Alpine ibex

The Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) is a species of wild goat that lives in the European Alps. Its coat color is usually brown or brownish gray. Alpine ibex are sexually dimorphic, as males are larger and carry longer, and has curved horns. Males usually grow in a height of 90 to 101 cm, with a body length of 149 to 171 cm and weigh of 67 and 117 kg. Females have a shoulder height of 73 to 84 cm, a body length of 121 to 141 cm, and weighs 17 to 32 kg. Both sexes have large, curved horns with numerous ridges, with males having 69 to 98 cm in length and females having 18 to 35 cm of length. They tend to live on steep, rough terrain near the snow line. They are a social species, even though adult males and females separate from each other for most of the year, which they come together only to mate. During the breeding season, males fight for access to females, using their long horns in agonistic behavior. In the 19 century, the Alpine ibex has been extirpated in most areas, down to fewer than 100 individuals during the near-extinction event, leading very low genetic diversity on the populations. All individuals living today descended from a herd from Gran Paradiso National Park and the contiguous Vanosie National Park. After recovery, it has been successfully reintroduced in parts of its historical range.