Wild goats: species, description, distribution, food

Few people know that the ancestors of ordinary domestic goats are wild goats. Externally, there is a significant difference between them even in the same behavior. But nevertheless they have common roots. The millennia spent near a man had their influence on domesticated animals. However, to this day on earth live wild goats. We want to talk about them in our article.

Wild mountain goats

Wild goats, which still live in the wild, are probably the progenitors of modern domestic goats. They are divided into different species, subspecies. In this article we want to talk about some of them. Wild goats are ruminant mammalian animals, which at present, depending on the classification, number from eight to ten species. They mostly live in mountainous areas. Such animals are very mobile, enduring, can survive on lands with very scarce vegetation. Conditionally they can be divided into three types: tours, goats and ibex. Let's talk about some of them.

VINTOROGY GOAT

Where does the screwdriver live? Marhur lives in Turkmenistan (in the Kugitang mountains), Tajikistan (in the Darvaz, Babatag and Kugitangtau ranges), Uzbekistan (in the upper Amudarya), Afghanistan, East Pakistan and in the north-western part of India.

Outwardly the marchur is not like the other mountain goats. His horns have a special form, which, in fact, he got the name of a screwdriver. The horns are twisted in a few turns, with the right curled to the right, and the left one to the left. Males have distinctive features in the form of a long beard and lush wool on the chest. The color of the animals varies from red to gray. Representatives of the male can reach 80-120 kilograms, exceeding the females by weight in half. In height, the marchur reaches one meter.

Where the scapegoat lives , not such a rich choice of food, so in the summer, the basis of the diet is herbaceous vegetation, but in the winter months in the course are thin twigs of trees. Even at the sight of a dangerous enemy, the goats continue to graze, occasionally raising their heads and observing the situation. But if they only lose sight of the predator, they instantly disappear from sight. Marhurs live, as a rule, in small groups, and in the period of the rut are united in herds consisting of 15-20 individuals. In conditions of wild nature, vinehorn goats, as a rule, do not live more than ten years. But the animals that are kept in zoos live happily to twenty.

Western Caucasus, or the Kuban tour

These animals are very graceful. The West Caucasian tour resides on the border of Georgia and Russia. The range of its habitat is not very large and represents only a narrow strip of about 4,500 square kilometers, which is constantly shrinking due to human activity.

Kuban tour is considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a species that is in great danger. Currently, there are no more than 10,000 individuals worldwide. In the wild, the West Caucasian tour often meets with the East Caucasian, resulting in the emergence of hybrid animals that are not capable of giving offspring. This is also one of the reasons for the decrease in the number of livestock.

Kuban tours are genetically close to bezoar goats, and their external resemblance to Dagestan tours can be explained by hybridization, which is confirmed by the latest scientific research.

Appearance and behavior of the West Caucasian tour

The West Caucasian tour has a very strong and massive physique. Adult males weigh from 65 to 100 kilograms. But the females are slightly inferior in weight (not more than 60 kg). Accordingly, the horns of females are considerably less than in males. The horns of the male are quite massive and heavy, reaching a length of 75 centimeters. But their diameter is not so great, as, for example, with the East Caucasian representatives. But the tails of females and males are the same. The upper part of the Kuban tour has a red-brown color, and the lower part is yellow. In winter, wool has a greyish-brown hue, which allows the animal to merge with the environment.

Western Caucasian tours are very cautious. Adult individuals spend all summer far in the mountains, not allowing anyone to approach them. But females live in small herds, in their communities there is matriarchy. Female individuals are engaged in raising young animals, helping each other in this. It is noticed that females are very caring mothers, in case of danger they will never abandon their offspring and until the last they will try to take the kids away from hunters.

Males are raised in the herds before puberty, and at the age of 3-4 they are expelled, but they still do not know how to live independently, because they unite in small groups. But already at the age of 6-7 years, male individuals become strong enough to fight for the female.

In winter, the Kuban tours are periodically combined into large, heterogeneous herds, since all together they can easily bear the cold. In such periods, the food becomes very small, so animals not only eat dry grass found under snow, but also eat bark from coniferous trees, bite off young shoots of birch, willow and needles, with an incredible appetite they eat ivy and blackberry leaves.

Himalayan Tara

The Himalayan tar is a goat, sometimes called a goat antelope. The animal is really very similar to a goat, but it has a long brown-red hair, it reaches a height of one meter. Tare, as a rule, try to keep small family groups. Sometimes they unite in herds, the number of which reaches 30-40 individuals. The containers are very cautious and, at the slightest danger, run down the stones through the woods, easily passing steep slopes. During the mating season, animals fight each other with horns, fighting for the female.

Arabian tar

Arabian tar is found in only one region on earth: the mountainous region of Hajar on the Arabian Peninsula, which is partly located in Oman, and partly on the lands of the UAE. Animals live in mountains and rocks in an extremely arid climate.

Tar Arabian has a dense physique, strong legs, suitable for climbing steep rocks. The animal is completely covered with a length of wool of a rust-brown color, and along the back a dark stripe stretches. The females and males have long, bent horns.

Siberian Capricorn

Siberian ibex are the inhabitants of the rocky mountains. Their southern and western brethren live mainly on treeless highlands, and northern - in the forest zone. Animals have large sizes and strongly developed legs, as well as long saber-shaped horns. Males are larger than females and reach one hundred kilograms, and their height at the withers varies between 67 and 110 cm. Siberian ibexes inhabit the rocks and mountain slopes at different altitudes. They can be found in Mongolia, Sayans and Altai.

Alpine goats

Alpine mountain goats are representatives of the genus of mountain goats, which can only be seen in the Alps. They dwell at an altitude of 3.5 thousand meters and love to surprise tourists with their ability to climb on steep rocks. Animals perfectly feel themselves in the mountains, on the border of forest and ice. In winter, in search of food, goats are forced to go down a little lower, but they do it rarely, because alpine meadows are dangerous for them in terms of predators. But Capricorns also show unprecedented caution. Going to the watering place or just to the pasture, they always leave a watchtower that can warn the rest of the danger in time.

Alpine goats are large enough animals, the weight of which can reach one hundred kilograms with a growth of one and a half meters. The females, naturally, are much more modest in size, their weight hardly reaches forty kilograms. Like their Siberian relatives, they can boast impressive horns. In males, they can reach one meter, but in females this part is slightly smaller.

Horns for animals are not just an ornament, but a very serious weapon. In the period from November to January, the marriage season begins. At this time, single males begin to look for a suitable herd of females, driving away all rivals from them. Often they have to participate in real serious battles, the main weapon in which are powerful horns. Having won a herd of goats, the animal remains for a while in it, and in the spring each female gives birth to one or two kids. Over the next year they feed their offspring with milk.

In the future, the grown-up generation behaves the same way as other wild goats whose species are listed in the article: females do not abandon their herd, but the grown-up males will have to leave. At the beginning of an independent life, male individuals try to create their own herds, but, as a rule, they quickly disintegrate.

History of alpine goats

At present there are about 30-40 thousand of such animals in the Alps. And in the early nineteenth century Alpine goats were almost on the verge of destruction. And the whole point is that medieval people believed that Capricorns were mystical and sacred beings. Their wool, bones and blood sometimes attributed the most extraordinary properties, including the ability to heal ailments. All this led to the fact that the animals began zealous hunting.

By 1816 there were not more than a hundred of Alpine goats left. It was their miracle that managed to be preserved. All the Alpine goats that have now existed originated from that hundred. In the future, the animals were taken under guard, due to which their numbers gradually increased.