Tahr
Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Genus & Species: Hemitragus spp.
One species is found in the Himalaya in northern India and Nepal; another in southern India; and a third in Oman. Two of the species are listed as vulnerable or endangered by the World Conservation Union.
| Habitat Like their relatives the mountain goats, tahrs are specialized for life on the cliffs and crags of rugged mountain ranges. A thick coat protects them from the high altitude cold, while their agility enables them to climb the steepest, most precipitous terrain where any slip could be fatal. |
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| Tahr's rock climbing skills enable them to reach pastures of succulent
grass lying up to 4400m above sea level. They also feed in the forests farther down
the mountain slopes, but always stay close to the security of their rocky refuges. |
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Behaviour In winter tahrs live in small herds of six or seven females and their young, plus a few adult males. In spring, the males form independent all-male groups, before rejoining the females the following autumn. A tahr herd does not claim a fixed territory, but usually stays within the same general area, returning to favoured grazing sites each time the grass regrows. |
| The animals begin feeding at dawn, moving up the slopes as they crop the
grasses. By midday they are high enough to seek out ledges and other secure spots
where they can rest in safety. They stay in close contact with each other, and one
animal may stand guard while the others relax, ready to whistle an alarm if danger
threatens. In the afternoon, the herd stirs itself and moves back down the mountain,
eating as it goes. |
Feeding Tahrs eat virtually any foliage they find growing on the cliffs and mountain slopes, from grass and herbs to the leaves and shoots of shrubs and trees. In forested areas, a tahr rears up on its hindlegs to reach branches, holding them down with its forelegs as it eats the leaves. Leaves and grass are tough and fibrous and must be digested thoroughly in order to extract the maximim nutrition. Tahrs are equipped for the job with a complex, multi-chambered stomach similar to that of sheep and cattle. After a feeding session, a tahr stores the chewed foood in part of its stomach, and retreats to a safe resting place. Here it regurgitates the plant pulp and chews it over once again before digesting it further. This behaviour also reduces the time the animal spendds feeding in the open, when it is most vulnerable to predators. |
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Breeding A male tahr is much bigger than the female, and needs to be in order to daunt his rivals when competing for mates. During the breeding season, the male Himalayan tahr puffs up his mane and adopts imposing stances to deter challengers. Occasionally, however, he is forced into a physical contest in order to assert his authority. An impressive appearance also helps in courtship, and a male spend hours parading himself before a female before mating. |
| After a six month gestation, a pregnant female slips away from her herd to give birth to a single young, returning with her newborn a few days later. The young tahr is dependent on its mother for about six months, but feeds alongside her for up to two years before striking out on its own. |