, in captivity - 12–15 years. Despite all the protective measures in relation to these animals, many species are on the verge of extinction. For hunters, they are a valuable object because of the delicious nutritious meat, medicinal milk and high-quality skin. No less important are the beautiful horns, which are a trophy. Even in ancient times, wild goats were successfully domesticated, due to their high adaptive capabilities. When mating wild and domestic individuals, strong and healthy offspring are obtained.

(Capra hircus) - a domesticated representative of this genus, which descended from the bezoar goat, is currently distinguished into an independent biological species. It has been proven to have been domesticated over 8,500 years ago.

Mountain goats live in mountainous regions. Agile and hardy animals, able to climb a sheer cliff and live on sparse vegetation. They can be distinguished from the genus Rams ( Ovis), which includes sheep, by availability odorous glands on the legs, in the groin and around the eyes, and the absence of other facial glands, the presence of a beard in males, and bald calluses on the knees of the front legs.

Range and habitat

All goats are typically mountain animals, inhabiting hard-to-reach rocky places, steep slopes of cliffs, gorges and avoiding vast open and flat spaces. Distributed vertically up to a height of 5.5 thousand meters above sea level and more. They are perfectly adapted to life in the mountains, with exceptional speed and agility they move along the most impregnable steeps.

Lifestyle

Gnawing on the bark, goats harm young trees and can greatly impede the regeneration of the forest after felling.

reproduction

Mating takes place at the beginning of winter. During this period, fierce fights are observed between males because of females. Pregnancy lasts about 5-6 months, in May-June, females (wild species) give birth to 1-2 kids, domestic ones sometimes up to 4 kids, which quickly get stronger and can soon follow their mother. Reach sexual maturity in the second year of life.

Practical use

Valuable hunting animals are hunted mainly for meat, skins are used for leather and fur products, horns are used as decoration.

They easily tolerate captivity and breed well. Goats were domesticated by man in ancient times and are the progenitors of numerous modern breeds of domestic goats. Different kinds goats mate with each other and with domestic goats, forming fertile hybrids.

Goat milk and meat are used for food, in addition, wool, leather and horns are used in industry.

Classification

Eight species of mountain goats are usually divided into three groups, differing mainly in the structure of the horns.

Capricorn

To the subgenus of capricorns belong species with wide front, without a longitudinal rib, saber-shaped curved horns, having a cross-sectional shape close to a triangle, with numerous thick transverse thickenings in the form of rollers. Most of the goat species belong to this group.

• Ibex ( Capra ibex) - the horns are curved arcuately and somewhat diverge at the ends, long and thick, in old males they reach a length of 80 cm - 1 m and a weight of up to 10-15 kg, in females their length is 15-18 cm, hard, thick hair is reddish-gray in summer , yellowish gray in winter; on the front of the neck, chest, groin, legs, the color turns into blackish-brown; the middle of the abdomen and the circumference of the anus white color. The male has a short beard. Body length 1.5-1.6 m, tail 10 cm, shoulder height 80-85 cm, weight 75-100 kg. Lives on inaccessible mountain peaks; formerly found everywhere in the Tyrolean and Swiss Alps, now survived only in small numbers on the ridges between Piedmont and Savoy. Both in freedom and in captivity, it crosses with domestic goats and produces fertile offspring.
• Nubian mountain goat ( capra nubiana)
• Pyrenean goat ( capra pyrenaica), with slightly curved lyre-shaped horns, the tops of which are directed upwards and inwards, and the transverse ridges are much weaker, found in the Pyrenees and many other highlands of Spain.
• Siberian mountain goat ( capra sibirica), is well known, common in the mountains of South Siberia, Central and Central Asia.
• Ethiopian goat ( capra walie), or the Abyssinian goat.

Goats

• Markhorn goat ( capra falconeri) with helical horns, up to almost 1 m long and a long beard, turning into a mane hanging from the chest, shoulders and front of the back, light gray-brown in color; the head and legs are darker, the belly is lighter, the beard is black-brown; body length up to 1.55 m, tail 18 cm, shoulder height 80 cm (more than 1 m according to others); found in the western Himalayan mountains, Kashmir and northern Afghanistan. It is listed in the Red Book of Russia and in the International Red Book.
• Domestic goat ( Capra hircus) with horns are strongly compressed laterally and in cross section are close to

Mountain goats are rock-dwelling mammals with thick fur and luxurious horns. By nature, they are distant relatives of domestic goats. Where animals live and what animals look like can be found in the article. Nice pictures will allow you to get acquainted with the varieties.

General characteristics of the animal

Goats are considered very dexterous creatures. The ability to quickly move along narrow mountain paths and climb steep cliffs on sharp stones has always amazed me.

Such a goat owes its speed to the structure of its hooves. Thanks to evolution, a kind of cushion formed on the sole. The surface of this "device" is regularly updated and does not coarsen. As soon as the climbing goat lowers its leg to the surface, the pad wraps around the stone, repeats the relief and “sticks” to the rock.

Artiodactyls are not deprived of an excellent sense of balance. Vision is excellent - the animal sees all the bumps on the rock. If the foot is on a small stone, the horned "climber" will quickly push off and jump further.

Attention! A goat living in the mountains is not able to run fast and far. If danger appears in the field of view, it quickly climbs to a height inaccessible to the predator.

All breeds are similar. Appearance is described as follows:

1. These are medium sized animals. Females weigh 45-50 kg, males reach 160 kg.
2. The height of the goats is up to 1 m, the body length reaches 1.5 m. The females are slightly smaller.
3. The coat is not long, but very thick. Well protects animals from cold.

The main difference between males and females is the horns. In males, they reach a meter in length and bend over the years, which makes it possible to approximately determine the age. Goats have only about 30 cm. There is a void inside the horn, therefore, according to the classification of their owners, they belong to the bovid family.

animal species

AT natural conditions mountain goats can only be found in the Northern Hemisphere: in Europe, Asia and North America. Herds of 20-30 individuals live in mountainous areas at an altitude of 1500-4500m.
The species is related to such inhabitants of rocky areas as mountain sheep and snow goats.

All varieties are similar to each other and only professionals distinguish them. Zoologists described 3 breeds of climbing goats:

1. Capricorns.
2. Tours.
3. Markhor goats.

Those, in turn, are divided into 8 subspecies.

• Caucasian mountain tour. The variety is divided into 3 subtypes: Kuban; East Caucasian goat, Severtsov's tour. Animals live in the western and eastern regions of the Caucasus Mountains. The horns of such goats are large, beautifully curved. There are many transverse grooves on them. The coat is short, reddish in color.

Attention! The Caucasian mountain tour was given the status of "In Danger!". Around the world, about 10 thousand individuals remain.

• Capricorns. Representatives of the subspecies are distinguished by characteristic horns resembling Turkish scimitars. In cross section, these hollow devices are triangular in shape. The coat color is sandy with gray markings. Capricorns include: Nubian goat, ibex, Iberian and Siberian.

• Markhor goat. The breed is represented by one subspecies with unique horns screwed like a corkscrew. The height of the animal reaches one and a half meters. The horns are about the same length. The coat of markhor, as the handsome markhor is also called, is also different from other varieties. The back is covered with short villi, and the beard and chest are long, up to 30 cm.

Lifestyle

The inhabitants of the rocks eat plant foods. Grass, shrubs, tree bark are used. An important element of the diet is salt. Her animals lick off ledges in places of salt marshes. Goats and goats live in herds of 20-30 individuals, but some species prefer a solitary existence, for example, representatives of ibexes. In summer, the herds rise to the mountains to a height of up to 4 thousand meters. In winter, to escape from frost and cold winds, they descend lower.

The mating season begins in the spring. At this time, there are battles between males for the right to own "beautiful ladies". Tournament participants clash with horns and try to knock each other down. The winning goat covers the females.

Gestation occurs 5-6 months. Newborn kids quickly get on their feet and are ready to follow their mother over the rocks. Goats live in nature up to 10 years. In zoos, the term is increased to 15.

Goats that live high in the mountains are amazing animals. Any climber will envy their ability to climb rocks. Unfortunately, all species suffer from the desire of greedy people to get their own skin or beautiful horns, as a result of which some of them are on the verge of extinction.

Mountain goats: video

Despite the fact that hunting has long passed into the category of a male hobby, for many people it is still a way of life and a way of earning money. One of its most frequent (and traditional) subjects is the mountain goat. Its meat is eaten with pleasure, the skin is used for the production of fur and leather products, and the horns are a very honorable hunting trophy, since not everyone can get this animal, which can climb steep mountain steeps. In addition, in some areas, the mountain goat is still crossed with a domesticated goat in order to refresh the blood of a particular breed. It has been observed that mountain goats mate equally effectively not only in freedom, but also in captivity.

Typology of mountain goats

The genus of mountain goats includes eight species, which, in turn, are divided into three groups - ibexes, tours and goats proper. Their main difference between them is the appearance of the horns, and a common feature is the presence of internal cavities in them and immutability. In young animals, the horns are usually curved in the form of an arc, which turns into a spiral with age. The largest and most numerous group of ibexes has wide front saber-curved horns with large quantity ridge-like thickenings. It includes:

1. ibex (aka alpine goat or common ibex), living in the Italian Alps between Savoy and Piedmont and in part of the Swiss Alps, where it was smuggled at the beginning of the 20th century. The height of its habitat runs exactly along the border of ice and forest.
2. Nubian goat.
3. Iberian.
4. Siberian mountain goat.

In turn, these species have ten subspecies: four each in the Pyrenean and Siberian goats, and two in the Nubian.

What do Capricorns look like?

Despite their relationship, these subspecies have some differences, not only related to different habitats. For example, an ibix can be distinguished by the following features:

1. long and thick arched horns, somewhat diverging from each other in different directions. In males, their length can reach up to one meter, while in goats they look like small, slightly curved horns.
2. the presence of a short beard in males and females.
3. hard thick wool, whose color depends on the season. In winter, the coat of both sexes is gray, in summer the front of the neck and chest, as well as the legs and genital area in males are dark brown (in females - reddish with golden), the belly and anus are white.
4. the average body length is up to 150 cm, height is about 90. The weight of goats usually does not exceed 40 kg, and the weight of males reaches hundreds of kilograms.

The appearance of the Nubian goat is as follows:

1. long thin, curved back and down horns. Like other subspecies, their length is related to the gender of their carrier: in males - up to one meter, in females - up to 30 cm.
2. the general color - yellowish-brown - corresponds to the color of the territory in which it lives (north of Africa east of the Nile, Arabia and the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia). Starting from August, it can change, varying by different parts body dark brown to black.
3. a characteristic feature of the male Nubian goat is a dark stripe on the back.
4. the weight of females is 26.5 kg., males - three times more: up to 62.5 kg. Body length - 105 and 125 cm, respectively, and height - 65 and 75 cm.

The Iberian goat boasts slightly curved, upward and inward horns in the form of a lyre. Finally, the Siberian ibex has the following characteristics:

1. massive, strongly curved back horns over one meter long.
2. more pronounced beard.
3. coat color, depending on the season, but always with a brown base. In males, the neck and back may be covered with white spots.
4. animal parameters: height from 67 to 110 cm, weight from 35 to 130 kg, body length from 130 to 165 cm.

Brief description of the tours

The second group, called "tours", is represented by one West Caucasian species and its three subspecies, the list of which differs in different sources. For example, the Great Soviet Encyclopedia considered the names "Severtsov's tour" and "Kuban tour" as synonyms for designating the title species, but singled out the so-called subspecies as a subspecies. "Guldenstedt tour" (or "Central Caucasian tour"). Other sources, on the contrary, combined this subspecies with the capital one, but singled out Severtsov's tour separately. Undoubted for all classifications is the division of the species into the capital West Caucasian and East Caucasian subspecies, living in different parts of the Caucasus in a small area of ​​just over 4 thousand square meters. km. A common external feature for them is the horns curved in the form of a wide spiral, which are strongly rounded in cross section, but the subspecies differ somewhat among themselves in the direction of the horns and the manner of curvature: for example, in the East Caucasian tur, the tips of the horns are directed back and up, and in the West Caucasian - down and inside. However, apparently, there are other differences - morphological, genetic, etc. - representatives of these subspecies, since scientists have long noted with concern that their mating with each other leads to the birth of sterile individuals in both populations. According to the latest data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the number of animals of both subspecies is estimated at 10 thousand individuals, which is why the International Red Book assigned them the status of "at risk" (for the West Caucasian tur) and "close to threatened" (for the East Caucasian).

Goats as they are

Finally, the third group, called "goats", consists of two species (markhorn goat, or markhor, and domestic goat) and one subspecies - the bezoar goat, which is the ancestor of the domestic goat. In turn, markhor has three subspecies, differing from each other only in their habitat and minor structural features of the horns. Living in the mountainous regions of Tajikistan, in the Western Himalayas, Afghanistan, Little Tibet and Kashmir, he has:

1. helical horns (because of which he got his name), reaching a length of up to one (according to some sources, up to one and a half or more) meters.
2. a long black-brown beard (sometimes called a suspension), which, gradually brightening, turns into a hanging mane.
3. dark color of the head and legs and light color of the belly.
4. the body length is up to one and a half (sometimes up to 1.7) meters, and the tail is up to 18 cm. The growth of markhor does not exceed 90 cm, the weight usually fluctuates within 90 kg.
5. a reddish-gray coat color that turns off-white with age.

The domestic goat is characterized by laterally compressed horns, forming a sharp front edge. Their protruding rib is not as pronounced as in other groups, and some goats do not have it at all. Other common features cannot be established for the reason that there are so many breeds of domesticated goats that differ in size, coat color, etc. More distinguishable and recognizable is the bezoar goat that lives in the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Persia, Afghanistan, Balochistan (the historical southeastern region of the Iranian plateau, the border region between the Middle East and Hindustan, currently part of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan) and on several Mediterranean islands. It has the following features:

1. strongly keeled, with converging tips of the horns, arcuately bent back.
2. stocky build with strong legs and broad hooves.
3. long hair, whose color in males depends on the season. In winter it is silvery-white, on the underside, chest and part of the muzzle it is black-brown, and in summer it becomes reddish. The females have a yellowish-brown coat.
4. two stripes passing through the coat: one along the back, the second - from the back to the chest. Goats have one such stripe.
5. black twenty-centimeter tail.
6. the average body length is about one and a half meters, although there are individuals with sizes from 1.2 to 1.6 meters. Weight, depending on gender and age, ranges from 25 to 95 kg., Height - from 70 cm to 1 meter.

Despite the rather extensive habitat, the bezoar goat is also listed in the Red Book.

Visiting mountain goats

Already in the name of the genus, the main feature of all its representatives is noted. They avoid flat places, preferring to settle on steep mountain slopes, in gorges and other hard-to-reach places at an altitude of one and a half to five and a half kilometers above sea level. At such a height they spend almost the whole year, descending into the valleys and foothills only during the harsh winters. Mountain goats are perfectly adapted to life in the mountains, they are strong, hardy and dexterous, they can jump over cliffs several meters wide, manage to stand almost on sheer surfaces, keep their balance perfectly when walking and running, and often demonstrate the wonders of rock climbing to their involuntary spectators, especially when they have to escape the chase. One such demonstration can be seen from the comfort of your room, here in this video. The amazing dexterity of mountain goats is explained by the presence of narrow hooves with a hard horn in all subspecies, which allows them to stand even on the smallest ledges.

An interesting fact: the habitats of almost all subspecies and groups do not intersect with each other. Where the ibex lives, the Pyrenean goat cannot be found, and the markhor, although adjacent to the bezoar goat, avoids those places where it settles bezoar goat. The exception, which (as well as its consequences) we have already mentioned, is only the Caucasian mountain goat and its subspecies. Perhaps one of the reasons for this territorial mutual respect is the secret secreted by special glands that every goat has and is located in the lower part of the tail. The secretion, especially intensified during estrus, has a pungent odor known as "goaty" and seems to be easily sensed by these animals at considerable distances. This smell even entered human culture and mythology: in the Middle Ages, the goat was perceived as a symbol of the unclean and even Satan himself. It was even believed that his appearance in any form is always accompanied by such a smell that betrays him.

These animals have a herd and sedentary lifestyle. Males and females prefer to live in separate groups of 3-5 individuals, although in the Himalayas, for example, mixed herds of Siberian mountain goats were found. In herds of males, a strict hierarchy was noticed, which goats achieve through fights and certain behavior. Goats often live with goats. In winter, these groups increase and turn into herds of several tens or even hundreds of heads. Goats join goats only for the duration of mating. Males of some subspecies - for example, ibix - are in such a herd all winter and leave it only in spring.

They graze early in the morning or late in the evening, and in those places where they are intensively hunted - even at night. During the day, animals rest, choosing the most inaccessible areas for rest. They are characterized by extreme caution, because among their enemies are not only humans, but also predators such as leopard, snow leopard, lynx, wolf and even golden eagle (even striped hyenas are among the enemies of the Nubian goat), but sometimes they are able to show amazing courage. They “inform” each other about the existence of danger with a clearly audible special bleating. Not only a developed sense of smell helps them in recognizing a threat, but also the presence of large, sensitive and mobile ears, pointed at the ends.

In nutrition, mountain goats are not picky - the flora of their habitat has "accustomed" them to this (as you can see, most subspecies live in the conditions of the Asian mountains, which are characterized by sparse vegetation). With equal success, they feed on both grasses such as bluegrass and fescue, and branches and bark of shrubs and trees, mosses and lichens, do not disdain deadwood and poisonous plants, and markhor is even able to eat tree foliage. Goats give particular preference to the bark of young trees, which are gnawed so that it often cannot be restored, which makes it difficult to renew the forest after sanitary and planned cuttings. One of their features is the constant need for salt. For the sake of its satisfaction, animals are able not only to travel long distances of 15-20 km to the nearest salt lick, but also to climb dams in search of salty surfaces.

The rut period for mountain goats falls on November-December. At this time, the males join the females and begin to conduct mating fights with each other for the right to possess them. The sounds of battle in the form of crackling horns can be heard from a kilometer away, so an ignorant person may well imagine an almost bloody battle, but in practice everything is much calmer. Goats even have their own rules for mating. No matter how fierce he may be, the goats never:

1. don't hit heads.
2. do not injure unprotected parts of the body (that is, relationships are clarified only with the help of horns).
3. do not pursue a fleeing opponent for long distances.

The winner gets a harem of 5-10 goats as a reward - mountain goats are inherent in polygamy. A goat's pregnancy lasts 5-6 months, after which one to two cubs are born. Babies develop rapidly and after a few hours they are able to stand on their feet, and after a while they are able to accompany their mother in search of food. Wild mountain goats have a well-defined maternal instinct: they hide weak and vulnerable kids in the first week of life in secluded places and regularly go to feed them. Until the cubs grow up and become independent (and this happens at the age of one to one and a half years), goats protect and protect them in every possible way, and generally treat them with love and tenderness. Puberty in mountain goats occurs in the second year of life.

Man and goat

The “relationship” between a person and a mountain goat dates back more than one hundred years. Wild goats, descendants of the bezoar goat, were domesticated by humans about 8.5 thousand years ago, and goat breeding is still one of the most profitable branches of agriculture in various parts of the Earth. Equally important in human life is the hunting of mountain goats, which we mentioned at the beginning of this material, and they were hunted not only for the sake of food and the extraction of skins and horns. In the Middle Ages, camping containers for wine and water were made from the skins and fur of a mountain goat, in national cuisine many peoples still actively use goat fat, and the inhabitants of Afghanistan believe that markhor meat can neutralize the effects of snake venom and that markhor generally seeks out and eats snakes. Found in the stomachs of some goats, bezoars (dense formation stones made from densely matted hair or plant fibers) were considered healing and capable of drawing poison from the bite site.

In pre-Christian Europe, as well as among the Eastern peoples, the mountain goat was associated primarily with male sexual power. It is known that amulets were made from the horns of the representatives of the Capricorn group, which were designed to encourage and facilitate childbearing; archaeologists have found many rock paintings of this subject, which performed the same function of encouragement. Even in ancient times, ibex was considered almost a sacred animal, which is why absolutely everything that had to do with it - from blood and hair to excrement - was used in medicine. With the spread of Christianity and the advent of the Inquisition, the attitude towards ibex acquired a dual form: on the one hand, its traditional deification continued, on the other hand, due to its smell, it became associated with Satan and the creatures of hell, which led to tragic consequences. In history, there are cases of executions of ibexes and Pyrenean goats according to the verdicts of the Inquisition on the grounds that they, as the incarnation of the devil, allegedly led earthly women into temptation and copulated with them. Such sentences extended not only to animals, but also to people. In general, carnal pleasures with goats were one of the most beloved accusations of the Inquisition, among others, against women condemned as sorceresses and witches. This led to the almost complete extinction of alpine goats by the beginning of the 19th century, and only the intervention of two scientists - a topographer (in some sources he is called a forester), an employee of the Italian Academy of Sciences, located in Turin, Josef Zumstein and naturalist Albert Girtanner - led to the fact that since 1816, the last hundred individuals have been protected by the authorities. In 1854, the King of Piedmont, Victor Emmanuel (1820 - 1878), took the surviving animals under his personal protection, which ensured a slow revival of the species. The modern Ibex population is the descendants of this miraculously saved hundred.

In some areas, goat hunting is carried out so intensively that, in addition to the Transcaucasian subspecies, one of the markhor subspecies and the Nubian mountain goat are on the verge of extinction. The number of the latter, as of 1997, was generally estimated at two and a half thousand heads, which is why it was assigned the status of “vulnerable” in the Red Book. However, unfortunately, its presence does not protect the Nubian goat from poaching by the Bedouins, who, hunting for him, often lie in wait for him at watering places. In 2000, the last individual of one of the subspecies of the Pyrenean ibex, the “Spanish”, was found dead, which is why currently there are only two of its subspecies instead of the four known to science (the second subspecies died out back in late XIX centuries). Despite the ability of mountain goats to quickly restore their numbers, it does not always contribute to their survival: they often die not only from the hands of humans and the paws of a predator, but also from avalanches, under landslides, and also from hunger. The Siberian ibex (as of the mid-90s of the 20th century, its population was about 250 thousand heads) and ibex (from 30 to 40 thousand individuals) are still relatively safe, but uncontrolled hunting and poaching can change this situation for indigenous peoples. way. The international scientific community is taking a number of measures to avoid the complete extinction of all species of these animals. For example, mountain goats are increasingly found in various zoos, and hunting for them is strictly regulated by law in many places. Since 1977, the controlled shooting of ibixes has been allowed by the authorities of Switzerland and Italy; at the same time, they populate the alpine regions, which is subsequently used as a marketing ploy when advertising the most famous resorts.

In Eastern culture, a respectful attitude towards the mountain goat is still preserved. In Tibet and Indian Ladakh, for example, on the occasion of the birth of a child, it was customary to give his parents a figurine of a goat made of flour. In modern Pakistan, markhor is considered the national symbol of the country, and Arab scientists named one of the zodiac constellations, Capricorn, in honor of mountain goats in ancient times.

Finally, in order for you to fully understand the hero of our material, we suggest that you look at a small selection of various subspecies of the mountain goat, many of which are unique.