- published: 13 Oct 2014
- views: 235547
The Alpine ibex, (Capra ibex), is a species of wild goat that lives in the mountains of the European Alps. In its habitat region, the species is known as bouquetin (French), Steinbock (German), stambecco (Italian) and kozorog (Slovenian).
The Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica) and the Middle Eastern Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) are very close relatives of the Alpine ibex, and were formerly considered to be subspecies. Fossils of Alpine ibex dating back to the late Pleistocene, when it and the Spanish ibex probably evolved from the extinct Pleistocene species Capra camburgensis.
Compared with other members of its genus, the Alpine ibex has a short, broad head and a duller coat pattern. It has brownish grey hair over most of the body, with slightly darker markings on the chin and throat, and in a stripe along the back, and a pale abdomen. They moult twice a year, firstly in April or May, and then again in September, when they replace the short summer coat with thicker hair and a woolly undercoat. As with all goats, males have beards, while females do not.