By John Sippl
Geographic Range
Alpine ibex, Capra ibex, are found in central Europe south to northern Ethiopia and east to Central China. (Nowak, 1999)
Biogeographic Regions:
palearctic 
(native ); ethiopian (native ).
Habitat
(10496 ft)
Alpine ibex are mountain animals usually living at elevations up to 3,200 meters. Males stay up on the rock cliffs during the day, whereas females stay below in the rolling slopes and brushy areas. At night they will all move down into the forest for the night to feed. (McGoldrick, 1997)
These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
temperate ; terrestrial .
Terrestrial Biomes:
chaparral ; forest ; scrub forest ; mountains .
Physical Description
(143 to 220 lbs; avg. 181.5 lbs)
(4.26 to 4.59 ft)
Alpine ibex are sexually dimorphic. Males range from 65 – 105 cm in height at the shoulder and weigh about 80 - 100 kg. Shoulder heights in females are about 65 – 70 cm and weight varies from 30 – 50 kg. The length of an ibex is about 1.3 – 1.4 m long with a tail length about 120 – 150 cm. Their coats are uniformly brown to gray, with thick beards. The underside of southern alpine ibex is lighter than the northern alpine ibex. Nubian (Capra nubiana) and Walia ibex (Capra walie) are smaller than alpine ibex. (Brownell, 1998; Burton, 1980)
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry .
Sexual dimorphism: male larger, ornamentation .
Reproduction
Alpine ibex breed once yearly.
Mating occurs in late fall.
The mating system is polygynous. Males compete in fighting competition to mate with a group of females. (Kohlmann, Muller, and Alkon, 1996; Nowak, 1999)
Mating systems:
polygynous .
Males join the females in December after fierce battles with other males. The winner of the battle obtains the right to breed with group of 10 – 20 females. The gestation period for the ibex is approximately 147 – 180 days. A day after parturition, the young are able to walk on the rock cliffs following their mothers. The young are mature at 8 – 12 months, but don’t breed until 2 or 3 years of age. Ibex typically have one young per year, and more than one is uncommon. (Kohlmann, Muller, and Alkon, 1996; Nowak, 1999)
Key reproductive features:
iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous .
Females provide milk for their young, as do all mammalian females. The young are precocious, and are able to follow their mothers shortly after birth. (Kohlmann, Muller, and Alkon, 1996; Nowak, 1999)
Parental investment:
altricial ; pre-fertilization (provisioning, protecting: female); pre-hatching/birth (provisioning: female, protecting: female); pre-weaning/fledging (provisioning: female, protecting: female); post-independence association with parents.
Lifespan/Longevity
[External Source: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research]
The lifespan of an alpine ibex in the wild is about 10 – 18 years. In captivity the oldest know individual was 21 years and 3 months. (Jordan, 1969)
Behavior
Females live in social hierarchies that consist of 10 – 20 females in a herd with one dominant female. Males live in smaller herds of about 6 – 8, until the fall when the males rut. During this time males become solitary and are aggressive to other males. Some males live solitary all year long. (Jordan, 1969; Nowak, 1999)
Key behaviors:
diurnal ; crepuscular ; motile ; nomadic ; solitary ; social ; dominance hierarchies .
Food Habits
In the spring the animals migrate back into the mountains to new feeding areas. In the winter when the snow is deep and the weather is severe they migrate down to south facing slopes which have more food and less snow. These browsers and grazers become active in the afternoon and into the evening and feed through out the night in the forest, returning to the rock cliffs in the morning.
Foods commonly eaten include: grasses, forbs, leaves, shoots and bark. (Burton, 1980; Sanderson, 1967)
Plant Foods:
leaves; wood, bark, or stems.
Predation
- golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos)
- bears (Ursinae)
- wolves (Canis lupus)
- leopards (Panthera pardus)
- humans (Homo sapiens)
Ibex are herding animals which are subject to a wide variety predators. Eagles, bears, leopards and humans all play significant roles in regulating the ibex population.
Ecosystem Roles
As a browser, this ibex probably influences the vegetational community, As a prey species, it is likely that the availablitliy of ibex affects the populations of predators.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Ibex may compete with domestic goats (Capra hircus) for food and water. (Jordan, 1969)
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
In addition to trophy hunting, there was a market for the parts of ibex believed useful in medicinal purposes. (Brownell, 1998)
Ways that people benefit from these animals:
food ; body parts are source of valuable material; source of medicine or drug .
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: [link]:
Lower Risk - Least Concern.
US Federal List: [link]:
No special status.
CITES: [link]:
No special status.
Alpine ibex have sustainable populations due to successful reintroduction programs. (Sanderson, 1967)
Other Comments
In the eighteenth century some Europeans believed ibex were magical. Today's equivalent of the magical ibex is the zodiac sign Capricorn. (Burton, 1980)
Contributors
John Sippl (author), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Chris Yahnke (editor), University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.
