Mammals · Artiodactyla · Bovidae

Markhor

Capra falconeri

Near Threatened

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

The markhor is an artiodactyl mammal of the family Bovidae native to the mountain regions of Central Asia and the Himalaya. Markhor in Persian means snake-eater. It is the national animal of Pakistan. Its horns are highly prized by hunters and by Chinese medicine. It is currently considered a near-threatened species on the IUCN Red List.

Weight

41 kg on average

Size

up to 1.9 m

Lifespan

13 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Herd

Lives in large groups as a strategy against predators.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

MountainHerbivore Diurnal In herds Near Threatened Mountain Mammal

12countries 9parks86same family

Fun facts

GeneralThe national animal of Pakistan; its spiral horns reach 1.6 m.
It is the tallest wild goat at the shoulder, and its corkscrew-spiralled horns, up to 160 cm in the male, are unlike those of any other caprid.
The name may come from the Persian mar and khor, snake eater, or from the Pashto mar and akhur, snake horn. The second explanation fits better, because it is strictly vegetarian.
It is one of the best-documented recovery stories in recent conservation: community-based management in Pakistan and Tajikistan reversed its decline and allowed it to be downlisted from Endangered to Near Threatened in the 2015 assessment.
That model works because it returns to the local communities the income from a very limited, tightly controlled trophy hunt, which turns the animal into a resource worth protecting.
It is the national animal of Pakistan.