| Spanish ibex | |
|---|---|
| Spanish Ibex at the San Diego Zoo | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Genus: | Capra |
| Species: | C. pyrenaica |
| Binomial name | |
| Capra pyrenaica Schinz, 1838 |
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| Subspecies | |
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Capra pyrenaica hispanica |
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| The Distribution of the Spanish Ibex | |
The Iberian ibex, Spanish ibex, Spanish wild goat, or Iberian wild goat (Capra pyrenaica) is a species of ibex with four subspecies. Of these, two can still be found on the Iberian Peninsula, but the remaining two are now extinct. The Portuguese subspecies became extinct in 1892 and the Pyrenean subspecies became extinct on January 6, 2000. An ongoing project to clone to the Pyrenean subspecies resulted in one clone being born alive in January 2009. This is the first taxon to become "un-extinct", although the clone died a few minutes after birth.
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The Iberian ibex Capra pyrenaica populates the Iberian Peninsula and consisted originally of four subspecies. However with recent extinctions occurring within the last century, only two of the subspecies still exist.[2] These two subspecies of ibexes, the Capra pyrenaica hispanica and the Capra pyrenaica victoriae, can be founded along the Spanish Iberian Peninsula and have even migrated and settled into the coast of Portugal.[2]
Capra pyrenaica are strong mountainous animals characterized by their large and flexible hooves and short legs. These physical adaptations allow them to be able to run and leap on bare, rocky, rough, and steep slopes.[2] This gives them an advantage over potential predators that possibly cannot reach them because of the terrain. The Iberian ibex also shows remarkable sexual dimorphism, with males being greater in size and weight and also having larger horns as the females.[2] The horns of the ibexes are different among wild caprids as they curve out and up and then back, inward, and, depending on subspecies, either up again or down. The annual horn growth is influenced principally by age but can also be contributed by environmental factors and the growth made in the previous year.[2] Even though the female ibexes are smaller, they have a faster ossification process and typically finish full bone development nearly two years before males.[2]
Iberian ibex establish two types of social groups: male-only groups and females with young juvenile groups. [2] It is only during rutting season that the male-only groups interact with the female groups in order to reproduce. During the birth season, the yearling are separated from the female groups at the time of the new births. The males are the first to separate and return to their male-only groups while the yearlings eventually return back to their mothers and spend their next few years with the group.[3]
The Spanish ibex has a unique way of signaling others when a potential predator has been spotted. First the ibex will have an erect posture with its ears and head pointing in the direction of the potential predator. The caller will then signal the other ibexes in the group with one or more alarm calls. Once the group has heard the alarm calls, they will flee to another area that is usually an advantageous vantage point like a rocky slope where the predator cannot reach. [3]. Interestingly, the ibex usually flees in a very coordinated fashion that is led by an experienced adult female in female-juvenile groups and an experienced male in male-only groups. [3] This possibly allows the group to escape in a more efficient way as the more experienced ibex will know which slope to run to. However since their alarm calls consists of an abrupt explosive whistle, it can easily be heard by predators and quickly be located even from farther distances.[3]
The Iberian ibex is generally a mixed feeder between a browsing (herbivory) type of feeder and a grazer, depending on the plant availability in their home range. Thus, the percentage of each type of resource that is consumed will vary altitudinally, geographically, and seasonally.[2] The ibex also has a special mechanism in the kidney that stores fat in order to be used as energy during the cold winter times. The highest body storage of kidney fat can be found during the productive warm seasons and the lowest during the cold period. The body storage is characterized by limited the food resources.[4] Foraging in ibexes is also different depending on the season. When food resources are low during the winter, ibexes would reduce their rates of movement when foraging. However during the spring season, when food is more available, they would increase their rate of movement and become more mobile in finding food. [5] This would be the ideal trend of movement since the spring season is more abundant in food resources meaning that there is more competition for food resources forcing some to trek farther in order to obtain food.
The populations of Capra pyrenaica have decreased significantly over the last centuries. This can be due to a combination of contributing factors such as great hunting pressure, agricultural development and habitat deterioration. The first disappearance of one of the four subspecies, Pyrenean ibex, came from the French Pyrenees by the mid 19th century. While and around 1890, one of the subspecies, C. pyrenaica lusitanica, also known as the Portuguese Ibex, became extinct from its range in the Portuguese Sierra de Geres and Galicia.[6] There are also a series of threats in an effort towards ibex conservation; such as population overabundance, disease, and potential competition with domestic livestock and other ungulates, along with the negative effects of human disturbance through tourism and hunting. [2] Until recently, ibexes from Southern Spain have also become exposed to diseases and outbreaks like sarcoptic mange. [6]