West Caucasian Ibex
| West Caucasian Ibex | ||||||||||||
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West Caucasian Ibex |
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| Capra caucasica | ||||||||||||
| Güldenstaedt & Pallas , 1783 |
The West Caucasian Ibex or Kuban-Tur ( Capra caucasica ) is a wild species of goat native to the Western Caucasus . Traditionally, the West Caucasian Ibex and the East Caucasian Ibex ( Capra cylindricornis ) are considered to be different species. Genetic studies seem to confirm this separation. The West Caucasian Ibex seems to be more closely related to the Bezoar goat ( Capra aegagrus ) than to the East Caucasian Ibex. The external similarities to the East Caucasian Ibex could therefore be due to hybridizations within the Caucasian Ibex. This thesis is also supported by the fact that the mitochondrial genome of individual West Caucasian ibexes corresponds to that of East Caucasian ibexes.
Appearance
The species has a very short tail. The goatee's goatee is usually short and wide. The fur appears reddish brown on top and yellowish on the underside. In winter the color turns gray-brown. The overall impression of this species is heavier and more corpulent than that of the common ibex; Bucks are 150 to 165 cm (head trunk length) long at the shoulder 95 to 110 cm high and weigh 65 to 100 kg. With a body length of 120 to 140 cm, a shoulder height of 78 to 90 cm and a body weight of 50 to 60 kg, females are significantly smaller and lighter. The horns are shorter, stronger and more curved than in the common ibex and are no more than 75 cm long. However, they do not reach the diameter of the East Caucasian species.
Distribution and existing conditions
The distribution area is a strip-shaped area of only 4500 km² along the Russian - Georgian border. Since the 19th century, this already very small area of distribution has shrunk even further due to human influences. Apparently, the hybridization with neighboring East Caucasian ibexes also contributes to the loss of territory of the species. In the last few years in particular, stocks have fallen dramatically. Today there are probably fewer than 10,000 West Caucasian ibexes living in their homeland. From the IUCN , the species is as endangered ( endangered ) classified. The species occurs in protected areas, such as the Caucasus nature reserve .
Way of life
The way of life of the West Caucasian Ibex hardly differs from the East Caucasian Ibex.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- D. Macdonald: The Great Encyclopedia of Mammals. Könemann Verlag in Tandem Verlag GmbH, Königswinter 2004, ISBN 3-8331-1006-6 .
Individual evidence
- Jump up ↑ EY Kazanskaya, MV Kuznetsova, AA Danilkin: Phylogenetic Reconstructions in the Genus Capra (Bovidae, Artiodactyla) Based on the Mitochondrial DNA Analysis. In: Russian Journal of Genetics. Vol. 43, No. 2, 2007, pp. 181-189. (on-line)
Web links
- Capra caucasica in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Caprinae Specialist Group, 1996. Retrieved on 8 May, 2006.
- Jens Wiesner: Ibex in the Caucasus. ( Memento from June 11, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Information on geo.de