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An ibex, commonly called by its French name: bouquetin also called Steinbock in German[1], an individual of any of several species of wild mountain goats (genus Capra), distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa, and East Africa. The name ibex comes from Latin, borrowed from Iberian or Aquitanian, akin to Old Spanish bezerro "bull", modern Spanish becerro "yearling". Ranging in height from 27 to 43 inches and weighing 200 to 270 pounds (90 to 120 kg), the ibex can live 20 years. (The two species of wild goats that are usually not called ibex are the markhor and the wild goat.)
Male ibex are commonly larger and heavier than females, and their most noticeable difference is the large size of their horns. Females grow a pair of smaller, thinner horns which develop considerably more slowly than the males'. The ibex's horns appear at sexual maturity and continue to grow through the rest of its life. Species of wild goats that are called ibex are:
- The Alpine Ibex (Capra ibex) is found in the European Alps. Alpine ibex are found in Bulgaria, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and Slovenia, and have been introduced to ranches in the United States, Canada, and Argentina.
- The Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) occurs in the Middle East. Occurs in the Red Sea hills of Sudan as well as the highlands in Egypt.
- The Walia or Ethiopian ibex (Capra walie) is found in the Semien Mountains of the Ethiopian Highlands, where it is critically endangered. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of Alpine Ibex. The Ibex is also a national emblem of the great ancient Axum empire.
- The Spanish or Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) is now restricted to the Pyrenees and other mountainous enclaves in Spain. There are approximately 50,000 Spanish ibex on the Iberian Peninsula.
- The Asiatic or Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica) is found in central Asia and southern Siberia.
- The West Caucasian ibex (Capra caucasica) is found in the western Caucasus.
- The East Caucasian ibex (Capra caucasica) is found in the eastern Caucasus.
In ancient history
Evidence of the ibex is present in the archaeological record, particularly in the Near East and Mediterranean regions. Excavations from Minoan Crete at Knossos, for example, have yielded specimens from about 1800 BC, including one cylinder seal with an ibex defending himself from a hunting dog.[2] From the similar age a gold jewelry ibex image was found at the Akrotiri archaeological site[3] on Santorini in present day Greece.
An Iron Age capra ibex specimen was recovered at the Aq Kupruk archaeological site in present day Afghanistan, illustrating either domestication or hunting of the ibex by these early peoples.[4]
References
- ^ : Translation
- ^ C. Michael Hogan, Knossos fieldnotes, Modern Antiquarian (2007)
- ^ M. Uda, G. Demortier, I. Nakai, X-rays for archaeology, 2005, Springer, 308 pages ISBN:1402035802
- ^ Pam J. Crabtree, Douglas V. Campana, Kathleen Ryan, Early Animal Domestication and Its Cultural Context, 1989, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology ISBN:0924171960
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