Mammals · Artiodactyla · Bovidae

Bezoar

Capra aegagrus

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

The wild goat, or bezoar ibex, is the wild ancestor of the domestic goat and one of the founding species of animal husbandry: it was domesticated some 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. The males carry scimitar-shaped horns, flattened at the sides and with a keeled front edge, that can exceed 130 centimetres. It lives on rugged ground from Turkey and the Caucasus to Pakistan, with a relict population on Crete. Hunting and competition with domestic livestock keep it in retreat.

Weight

25 kg – 95 kg

Size

1.2 m – 1.6 m

Lifespan

12 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

Temperate forestMountainHerbivore Diurnal Near Threatened Temperate forest Mountain Mammal

12countries 4parks86same family

Fun facts

Its name of bezoar ibex comes from bezoars, concretions of hair and plant fibre that form in its stomach and that were sold in Europe for centuries as a universal antidote to poison.
The Cretan populations, known as kri-kri, are probably descended from domestic animals taken to the island thousands of years ago and later gone feral.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Rocky slopes, crags and open montane woodland of the Middle East and Central Asia
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 5 months
Litter / clutch size: 2

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capra_aegagrus