In nature, there are amazing climbers - mountain goats. Legends circulate about the agility of their movement on rocky horns. Very cautious and timid animals. Because of delicious meat, luxurious horns and high-quality skins, they mercilessly destroyed. Some species have already disappeared from the vastness of our planet, some have been saved. In most countries where graceful and fearless goats live, hunting is prohibited.
Description
Mountain goats (photo in the text) are classified as ruminant artiodactyls from the bovine family. Some species are called capricorns, there are two species that live in the Caucasus, which are called tours. A similar anatomical structure and behavior of animals allowed us to combine them into one group:
- the body is compact;
- powerful thickened neck;
- short head with a convex, wide forehead;
- the males have large hollow horns of saber or straight shape, they are twisted around the rounds, the females wear a smaller “ornament”;
- large eyes with a pupil of a rectangular shape;
- large, very mobile ears, pointed at the ends;
- the tail is triangular, small in size, on the lower surface without a coat;
- narrow bifurcated hooves are covered with a very hard hoofed horn;
- females have only two nipples;
- on the beard, lower part of the neck and chest, the hair is noticeably longer than on other parts of the body, the goats have no beard; carry captivity without problems and breed well;
- molting occurs twice a year, downwashes appear for the winter, the coat is longer;
- There are odorous secretory glands in the groin and at the root of the tail.
Usually a tour (mountain goat) is a muscular, graceful animal of medium size. Adult males weigh up to 150 kg, females up to 90 (depending on species), height at the withers up to 100 cm, body length up to 180 cm. The suit depends on the habitat. The coat has a protective color: yellow, black, gray. Climb beautifully in the mountains, strong, hardy, very careful. The number of individuals in the herd ranges from 5-6 goals to several hundred. They graze in the morning and evening, in places of possible hunting they prefer to feed at night.
Classification
All mountain goats have a lot in common. However, they are divided into several types. The opinions of experts differ, some believe that there are no more than 2-3 species, all the rest are subspecies. Others are sure that there are about 10 species. They are "relatives" of mountain sheep. Farther "relatives" - chamois, gorol, snow goats. The names of mountain goats are listed below with a brief description:
1. Markhur. A distinctive feature is the magnificent spiral-shaped horns that poachers still extract. An interesting feature: the right horn is twisted to the left, and the left - to the right, usually 2-3 turns. It is listed in the International Red Book, is considered a view on the brink of destruction. They have excellent vision and hearing. Pretty large individuals:
- height at withers - up to 100 cm;
- body length - 140-170 cm;
- live weight of males - up to 120 kg, females - up to 60 kg.
2. Caucasian mountain goat. Zoologists divide it into subspecies:
- East Caucasian (Dagestan);
- West Caucasian (Severtseva);
- Kuban.
They differ little from each other, mainly in size, coat color, size and shape of the horns. Average sizes for all types:
- height at the withers - up to 110 cm;
- body length - up to 165 cm;
- live weight - up to 100 kg.
Females are smaller. Protected by law.
3. Iberian goat (Iberian capricorn). Compared to other species - medium-sized:
- height at the withers - 65-75 cm;
- body length - 100-140 cm;
- live weight –35-80 kg.
It is distinguished by its fur color, black and brown colors prevail. Has graceful thin horns up to 75 cm in length.
4. Nubian Capricorn. The smallest representatives of the species. A distinctive feature is pronounced sexual dimorphism. Females are three times smaller than males. The horns are long, in males up to a meter, in females within 30 cm, thin, one of the most beautiful. Males have a magnificent beard. Dimensions:
- height at the withers - 65-75 cm;
- body length - 105-125 cm;
- live weight - 26-65 kg.
Color brown with white and black spots.
5. Alpine mountain goat (ibex). This type of goat also "wears" beards. In winter, the coat color of both sexes is gray, in summer males are dark brown, females are reddish with a golden tint. The goats are decorated with curved meter-high horns; in goats they are very small, slightly curved. Dimensions:
- height at the withers - up to 90 cm;
- body length - up to 150 cm;
- live weight - 40-100 kg.
6. Siberian Capricorn (Central Asian). Large animal, outwardly resembles a domestic goat, but more lean, slender and muscular. The body is relatively short, the neck is muscular, the head is large with an elongated muzzle. The legs are thick, the hooves are wide. Sizes of males:
- height at the withers - up to 110 cm;
- body length - up to 160 cm;
- live weight - 60-130 (in the fall) kg.
Luxurious arched horns in males grow to one and a half meters.
7. Bezoar (bearded) goat. Chunky, with strong limbs and wide hooves. Males change the color of red hair to silver-white for the winter. The black stripes along the back and the black-brown color of the lower part of the muzzle remain unchanged. Females have a yellowish-brown coat at any time of the year. Dimensions:
- height at the withers - 70-100 cm;
- body length - 120-160 cm;
- live weight - 25-95 kg.
Habitat
Mountain goats (photo in natural conditions) today can be found in a number of mountain regions of Central Europe and the Mediterranean: individual islands of the Greek archipelago, northeast Africa, the Caucasus, Altai, Central and Central Asia, Sayan Mountains, northern Pakistan and India, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, the north of Italy. The scattered mountain goat habitats are all that remains of a once continuous vast territory from the Mediterranean to Ireland and from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to India. Habitats of different species do not overlap.
Animals inhabit hard-to-reach rocky slopes. With amazing dexterity and fearlessness, they move along impregnable mountains. Their entire anatomical structure is adapted not to fast running, but to climbing and jumping. They avoid large open spaces. They live at an altitude of 500 to 5,500 meters above sea level. Typically, the clan group lives in almost the same place, only if necessary leaving the usual area. Descend from the mountains exclusively in the harsh winter months, in search of food.
Nutrition
Mountain goats eat woody-shrubby, grassy vegetation, lichens, mosses. They are able to eat dry leaves, branches, thorns, even poisonous plants. The love of goats for the bark of young trees significantly harm forest plantations. In mountainous areas, the scarcity of the diet forces animals to spend most of their time looking for food.
In the summer months, mountain goats are actively gaining weight, grazing mainly during cool hours. In the heat they fit into the shade, chewing gum. In winter, food is searched around the clock. An important supplement to the diet are mineral supplements, especially salt. Goats are found in the mountains salt marshes, sometimes overcoming more than a dozen kilometers.
Breeding
Mountain goats are polygamous animals that lead a herd lifestyle. Adult males prefer solitary living, and only at the time of mating are combined with goats in small herds. The beginning and duration of the rut is characterized by species characteristics. It is curious that in geographically neighboring species they have especially large differences. Apparently, Mother Nature protects animals from unnecessary fights and incest.
Animals reach puberty by two to three years. Usually, mating occurs at the beginning of winter (November-December). The males fiercely fight for the attention of the goats. It is noteworthy that the goats have a kind of code of honor. They strike only the upper part of the horns, never harm unprotected parts of the body and do not pursue the loser for too long.
The winner receives his own harem of 5-10 females. The duration of pregnancy is 5-6 months, lambing occurs in May-June. As a rule, there are 1-2 kid in the litter. The first week of life, the goat mother hides the babies in a secluded place, and regularly comes to feed them. They grow very fast and within a couple of weeks are able to follow their mother along steep cliffs for decent distances. Young adults become fully adults by 1-1.5 years. In the wild, life expectancy is about 10 years, in captivity up to 15.
Types of horns
Horns can perform various functions: attract females during the rut, serve as weapons of defense or attack, and even regulate body temperature. In horned horn - this is the bone rod in the horn cover. They grow from below the base, do not branch and do not change throughout life. Horns are used to make mouthpieces, vessels, snuffboxes, ridges, buttons, and more. In addition, individual items can serve as a luxurious element of the interior.
There are three main types of horns:
- prisca - bent back, the ends diverge in different directions;
- Markura - straight helical (number of turns from 1.5 to 6 or more) twisted horns, each in its own direction: right - to the left, left - to the right;
- bezoar goat - sickle-shaped, widely divorced to the sides.
They were not seen in the wild, but domestic goats have more than one pair of formidable weapons. There are individuals with horns in the amount of three to eight.
Species differences (length of the horns of males):
- Capia hircus - bezoar goat. Acinaciform, flattened laterally, anterior margin sharp with a series of towering tubercles. Length can reach 80 cm.
- Sarga falconeri - horned goat. Thick, straight, twisted into a corkscrew around its axis, the ends are directed upwards. They grow to 80 cm.
- Sarga cylindricornis - Dagestan tour. A smooth, gentle spiral bends them around its axis by almost 180 °. The ends are widely divorced to the sides, round in section (in adults). Size - up to a meter.
- Sarga severtzovi - Caucasian tour. Horns in the form of a curved arc, the ends are directed down and inward. On the front there are several transverse rollers. The section is round. Length within 70 cm.
- Sarga sibirica is a Siberian mountain goat. Has saber-shaped curved horns with a quadrangular cross section. The front surface is decorated with a series of transverse rollers. It differs in the impressive size of the "weapon" - up to 120-150 cm.
Extinct species
Sad fact, but animals continue to die out in our time. What is the name of a mountain goat whose last representative died in the 21st century? This is a buccardo or a Pyrenean goat. In northern Spain, in the national park of the province of Huesca, the last representatives of this species lived. These were animals with thick hair and a strong physique. Outwardly, males differed from females in the size of horns. They were thick, ribbed, bent back. It was assumed that each rib marks one year of the animal's life.
This subspecies until the 19th century was widespread in the highlands of the Iberian Peninsula, especially in the north of the Perinei and in the Cantabrian Mountains. In 1910, only in the national parks of Monte Perdido and Ordes it was possible to meet buccardo, there were only 40 goals left. Unfortunately, the measures taken to save the animals did not bring success and the last female nicknamed Celia fell in 2000.
View recovery
Scientists have attempted to “resurrect” the lost look. Using technology reminiscent of the cloning of Dolly’s sheep (called nuclear transmission), scientists have managed to implant buccardo DNA into the eggs of domestic goats. 439 embryos were created, 57 of which were able to be implanted in surrogate queens. Seven of them became pregnant, but only one was able to give birth to a female buccardo. The kid lived only 7 minutes, died of congenital breathing problems. This experiment cannot be clearly called unsuccessful. Scientists have a real opportunity to revive extinct species
Why don't they fall from the rocks
Mountain goats can literally climb steep walls, thanks to the structure of bifurcated hooves. Narrow and hard at the edges and soft in the center, they are able to move apart very widely. This helps the animals to cover any protrusion or unevenness with their hooves. Some species have uneven hard pads between hooves, with the help of which they can be more securely held on a rocky surface.
Goats are characterized by an amazing sense of balance, excellent coordination and very sharp eyesight. An important role is played by the ability to instantly assess the situation, if the stone upon which the animal has stepped is too narrow, it immediately pushes away from it and jumps further.