page_title: Iberian ibex
section_title: Characteristics
hierarchical_section_title: Iberian ibex / Characteristics
caption_attribution_description: English: A three month old iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica victoriae) in Sierra de Gredos, Spain. Español: Cabra montés (Capra pyrenaica victoriae) de unos 3 meses de edad en la Sierra de Gredos, España. Deutsch: drei Monate alter Iberischer Steinbock (Capra pyrenaica victoriae). Русский: Трёхмесячный пиренейский козлёнок (Capra pyrenaica victoriae).
context_page_description: 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. The Portuguese subspecies became extinct in 1892 and the Pyrenean subspecies became extinct in 2000. An ongoing project to clone to the Pyrenean subspecies resulted in one clone being born alive in July 2003. This is the first taxon to become "un-extinct", although the clone died a few minutes after birth due to physical defects in lungs.
context_section_description: C. pyrenaica are strong mountainous animals characterized by their large and flexible hooves and short legs. These physical adaptations allow them to be able to run and leap on bare, rocky, rough, and steep slopes. This gives them an advantage over potential predators that cannot reach them because of the terrain. The Iberian ibex also shows remarkable sexual dimorphism, with males being greater in size and weight and also having larger horns than the females. The horns of the ibexes are different among wild caprids as they curve out and up and then back, inward, and, depending on subspecies, either up again or down. The annual horn growth is influenced principally by age but can also be contributed by environmental factors and the growth made in the previous year.  Even though the female ibexes are smaller, they have a faster ossification process and typically finish full bone development nearly two years before males.
caption: Western Spanish ibex juvenile in Sierra de Gredos, Spain
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