Wild goat

Wild goat
Temporal range: 2.6–0 Ma
↓

Pleistocene - Recent

bezoar ibex, Capra aegagrus aegagrus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Caprinae
Genus: Capra
Species: C. aegagrus
Binomial name
Capra aegagrus
Erxleben, 1777
Subspecies

Capra aegagrus aegagrus
Capra aegagrus blythi
Capra aegagrus chialtanensis
Capra aegagrus cretica
Capra aegagrus hircus
Capra aegagrus turcmenica

The wild goat (Capra aegagrus) is a widespread species of goat, with a distribution ranging from Europe and Asia Minor to Central Asia and the Middle East. It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996.[1] It is considered the ancestor of the domestic goat.

Social structure

In the wild, goats live in herds of up to 500 individuals; males are solitary. Female goats go through a period called estrus, when they are ready to reproduce. Collectively for males and females, this means they are in a period of the breeding cycle called rut, which is in the fall, when they are ready to mate. During the rut old males drive younger males from the maternal herds. The gestation period averages 170 days. Does (females) usually give birth to one kid. Kids can follow the mother goat almost immediately after birth. Kids are weaned after 6 months. Female goats reach sexual maturity at 1½–2½ years, males at 3½–4 years. The lifespan of a goat can be from 12 to 22 years.

Feral goat

The domestic goat has become established in some areas in the wild as a feral animal. In habitats not adapted to their presence they can cause serious environmental problems.

Subspecies

Sindh ibex in Kirthar National Park
Wild goat kid, at Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, Georgia

Distribution

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Weinberg, P.; Jdeidi, T.; Masseti, M.; Nader, I.; de Smet, K. & Cuzin, F. (2008). "Capra aegagrus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2016-3. International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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