Ibex
Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Genus & Species: Capra ibex
Inhabits mountainous terrain in central Europe, northern Ethiopa, the Near and Middle East and an extensive region arount the northwestern Himalayas. It is an agile mountain goat that lives at high altitude, just below the permanent snowline.
| Habitat The astonishingly sure-footed ibex is equipped for life on rugged mountainous peaks and scree slopes well above the treeline. It grazes the alpine meadows right up to the permanent snow at altitudes of up to 6700m. It descends only rarely below 2000m, either to escape the heavy snows or to browse among trees in spring, and usually shuns cultivated land. On high the fearless ibex is in its element, climbing the cliffs and crags with deft, nonchalant ease. But accidents do happen, particularly among the young males who tend to feed high up, just below the snow. |
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| Here they are exposed to avalanches, and many are swept away each year by
unstable snow. |
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Behaviour The sexes live apart for most of the year and only meet up during the winter breeding season. When young, both sexes live with their mothers, but when males reach maturity they head for the batchelor herds. These graze on high open slopes until the autumn, when they become solitary in preparation for mating.Although active by day and night, the ibex tends to retreat into the shade around midday. Herd |
| living provides more safety, and if one ibex feels threatened it issues a whistling alarm call. The echoing sound is often the only clue that ibexes are in the vicinity, for they have a talent for keeping out of sight. |
Feeding
The lush grasses, herbs and flowers of the high-altitude alpine meadows are
the ibex's first choice of food. Herds graze particular areas, working the meadows
in rotation. This allows the pasture to recover, ensuring that when the ibexes
return to each meadow it has produced tender new shoots.
Winter snows force herds to descend the mountainslopes to find food, eating mosses and
lichens as well as grass. In spring they nibble the buds and shoots of trees, before
returning to the high pastures, where thawing snow has exposed a flush of new grass.
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Breeding In late autumn, the adult males start staking out breeding territories. Each aims to gather a harem of females, and rivalry is fierce. As the mating season peaks in December and January, the mountains echo to the crash of horns as bucks battle for status. Each female bears a single kid, which is soon up on its feet. The mother defends her kid with her horns and leads it to sheltered lower slopes. At six months or so the youngster is fully weaned, |
| but stays near its mother for another two years or more. The mother defends her kid with her horns and leads it to sheltered lower slopes. At six months or so the youngster is fully weaned, but stays near its mother for another two years or more. |