Alpine Mountain goat, Capricorn or Ibex (lat. Capra ibex) - a wonderful representative of the genus mountain goats, which can only be seen in the Alps. He lives at an altitude of up to 3.5 thousand meters and loves to surprise local skiers with his masterly jumps on steep cliffs.
This climber feels great on the border between forest and ice. In winter, the search for dry grass forces him to go down a little lower, but not for long, since in the alpine meadows there is too much of a chance of coming face to face with some hungry predator. And here all you have to do is rely on your agility and speed. It is interesting that when capricorns go to a watering hole or pinch dry grass, they always leave one guard goat, which warns everyone of the impending danger.
Ibexes are quite large animals - the weight of some mature males can reach hundreds of kilograms and a height of about one and a half meters. Females are much smaller - their weight rarely exceeds 40 kg. Like the Siberian ones mountain goats, representatives of both sexes of Capricorns boast decent horns. True, females have significantly smaller horns than males. Among the latter, the size of this huge, intricate decoration often exceeds 1 m.
Horns render to their owner good service in November-January, when it is time to reproduce. At this time, the males, who usually live in splendid isolation, find a suitable herd of mountain goats and drive away all competitors from it. The battles are serious. Those lucky ones who have at least once seen two Ibex fighting on the edge of an abyss will never forget this spectacle.
The male lives in the harem he likes until spring, and in June, each female gives birth to 1-2 (less often 3) kids. For the first week, the babies hide in the rocks, and the mother comes to feed them, although, if necessary, they can follow her from the first day. Little goats feed on mother's milk for about a year.
When they grow up a little, the girls will remain in the herd, and their brothers will have to look for a new place to live. As a rule, they form their own herds of bachelors, which, however, are unstable and quickly disintegrate.
Today there are 30-40 thousand Ibex in the Alps. But they could easily have disappeared at the beginning of the 19th century. The fact is that medieval residents considered ibex to be sacred and mystical creatures. Their bones, hair, blood and even excrement were credited with the magical ability to heal the sick.
That is why Alpine mountain goats were hunted with special zeal. By 1816, there were only about a hundred individuals left, and even those were preserved only in the Italian Gran Paradiso. Forester Joseph Zumstein and naturalist Albert Girtanner managed to convince the authorities to preserve at least these animals.
The entire current population of alpine mountain goats is descended from those hundreds of animals that were saved in the 19th century. Today they feel great, entertaining tourists around the world. ski resorts. It is curious that, for all their timidity, Ibexes love to watch skier competitions, looking at them from a great height. Probably, at this moment, Capricorns cannot understand why people slide down the slope, instead of standing calmly on some vertical rock ridge?
Ibexes are rock goat climbers who climb rocks so masterfully that they give even climbers a head start. This breed goats live in inaccessible Alpine mountain regions at altitudes of up to 3500 meters above sea level.
The history of the existence of Ibexes is very interesting and instructive. IN early XIX centuries this amazing creation nature almost disappeared from the face of the Earth: the number of Ibexes in the entire Alpine region barely exceeded 100 individuals. And these “climbers” survived in the Italian Gran Paradiso. In 1854, King Victor Emmanuel II took the Ibex under his personal protection.
Switzerland began to ask the king to sell her ibex, but the proud Emmanuel II did not allow the export of national property. But what about Swiss resorts without Capricorns? Therefore, the animals were smuggled into Switzerland, but only in 1906.
Why did the Ibexes disappear so quickly? In the Middle Ages, ibex was credited with the miraculous power of healing from all diseases, as a result of which all its commonly used attributes - from blood and hair to excrement - were used in medicine. All this led to the disappearance of Ibex in Europe.
Today their population is quite large, ranging from 30 to 40 thousand animals. Since 1977, even controlled shooting of ibex has been allowed.
But after these animals almost disappeared from the face of the earth, their miraculously restored populations were brought to other areas of Italy, to the mountains of Switzerland, France, Austria, as well as Germany and Slovenia. The settlement of new areas by Ibex meets with approval from local residents, since the presence of virtuoso animals is beneficial for the prosperity of Alpine resorts and attracts crowds of tourists.
Ibex (Capra ibex), aka ibex, aka a mountain goat, aka a capricorn, is a cloven-hoofed animal from the genus of mountain goats.
Length adult Ibesa reaches 150 cm and height at the withers - 90 cm. Females weigh approximately 40 kg, and males can weigh up to 100 kg. Both females and males have a beard. Only the heads of males are decorated with magnificent horns about 1 meter long; females have only small horns.
Female Ibexes live in herds of 10-20 females and cubs. Young males also form herds. But adult goats jump across the mountains in splendid isolation. IN mating season, which in the Alps lasts from December to January, males arrange mating fights, and the winner gets the entire herd, so the battles flare up in earnest.
The winning male lives in the herd all winter and leaves it only in the spring.
And females give birth to one, sometimes two, cubs in May or June. The cub lives in a herd and feeds on its mother's milk for about a year.
Ibex can live about 20 years.
Beloved, almost permanent places The habitat of mountain goats is rocky highlands, where artiodactyls feel safe. Mountain goats rush swiftly along rocky screes, easily jump over rock crevices, and climb cliffs and steep cliffs. Constant and very fast movement is the lifestyle of these amazing animals.
Looking at them, you never cease to be amazed at how animals can stay on rocky screes, sharp stones and steep cliffs? It turns out that ibis hoof pads are constantly soft and constantly growing. Therefore, with their hooves they seem to stick to slippery stones and walk along cliffs inaccessible to enemies.
Goats graze on alpine or steppe lawns, and climb glaciers and steep cliffs to rest.
Goats are not only fast climbers, but also quite intelligent and observant animals. They are characterized by extraordinary caution. Ibises have enough enemies in wildlife, but what saves them is their excellent vision, keen hearing and sense of smell.
When grazing or resting a herd, a guard goat, climbing to the top of a rock or a huge stone, warns the herd of the slightest danger. When in danger, ibises quickly hide in the rocks.
At the same time, Capricorns are very curious. There have been cases when a herd of goats watched ski competitions from the top of the mountain, without being afraid of the mass of people.
A herd of Alpine goats or Ibexes. At the 50-meter almost vertical Cingino Dam in the Italian Alps. Horned climbers are attracted here by the salt they lick from the rocks.
Mountain goats are a genus of artiodactyl animals from the bovid family. On the one hand, all types of mountain goats have many common features, on the other hand, they are very changeable. For this reason, scientists still cannot determine exactly how many species of these animals exist in nature: some believe that there are only 2-3 with many subspecies, others believe that there are 9-10 species of mountain goats. Mountain goats are closely related to mountain sheep, with which they have many similarities. Their more distant relatives are snow goats, chamois and gorals.
Mountain goats are ungulates of medium size, their body length is 120-180 cm, height at withers 80-100 cm, weight from 40-60 kg in females of small species to 155 kg in goats large species. They give the impression of slender and graceful animals, despite not very long legs and a strongly built torso. Home distinctive feature These animals have horns, which in females look like short conical daggers 15-18 cm long, and in males they look like sabers, reaching a length of 1 m or even more. In young animals, the horns are curved in a graceful arc, which becomes steeper with age, while in older males the horns are more reminiscent of a spiral. On the anterior surface of the horns there are transverse thickenings, which different types expressed to varying degrees.
By the way, the horns of mountain goats, like all bovids, are hollow inside and never change. The tail of these animals is short; on its lower surface there are glands that secrete a very strong specific odor. The hooves of mountain goats are narrow, with a very hard hoof horn, which allows these animals to jump over hard rocks and stay on the tiniest ledges without injury.
The hair of mountain goats is short, but with a thick, dense undercoat that protects well from the cold. Mountain goats have well-defined sexual dimorphism: males are always 1.5-2 times larger than females, have more powerful horns and a tuft long hair on the chin. In some species (for example, horned goat) there is also a dewlap of long hair on the underside of the neck. The color of all species is uniform - gray, black, yellow, in some species the belly is white.
Mountain goats live exclusively in the Northern Hemisphere and only in the Old World - in Europe, Asia and North Africa. Compared to mountain sheep, they prefer to settle at high altitudes (1500-4200 m), in areas with rocky outcrops, gorges and steep walls (sheep prefer flatter areas). Almost all species gravitate towards a sedentary lifestyle, although in harsh and hungry winters they can descend to the foothills and valleys.
Mountain goats lead a herd lifestyle: in the summer, males and females stay separately, in groups of 3-5 individuals; by winter, the herds enlarge to 20-30 individuals. In the mountains, goats move extremely deftly: they storm the highest ledges in search of food, jump over cliffs several meters wide, manage to stand on almost vertical surfaces, and balance equally well both when walking slowly and when running. These animals are very careful; they communicate danger with a thin bleat.
Mountain goats feed on a variety of plants. They prefer alpine grasses - fescue and bluegrass, but on occasion they can eat branches of trees and shrubs, mosses, and lichens. In general, mountain goats are extremely unpretentious and can even eat poisonous plants and dry grass. These animals have an urgent need for salt, so whenever possible they visit salt licks and walk 15-20 km to them.
Mountain goats give birth once a year. The rut occurs in November-December. During this period, males join groups of females with young animals, drive away young immature males, and old ones engage in fights with each other. Mating fights take place strict rules and rarely result in injury. Fighting goats stand opposite each other, rear up and hit each other top part horns Mountain goats never butt heads like rams, do not hit an opponent in unprotected parts of the body, and do not pursue a fleeing person for a long distance.
The winner gathers around himself a harem of 5-10 females. Pregnancy in different species lasts from 150 to 180 days, so females always give birth in the spring, in the most favorable weather. Typically, a female gives birth to 1-2 kids, which can stand on their legs within a couple of hours after birth. However, the little goats are very vulnerable, so for the first week they rest in a secluded place. The female comes to feed them, and then the babies begin to accompany her. At the age of 1-2 months, kids are very active and playful; during this period of life they do not stand still for a minute; it seems as if there is a secret spring hidden in them that makes them jump, run, and climb onto their mother’s back. Kids become fully independent at 1-1.5 years, and goats reach sexual maturity at two years, and female goats at 3-4 years. They live in nature for up to 5-10 years, and in captivity for up to 12-15.
Since mountain goats are the predominant ungulate species in mountain systems Alps, Pyrenees, Caucasus, Pamir, Altai, Tibet, Sayan, Tien Shan, they form the basis of the diet of many predators - snow leopards, wolves, lynxes, golden eagles. In North Africa they are hunted by leopards. In addition to predators, mountain goats often die from lack of food and snow avalanches, but high fertility allows them to quickly restore their numbers. However, some species of mountain goats (for example, the Iberian ibex) are on the verge of extinction due to the reduction of natural habitats under human pressure.
People have hunted mountain goats since ancient times. The horns of a large male have always been considered a valuable trophy, because it is not easy to detect and kill a cautious and dexterous animal. But people also derived quite practical benefits from mountain goats: the skins were used to make shoes and clothing, the meat was a very tasty and easily digestible product, fat was also used in cooking, and pellets of undigested wool from the stomach of mountain goats - bezoars - were considered healing. Such valuable qualities of mountain goats led to their domestication, and now in the world there are many different breeds of domestic goats (dairy, meat, down).
Nowadays, mountain goats can be found in any zoo, as they are very easily tamed, tolerate captivity well and reproduce easily. Despite the fact that the goat is a symbol of an unclean, even devilish animal (as opposed to the image of a meek sheep), in reality these animals are very smart and easy to train (but mountain sheep or sheep are just not smart at all). Important role mountain goats in the life of the peoples of Asia and the Mediterranean is reflected in the name of one of the zodiac constellations - the constellation Capricorn.
Scientific classification:
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Chordates
Class: Mammals
Squad: Artiodactyls
Family: Bovids
Subfamily: Goats
Genus: Mountain goats
View: Alpine ibex (lat. Capra ibex)
Ibexes are a species of artiodactyls from the genus of mountain goats.
On average, the Ibex reaches a length of up to 150 cm and a height at the withers of about 90 cm. Females weigh approximately 40 kg, and males can weigh up to 100 kg. Males have impressive curved horns up to 1 m long, while females have only short, barely curved horns. Both sexes have a goatee.
In summer, males have a dark brown coat color, while females have a slightly reddish or golden tint. IN winter time The coat of both sexes is grey. They live in the Alps at altitudes between the boundaries of forest and ice. They can rise up to 3500 m above sea level. In winter, it lives, as a rule, in lower areas than in summer, however, even in summer it can descend to alpine meadows in search of food. Usually spends the night high in the mountains.
The history of the existence of Ibexes is very interesting and instructive. At the beginning of the 19th century, this amazing creation of nature almost disappeared from the face of the Earth: the number of Ibexes in the entire Alpine region barely exceeded 100 individuals. And these “climbers” survived in the Italian Gran Paradiso. In 1854, King Victor Emmanuel II took the Ibex under his personal protection.
Switzerland began to ask the king to sell her ibex, but the proud Emmanuel II did not allow the export of national property. But what about Swiss resorts without Capricorns? Therefore, the animals were smuggled into Switzerland, but only in 1906.
Why did the Ibexes disappear so quickly? In the Middle Ages, ibex was credited with the miraculous power of healing from all diseases, as a result of which all its commonly used attributes - from blood and hair to excrement - were used in medicine. All this led to the disappearance of Ibex in Europe.
Today their population is quite large, ranging from 30 to 40 thousand animals. Since 1977, even controlled shooting of ibex has been allowed.
The favorite, almost permanent habitats of mountain goats are rocky highlands, where the artiodactyls feel safe. Mountain goats rush swiftly along the rocky scree,
They easily jump over rock crevices, climb cliffs and steep cliffs.
Constant and very fast movement is the lifestyle of these amazing animals.
Looking at them, you never cease to be amazed at how animals can stay on scree, sharp stones and steep cliffs?
It turns out that ibis hoof pads are constantly soft and constantly growing. Therefore, with their hooves they seem to stick to slippery stones and walk along cliffs inaccessible to enemies.
Goats are not only fast climbers, but also quite intelligent and observant animals. They are characterized by extraordinary caution. Ibises have a lot of enemies in the wild, but their excellent vision, keen hearing and sense of smell save them.
When grazing or resting a herd, a guard goat, climbing to the top of a rock or a huge stone, warns the herd of the slightest danger.
When in danger, ibises quickly hide in the rocks.
Female Ibexes live in herds of 10-20 females and cubs. Young males also form herds. But adult goats jump across the mountains in splendid isolation.
During the mating season, which in the Alps lasts from December to January, males arrange mating fights, and the winner gets the entire herd, so the battles get serious.
The winning male lives in the herd all winter and leaves it only in the spring.
And females give birth to one, sometimes two, cubs in May or June. The cub lives in a herd and feeds on its mother's milk for about a year.
Ibex can live about 20 years.
Most recently, these brave animals were captured conquering a 50-meter dam in the Italian Alps, which is an almost vertical wall. They climbed it to lick salt from the stones of the dam. This is in Once again proved that these goats have incredible dexterity.
On this video poor quality images, but nevertheless you can see the incredible jumps of these amazing animals
And here is a video shot by Dmitry Bekhterev in the mountains of the Eastern Sayan
Ibexes are a mountain breed of climbing goats who climb rocks so masterfully that they give even climbers a head start. This breed of goat lives in inaccessible Alpine mountain regions at an altitude of up to 3500 meters above sea level.
The history of the existence of Ibexes is very interesting and instructive. At the beginning of the 19th century, this amazing creation of nature almost disappeared from the face of the Earth: the number of Ibexes in the entire Alpine region barely exceeded 100 individuals. And these “climbers” survived in the Italian Gran Paradiso. In 1854, King Victor Emmanuel II took the Ibex under his personal protection.
Switzerland began to ask the king to sell her ibex, but the proud Emmanuel II did not allow the export of national property. But what about Swiss resorts without Capricorns? Therefore, the animals were smuggled into Switzerland, but only in 1906.
Why did the Ibexes disappear so quickly? In the Middle Ages, ibex was credited with the miraculous power of healing from all diseases, as a result of which all its commonly used attributes - from blood and hair to excrement - were used in medicine. All this led to the disappearance of Ibex in Europe.
Today their population is quite large, ranging from 30 to 40 thousand animals. Since 1977, even controlled shooting of ibex has been allowed.
But after these animals almost disappeared from the face of the earth, their miraculously restored populations were brought to other areas of Italy, to the mountains of Switzerland, France, Austria, as well as Germany and Slovenia. The settlement of new areas by Ibex meets with approval from local residents, since the presence of virtuoso animals is beneficial for the prosperity of Alpine resorts and attracts crowds of tourists.
Ibex ( Capra ibex), aka alpine goat, aka mountain goat, aka ibex - a cloven-hoofed animal from the genus of mountain goats.
The length of an adult Ibes reaches 150 cm and the height at the withers is 90 cm. Females weigh approximately 40 kg, and males can weigh up to 100 kg. Both females and males have a beard. Only the heads of males are decorated with magnificent horns about 1 meter long; females have only small horns.
Female Ibexes live in herds of 10-20 females and cubs. Young males also form herds. But adult goats jump across the mountains in splendid isolation. During the mating season, which in the Alps lasts from December to January, males arrange mating fights, and the winner gets the entire herd, so the battles get serious.
The winning male lives in the herd all winter and leaves it only in the spring.
And females give birth to one, sometimes two, cubs in May or June. The cub lives in a herd and feeds on its mother's milk for about a year.
Ibex can live about 20 years.
The favorite, almost permanent habitats of mountain goats are rocky highlands, where the artiodactyls feel safe. Mountain goats rush swiftly along the rocky scree,
They easily jump over rock crevices, climb cliffs and steep cliffs. Constant and very fast movement is the lifestyle of these amazing animals.
Looking at them, you never cease to be amazed at how animals can stay on scree, sharp stones and steep cliffs? It turns out that ibis hoof pads are constantly soft and constantly growing. Therefore, with their hooves they seem to stick to slippery stones and walk along cliffs inaccessible to enemies.
Goats graze on alpine or steppe lawns, and climb glaciers and steep cliffs to rest.
Goats are not only fast climbers, but also quite intelligent and observant animals. They are characterized by extraordinary caution. Ibises have a lot of enemies in the wild, but their excellent vision, keen hearing and sense of smell save them.
When grazing or resting a herd, a guard goat, climbing to the top of a rock or a huge stone, warns the herd of the slightest danger. When in danger, ibises quickly hide in the rocks.
At the same time, Capricorns are very curious. There have been cases when a herd of goats watched ski competitions from the top of the mountain, without being afraid of the mass of people.
A herd of Alpine goats or Ibexes. At the 50-meter almost vertical Cingino Dam in the Italian Alps. Horned climbers are attracted here by the salt they lick from the rocks.
Mountain goats are a genus of artiodactyl animals from the bovid family. On the one hand, all types of mountain goats have many common features, on the other hand, they are very variable. For this reason, scientists still cannot determine exactly how many species of these animals exist in nature: some believe that there are only 2-3 with many subspecies, others believe that there are 9-10 species of mountain goats. Mountain goats are closely related to mountain sheep, with which they have many similarities. Their more distant relatives are snow goats, chamois and gorals. 
Mountain goats are medium-sized ungulates, their body length is 120-180 cm, height at withers 80-100 cm, weight from 40-60 kg in females of small species to 155 kg in goats of large species. They give the impression of slender and graceful animals, despite their not very long legs and strongly built body. The main distinguishing feature of these animals are the horns, which in females look like short conical daggers 15-18 cm long, and in males they look like sabers, reaching a length of 1 m or even more. In young animals, the horns are curved in a graceful arc, which becomes steeper with age, while in older males the horns are more reminiscent of a spiral. On the front surface of the horns there are transverse thickenings, which are expressed to varying degrees in different species.
By the way, the horns of mountain goats, like all bovids, are hollow inside and never change. The tail of these animals is short; on its lower surface there are glands that secrete a very strong specific odor. The hooves of mountain goats are narrow, with a very hard hoof horn, which allows these animals to jump over hard rocks and stay on the tiniest ledges without injury.
The hair of mountain goats is short, but with a thick, dense undercoat that protects well from the cold. Mountain goats have well-defined sexual dimorphism: males are always 1.5-2 times larger than females, have more powerful horns and a tuft of long hair on the chin. Some species (such as the horned goat) also have a dewlap of long hair on the underside of the neck. The color of all species is uniform - gray, black, yellow, in some species the belly is white.
Mountain goats live exclusively in the Northern Hemisphere and only in the Old World - in Europe, Asia and North Africa. Compared to mountain sheep, they prefer to settle at high altitudes (1500-4200 m), in areas with rocky outcrops, gorges and steep walls (sheep prefer flatter areas). Almost all species gravitate towards a sedentary lifestyle, although in harsh and hungry winters they can descend to the foothills and valleys. Mountain goats lead a herd lifestyle: in the summer, males and females stay separately, in groups of 3-5 individuals; by winter, the herds enlarge to 20-30 individuals. In the mountains, goats move extremely deftly: they storm the highest ledges in search of food, jump over cliffs several meters wide, manage to stand on almost vertical surfaces, and balance equally well both when walking slowly and when running. These animals are very careful; they communicate danger with a thin bleat. 
Mountain goats feed on a variety of plants. They prefer alpine grasses - fescue and bluegrass, but on occasion they can eat branches of trees and shrubs, mosses, and lichens. In general, mountain goats are extremely unpretentious and can even eat poisonous plants and dry grass. These animals have an urgent need for salt, so whenever possible they visit salt licks and walk 15-20 km to them.
Mountain goats give birth once a year. The rut occurs in November-December. During this period, males join groups of females with young animals, drive away young immature males, and old ones engage in fights with each other. Mating fights follow strict rules and rarely result in injury. The fighting goats stand opposite each other, rear up and hit each other with the top of their horns. Mountain goats never butt heads like rams, do not hit an opponent in unprotected parts of the body, and do not pursue a fleeing person for a long distance.
The winner gathers around himself a harem of 5-10 females. Pregnancy in different species lasts from 150 to 180 days, so females always give birth in the spring, in the most favorable weather. Typically, a female gives birth to 1-2 kids, which can stand on their legs within a couple of hours after birth. However, the little goats are very vulnerable, so for the first week they rest in a secluded place. The female comes to feed them, and then the babies begin to accompany her. At the age of 1-2 months, kids are very active and playful; during this period of life they do not stand still for a minute; it seems as if there is a secret spring hidden in them that makes them jump, run, and climb onto their mother’s back. Kids become fully independent at 1-1.5 years, and goats reach sexual maturity at two years, and female goats at 3-4 years. They live in nature for up to 5-10 years, and in captivity for up to 12-15.
Since mountain goats are the predominant species of ungulates in the mountain systems of the Alps, Pyrenees, Caucasus, Pamir, Altai, Tibet, Sayan, Tien Shan, they form the basis of the diet of many predators - snow leopards, wolves, lynxes, golden eagles. In North Africa they are hunted by leopards. In addition to predators, mountain goats often die from lack of food and snow avalanches, but their high fertility allows them to quickly restore their numbers. However, some species of mountain goats (for example, the Iberian ibex) are on the verge of extinction due to the reduction of natural habitats under human pressure.
People have hunted mountain goats since ancient times. The horns of a large male have always been considered a valuable trophy, because it is not easy to detect and kill a cautious and dexterous animal. But people also derived quite practical benefits from mountain goats: the skins were used to make shoes and clothing, the meat was a very tasty and easily digestible product, fat was also used in cooking, and pellets of undigested wool from the stomach of mountain goats - bezoars - were considered healing. Such valuable qualities of mountain goats led to their domestication, and now in the world there are many different breeds of domestic goats (dairy, meat, down). Nowadays, mountain goats can be found in any zoo, as they are very easily tamed, tolerate captivity well and reproduce easily. Despite the fact that the goat is a symbol of an unclean, even devilish animal (as opposed to the image of a meek sheep), in reality these animals are very smart and easy to train (but mountain rams or sheep are not at all smart). The important role of mountain goats in the life of the peoples of Asia and the Mediterranean is reflected in the name of one of the zodiac constellations - the constellation Capricorn.
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