All Topics  
Ibex

 
Ibex

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Ibex
 
 
  Topics Ibex Topic Home

An ibex (plural ibex or ibexes or ibices) is an individual of any of several species of wild mountain goats (genus Capra)
Capra (genus)

The genus Capra, usually called goats or wild goats, is a genus of mammals composed of up to nine species, including the ibexes, the markhor, and the wild goat....
, distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia
Eurasia

Eurasia is a large landmass covering about 53,990,000 km? or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface . Often considered a single continent, Eurasia comprises the traditional continents of Europe and Asia, concepts which date back to classical antiquity and the borders for which are somewhat arbitrary....
, North Africa
North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa.Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Northern Africa includes the following seven countries or territories:...
, and East Africa
East Africa

East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN subregion, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
. The name ibex comes from Latin, borrowed from Iberian
Iberian

Iberian refers to Iberia , which has two basic meanings, the disused, of Caucasian Iberia , and the modern sense of someone or something originating in the Iberian Peninsula, namely from Portugal and Spain....
 or Aquitanian
Aquitanian language

The Aquitanian language was spoken in ancient Novempopulania before the Roman conquest and, probably much later, until the Early Middle Ages....
, akin to Old Spanish bezerro "bull", modern Spanish becerro "yearling". Ranging in height from 27 to 43 inches and weighing 200 to 270 pounds (90 to 120 kg), the ibex can live 20 years.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Ibex'
Start a new discussion about 'Ibex'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


An ibex (plural ibex or ibexes or ibices) is an individual of any of several species of wild mountain goats (genus Capra)
Capra (genus)

The genus Capra, usually called goats or wild goats, is a genus of mammals composed of up to nine species, including the ibexes, the markhor, and the wild goat....
, distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia
Eurasia

Eurasia is a large landmass covering about 53,990,000 km? or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface . Often considered a single continent, Eurasia comprises the traditional continents of Europe and Asia, concepts which date back to classical antiquity and the borders for which are somewhat arbitrary....
, North Africa
North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa.Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Northern Africa includes the following seven countries or territories:...
, and East Africa
East Africa

East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN subregion, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
. The name ibex comes from Latin, borrowed from Iberian
Iberian

Iberian refers to Iberia , which has two basic meanings, the disused, of Caucasian Iberia , and the modern sense of someone or something originating in the Iberian Peninsula, namely from Portugal and Spain....
 or Aquitanian
Aquitanian language

The Aquitanian language was spoken in ancient Novempopulania before the Roman conquest and, probably much later, until the Early Middle Ages....
, akin to Old Spanish bezerro "bull", modern Spanish becerro "yearling". Ranging in height from 27 to 43 inches and weighing 200 to 270 pounds (90 to 120 kg), the ibex can live 20 years. (The two species of wild goats that are usually not called ibex are the markhor
Markhor

The Markhor is a Caprinae found in sparse woodland in the Himalaya.Markhor stand at the shoulder and weigh from . Females are tan in colour with a white underbelly and a pattern of black and white on the legs....
 and the wild goat
Wild Goat

The wild goat is a widespread species of Capra , with a distribution ranging from Europe and Asia Minor to central Asia and the Middle East....
.)

Male ibex are commonly larger and heavier than females, and their most noticeable difference is the large size of their horns. Females grow a pair of smaller, thinner horns which develop considerably more slowly than the males'. The ibex's horns appear at sexual maturity and continue to grow through the rest of its life. Species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 of wild goats that are called ibex are:

  • The Alpine Ibex
    Alpine Ibex

    The Alpine Ibex ? commonly called by its local names in the various languages - French language bouquetin, German language steinbock, Italian language stambecco, Slovenian language kozorog, or by its Latin language nickname: capricorn?is the species of ibex that lives in the European Alps....
     (Capra ibex) is found in the Europe
    Europe

    Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
    an Alps
    Alps

    The Alps is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
    . Alpine ibex are found in Bulgaria, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and Slovenia, and have been introduced to ranches in the United States, Canada, and Argentina.


  • The Nubian ibex
    Nubian Ibex

    The Nubian Ibex is a rocky desert dwelling goat antelope found in mountainous areas of Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt and Sudan. It is generally considered to be a subspecies of Alpine Ibex, but is sometimes considered specifically distinct ....
     (Capra nubiana) occurs in the Middle East
    Middle East

    File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
    , in the Red Sea hills of Sudan as well as the highlands in Egypt.


  • The Walia or Ethiopian ibex
    Walia Ibex

    The walia ibex is a species of ibex that is endangered. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the Alpine Ibex. Threats against the species include habitat loss, poaching, and restricted range....
     (Capra walie) is found in the Semien Mountains
    Semien Mountains

    The Semien Mountains lie in northern Ethiopia, north east of Gondar. They are a World Heritage Site and include the Semien Mountains National Park....
     of the Ethiopian Highlands
    Ethiopian Highlands

    The Ethiopian Highlands are a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia, Eritrea , and northern Somalia in the Horn of Africa. The Ethiopian Highlands form the largest continuous area of its altitude in the whole continent, with little of its surface falling below 1500 m , while the summits reach heights of up to 4550 m ....
    , where it is critically endangered. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of Alpine Ibex. The Ibex is also a national emblem of the great ancient Axum
    Axum

    Axum, or Aksum, is a city in northern Ethiopia named after the Kingdom of Aksum, a naval and trading power that ruled from the region ca....
     empire.


  • The Spanish or Iberian ibex
    Spanish ibex

    The Iberian ibex, Spanish ibex, Spanish wild goat, or Iberian wild goat 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....
     (Capra pyrenaica) is now restricted to the Pyrenees
    Pyrenees

    The Pyrenees are a mountain range in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain. They separate the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of continental Europe, and extend for about from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean Sea ....
     and other mountainous enclaves in Spain
    Spain

    Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
    . There are approximately 50,000 Spanish ibex on the Iberian Peninsula
    Iberian Peninsula

    The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes modern-day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar and a very small area of France....
    . One of its extinct subspecies, the Pyrenean Ibex
    Pyrenean Ibex

    The Pyrenean Ibex is an ibex, one of the two extinction subspecies of Spanish Ibex. The subspecies once ranged across the Pyrenees in France and Spain and the surrounding area, including the Basque Country , Navarre, and north Catalonia....
    , was cloned in 2009.


  • The Asiatic or Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica) is a wild goat inhabiting long mountain systems in central Asian deserts. The animal is 80-100 cm high at shoulder, and weighs an average 60 kg. The adult males have long pointed beards and scimitar-shaped horns with prominent ridges on the frontal surface. The coat is dark brown with greyish underparts, and a dorsal stripe runs from the neck to tail. Adult males also have grey saddle patches on their backs. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism, as the females are smaller with small straight horns that are widely separated at the base. Asiatic ibex is widely distributed over an area stretching from the Hindu-Kush Mountains in Afghanistan to Sayan Mountains in Mongolia. The animals are found most frequently at elevations ranging from 3000 to 5300 m above sea level, but are also known to occur in areas as low as 1000 m in the Altai Mountains. They have a predilection for rugged terrain as an anti-predator strategy.
  • The West Caucasian ibex
    West Caucasian Tur

    The West Caucasian Tur is a mountain dwelling goat antelope found only in the western half of the Caucasus Mountains range.West Caucasian Turs stand up to tall at the shoulder and weigh around ....
     (Capra caucasica) is found in the western Caucasus
    Caucasus

    The Caucasus or Caucas is a geopolitical region located between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It is home to Europe's highest mountain ....
    .


  • The East Caucasian ibex
    East Caucasian Tur

    The East Caucasian Tur is a mountain dwelling goat found only in the eastern half of the Caucasus Mountains.East Caucasian Turs stand up to tall at the shoulder and weigh around ....
     (Capra caucasica) is found in the eastern Caucasus.

In ancient history

Evidence of the ibex is present in the archaeological record, particularly in the Near East
Near East

Near East today is an ambiguous term that covers different countries for archeologists and historians, on one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other....
 and Mediterranean rehgions. Excavations from Minoan
Minoan civilization

The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. The Minoan culture flourished from approximately 27th century BC to 1450 BC; afterwards, Mycenaean Greece culture became dominant at Minoan sites in Crete....
 Crete
Crete

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and the List of islands in the Mediterranean largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km? ....
 at Knossos
Knossos

Knossos , also known as the Knossos Palace is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization and culture....
, for example, have yielded specimens from about 1800 BC, including one cylinder seal
Cylinder seal

A cylinder seal is a cylinder engraved with a 'picture story', used in ancient times to roll an impression onto a two-dimensional surface, generally wet clay....
 depicting an ibex defending himself from a hunting dog
Hunting dog

For the species known as the African hunting dog, Cape hunting dog, or painted hunting dog see African Wild DogA hunting dog refers to any dog who assists humans in hunting....
. From the similar age a gold jewelry ibex image was found at the Akrotiri archaeological site on Santorini
Santorini

Santorini is a small, circular archipelago of volcano islands located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km southeast from Greece's mainland....
 in present day Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
.

An Iron Age
Iron Age

In archaeology, the Iron Age was the stage in the development of any people in which tools and weapons whose main ingredient was iron were prominent....
 capra ibex specimen was recovered at the Aq Kupruk
Aq Kupruk

Aq Kupruk is a village in Balkh Province in northern Afghanistan.ReferencesExternal links...
 archaeological site in present day Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
, illustrating either domestication or hunting of the ibex by these early peoples.

Ibex in popular culture

  • Release 8.10
    List of Ubuntu releases

    Ubuntu, an operating system based on Debian, makes two releases every year, using the year and month of the release as a version number. The first Ubuntu release, for example, was Ubuntu 4.10 and was released on October 20, 2004....
     of the Ubuntu operating system (codenamed Intrepid Ibex), a distribution of Linux
    Linux

    Linux is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Their development is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed by anyone under the terms of the GNU GPL license...
    .