Capra caucasica
West Caucasian tur

West Caucasian turs are native only to the western Caucasus Mountains in Georgia and south-western Russia ("Protected Areas Program" 2001).

West Caucasian turs have one of the smallent habitats of all ungulates. They are native only to about 4,500 square kilometers in the western Caucasus Mountains. They live in elevations ranging from 800 to 4,200 meters. Forests are found leading up to 2,000 meters. Above this, there are alpine meadows and rocky talus slopes. Elevations above 2,900 meters are permanantly snow-covered (Huffman 2000; "Protected Areas Program" 2001).

Body length for adult males is between 120 and 165 cm, with shoulder height between 78 and 109 cm. Horns of West Caucasian tur average 75 cm and occur in both males and females. They are scimitar-shaped, ridged, and appear as rounded triangles in cross-sections. Their pelage is "rusty gray to rusty chestnut, becoming lighter in the flanks" (Nowak 1991). The legs are dark brown. Males have a small beard under the chin. Tail length ranges from 10 to 14 cm (Nowak 1991). (Nowak, 1991)

Herd composition changes a great deal throughout the year. From May to November, males separate themselves from females and young by living at higher elevations. Females form maternal groups of about 12 for the summer months. In November, West Caucasian turs migrate downward 1500-2000 meters for the mating season. During this time herds mix and can reach numbers in excess of 500 animals. They then ascend to higher elevations in May and separate into the smaller groups. During the summer, the turs takes shelter and rest through the hottest hours of the day. Females provide all parental care for their young (Grzimek 1990; Nowak 1991).

West Caucasian turs are herbivorous. In summer their diet consists of a wide variety of plants and grasses. They tend to feed in the morning, rest in the heat of early afternoon, then feed again in late afternoon and evening. In winter their diet contains the leaves of trees and shrubs and they graze in open pastures throughout the day. Turs have been known to travel as much as 20 km a day if their resting and feeding sites are separated (Nowak 1991).

None known.

West Caucasian turs are popular trophies for hunters. Safaris make large amounts of money allowing hunters to kill these animals ("Safari and Expeditions" 2001).

Unregulated hunting in the early 1900's seriously threatened populations of West Caucasian turs. The creation of a nature preserve where they occur has enabled their numbers to increase slightly in recent years. The current population is estimated at under 10,000 (Nowak 1991).

Wolves and lynx are the main predators of C. caucasica (Grzimek 1990).