Alpine Ibex

Capra ibex

Easy

The **Alpine Ibex** (*Capra ibex*) is a mid-sized European ungulate featured in the Europe Pack DLC for *Planet Zoo*.

## Zoopedia Description

### General

**Population in the Wild:** 30,000

The Alpine ibex is a large species of mountain goat native to the alpine regions of Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Slovenia. Its thick coat is a uniform brown on the body, with a pale underside and a darker coloration on the legs and tail. Alpine ibexes have large ridged horns that curve backwards towards the body. Males are much larger and heavier than females. They have 69cm to 98cm (27.6in to 39.2in) long horns, measure between 1.49m to 1.71m (4.9ft to 5.64ft) in length and 0.9m to 1.05 (3ft to 3.4ft), and weigh 80kg to 100kg (176lb to 220lb). Females ibexes have 18cm to 35cm (7.2in to 14in) long horns, measure 1.21m to 1.41m (4ft to 4.6ft) in length and 0.73m to 0.84m (2.4ft to 2.8ft) in height, and weigh only between 17kg to 32kg (37.4lb to 70.4lb).

Already in medieval times, Alpine ibexes were overhunted; and in the 1800s the species was at the brink of extinction, hunted for their horns and other body parts believed to hold magical properties. Luckily, today the Alpine ibex has a healthy and sustained population thanks to captive breeding and reintroduction programs and is currently not endangered. One lingering effect of the species' near extinction however is its low genetic diversity, making the Alpine Ibex vulnerable to inbreeding depression. This means there is a higher incidence of weak, inbred offspring with congenital problems.

### Social

Outside the mating season, the Alpine ibex lives in bachelor herds, although female groups will have juveniles of both sexes with them.

### Reproduction

During most of the year, females live in bachelor groups of 10 to 20 individuals. Males live in smaller bachelor groups of 6 to 8 individuals. During the breeding season, male groups will disperse as males pursue female groups.

Once a male finds a female group, he will attempt to mate with all mature females within the group. He will test if females are fertile by sampling their urine, and may attempt to guard the guard the group until they are receptive. In this time he is likely to be challenged by other males who located the same group. Males will engage in mating displays or even fight over the right to mate with the group.

Pregnancies last between 150 to 180 days, and females will usually give birth to a single kid, although twin births may occur as well. Kids will begin eating young grasses at 1 week old and are weaned from 3 months old. Weaning is complete by 1 year old at which time the mother is likely to have given birth to a new kid.

Female ibexes remain with their natal herd, whereas males will leave their mothers to join a male bachelor herd at 1 year of age. Both sexes reach sexual maturity at 18 months old. While females are likely to begin mating around this age, males usually cannot mate until they have grown larger and stronger. Horns rapidly grow until the male is 9 to 11 years old. The larger the horns and stronger the male, the more likely he is to triumph in mating displays and fights and subsequently gain access to a female herd during breeding season.

## Animal Care

 FEEDING STATIONS
 FOOD ENRICHMENT
Grazing Ball Feeder · Small Barrel Feeder · Melon Feeder · Hanging Grazer Feeder · Scarecrow Feeder
Grab Ball · Herb Scent Marker · Rubbing Pillar · Scots Pine/Tamarind Scratching Tree · Goat Climbing Mountain

## Trivia

### Zoopedia Fun Facts

* The diet of Alpine ibexes is naturally deficient of salt, which is why they will often lick leached salt off of rocky surfaces.
* Alpine ibexes appear to be under little threat from predators, with most ibexes dying of old age, diseases or starvation.
* Alpine ibex are extremely good climbers and are often seen in precarious postitions on near vertical mountainsides.
* Male ibexes in smaller groups base their hierarchy on horn size, the larger an individuals horns the higher his position in the group.
* Ibex hooves have curved undersides and thin edges that act like suction cups enabling them to grip to steep surfaces.