The Alpine Ibex (Capra ibex), also known as the ibex goat or ibex mountain goat, is a wild goat species native to the European Alps. Often called the ibex mountain goat or simply the ibex goat, this animal is one of the most iconic wild animals of Europe’s high mountains. The Alpine ibex is a living symbol of resilience, adaptability, and conservation success. The Alpine ibex is often considered a mountain survival expert.
Habitat and Distribution
The mountain ibex inhabits steep, rocky areas at elevations ranging from 1,800 to 3,300 meters (5,900-10,800 ft) above sea level. The Alpine ibex is native to the Alps of central Europe; its range includes France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Germany, and Austria. In recent years it was both reintroduced to and recolonised most of the European Alps, and is also found in most of all the French alpine range France, southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The Alpine Ibex is an excellent climber; it occupies steep, rough terrain at elevations of 1,800 to 3,300 m (5,900 to 10,800 ft). It prefers to live in open areas, but when there is little snow and depending on population density, adult males may gather in larch and mixed larch-spruce woodland.
Outside the breeding season, the sexes live in separate habitats. Females are more likely to be found on steep slopes while males prefer more level ground. In Gran Paradiso, home ranges of the Alpine Ibex can exceed 700 ha (1,700 acres) and in reintroduced populations, home ranges may approach 3,000 ha (7,400 acres). Home-range size depends on the availability of resources and the time of year. Home ranges tend to be largest during summer and autumn, smallest in winter, and intermediate in spring. Females' home ranges are usually smaller than those of males. The climbing ability of the Alpine ibex is such that it has been observed scaling the 57-degree slopes of the Cingino Dam in Piedmont, Italy, where it licks salts. Only females and kids, which are lighter and have shorter legs than adult males, will climb the steep dam.
Physical Characteristics
Alpine ibexes are sexually dimorphic. Males grow to a height of 90 to 101 cm (35 to 40 in) at the withers with a body length of 149-171 cm (59-67 in) and weigh 67-117 kg (148-258 lb). The Alpine ibex is a stocky animal with a tough neck and robust legs with short metapodials. Compared with most other wild goats, the species has a wide, shortened snout. Adaptations for climbing include sharp, highly separated hooves and a rubbery callus under the front feet. Both male and female Alpine ibexes have large, backwards-curving horns with an elliptical cross-section and a trilateral-shaped core. Transverse ridges on the front surface of the horns mark an otherwise flat surface. The species has brownish-grey hair over most of its body but lighter in colour on the belly with dark markings on the chin and throat. The hair on the chest region is nearly black and there are stripes along the dorsal (back) surface. The Alpine ibex is duller-coloured than other members of its genus. As with other goats, only males have a beard. Ibexes moult in spring, when their thick winter coat consisting of woolly underfur is replaced with a short, thin summer coat. Their winter coat grows back in the autumn.
The Alpine ibex is a large species of mountain goat native to the alpine regions of Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Slovenia. Its thick coat is a uniform brown on the body, with a pale underside and a darker coloration on the legs and tail. Alpine ibexes have large ridged horns that curve backwards towards the body. Males are much larger and heavier than females. They have 69cm to 98cm long horns, measure between 1.49m to 1.71m in length and 0.9m to 1.05 , and weigh 80kg to 100kg. Females ibexes have 18cm to 35cm long horns, measure 1.21m to 1.41m in length and 0.73m to 0.84m in height, and weigh only between 17kg to 32kg.
Read also: Weight Loss with Nagano Tonic
Dietary Habits
The Alpine ibex primarily feeds on alpine grasses, herbs, mosses, and shrubs. The Alpine ibexes are strictly herbivorous, with over half of their diet consisting of grasses, and the remainder being a mixture of moss, flowers, leaves, and twigs. During the summer, they graze in high alpine meadows, enjoying a variety of fresh vegetation. In winter, food is scarcer, and they often feed on mosses and lichens found on rocky outcrops. Good quality hay is very important during breeding and kidding season along with good quality goat feed. This ensures healthy babies and faster growth.
Ibexes are strictly herbivorous and survive on a diet of grass, moss, flowers, leaves and twigs. If leaves and shoots are out of reach, Ibexes often stand on their rear legs to reach this food.
Social Behavior and Reproduction
The Alpine ibex is a social species but it tends to live in groups that are based on sex and age. For most of the year, adult males group separately from females, and older males live separately from young males. Female groups consist of 5-10 members and male groups usually have 2-16 members but sometimes have more than 50. Dependent kids live with their mothers in female groups. Segregation between the sexes is a gradual process; males younger than nine years may still associate with female groups. Adult males, particularly older males, are more likely to be found alone than females. Social spacing tends to be looser in the summer, when there is more room to feed. Adult males and females gather together in December and January, the breeding season, then separate again in April and May. Among males, a dominance hierarchy based on size, age, and horn length exists. Hierarchies are established outside the breeding season, allowing males to focus more on mating and less on fighting.
Alpine ibexes communicate mainly through short, sharp whistles that serve mostly as alarm calls and may occur singularly or in succession with short gaps. The mating season begins in December and typically lasts for around six weeks. During this time, male herds break up into smaller groups and search for females. The rut takes place in two phases; in the first phase, males interact with females as a group and in the second phase, one male separates from his group to follow a female in oestrus. Dominant males between nine and twelve years old follow a female and guard her from rivals while subordinate, younger males between two and six years old try to sneak past the tending male when he is distracted. If the female flees, both dominant and subordinate males will try to follow her. The female is in oestrus for around 20 days and gestation averages around five months, and typically results in the birth of one or sometimes two kids. Females give birth away from their social groups on rocky slopes that are relatively safe from predators. After a few days, the kids can move on their own.
During most of the year, females live in bachelor groups of 10 to 20 individuals. Males live in smaller bachelor groups of 6 to 8 individuals. During the breeding season, male groups will disperse as males pursue female groups. Once a male finds a female group, he will attempt to mate with all mature females within the group. He will test if females are fertile by sampling their urine, and may attempt to guard the guard the group until they are receptive. In this time he is likely to be challenged by other males who located the same group. Males will engage in mating displays or even fight over the right to mate with the group. Pregnancies last between 150 to 180 days, and females will usually give birth to a single kid, although twin births may occur as well. Kids will begin eating young grasses at 1 week old and are weaned from 3 months old. Female ibexes remain with their natal herd, whereas males will leave their mothers to join a male bachelor herd at 1 year of age. Both sexes reach sexual maturity at 18 months old. While females are likely to begin mating around this age, males usually cannot mate until they have grown larger and stronger. Horns rapidly grow until the male is 9 to 11 years old.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
Lifespan and Predators
The horns grow throughout life. Male Alpine Ibexes live for around 16 years while females live for around 20 years. The species has a high adult survival rate compared with other herbivores around its size. In one study, all kids reached two years of age and the majority of adults lived for 13 years, although most 13-year-old males did not reach the age of 15. Alpine ibexes have a low rate of predation; their mountain habitat keeps them safe from predators like wolves, though golden eagles may prey on young. In Gran Paradiso, causes of death are old age, lack of food, and disease.
Conservation Status
The Alpine Ibex nearly went extinct in the 19th century due to overhunting. Conservation efforts, including reintroduction programs in Italy, Switzerland, France, and Austria, helped restore the population from fewer than 100 to more than 40,000 today. By the 19th century, the Alpine ibex had been extirpated from most of its range and it went through a population bottleneck of fewer than 100 individuals during its near-extinction event, leading to very low genetic diversity across populations. The species has been successfully reintroduced to parts of its historical range. All individuals living today descend from the stock in Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy. Starting in 1902, several Alpine ibexes from Gran Paradiso were taken into captive facilities in Switzerland for selective breeding and reintroduction into the wild. Until 1948, translocated founder animals were captive-bred. Afterwards, there were reintroductions of wild-born specimens from established populations in Piz Albris, Le Pleureur, and Augstmatthorn. These gave rise to the populations in France and Austria.
Between 2015 and 2017, there were around 9,000 ibexes in 30 colonies in France, over 17,800 individuals and 30 colonies in Switzerland, over 16,400 ibexes in 67 colonies in Italy, around 9,000 in 27 colonies in Austria, around 500 in five colonies in Germany, and almost 280 ibexes and four colonies in Slovenia. As of 2020, the IUCN considers the Alpine ibex to be of Least Concern with a stable population trend. It was given a recovery score of 79%, making it "moderately depleted". While the species would likely have gone extinct without conservation efforts in the 19th and 20th centuries, as of 2021, it has a low conservation dependence. According to the IUCN, without current protections, the population decline of the species would be minimal.
Cultural Significance
The Alpine ibex is called the steinbock, which originated from the Old High German word steinboc, literally "stone buck". Several European names for the animal developed from this, including the French bouquetin and the Italian stambecco. The Alpine ibex is one of many animals depicted in the art of the Late Pleistocene-era Magdalenian culture in Western Europe. Local people used Ibexes for traditional medicine; the horn material was used to counter cramps, poisoning, and hysteria, while the blood was thought to prevent stones from developing in the bladder. The species' value as a source of medicine led to its near extinction. Since its recovery, the Alpine ibex has been seen as a resilient symbol of the mountain range.
Read also: Walnut Keto Guide