West Caucasian tur

Facts

IUCN ENDANGERED (EN)

Facts about this animal

The West Caucasian tur is a stout and sturdy looking goat with relatively short legs. Adult weight in males is between 65 and 100 kg with a head-body length of 1.5 to 1.65 m. Females are considerably smaller than males. The hoofs are large. The beard is long, narrow and prominent. In summer the coat is yellowish-tan, lighter on the back and sides, darker on the head, very dark brown on the tail and lower legs, and dirty white on the belly. In winter the coat is heavier and coarser, varying from grayish to yellowish-brown, with a dark dorsal stripe. The horns are black and rather similar to those of an ibex, but more massive and relatively shorter. The tips are widely separated. They measure up to 75 cm in males. Females' horns are much shorter and thinner, and only slightly curved.

Did you know?
that the West Caucasian tur has the smallest range of any living ungulate, only 4500 sq. km? (Reference: Toronto Zoo)

Factsheet
Class	MAMMALIA
Order	ARTIODACTYLA
Suborder	RUMINANTIA
Family	BOVIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Capra caucasica
Name (English)	West Caucasian tur
Name (French)	Chèvre du Caucase occidental
Name (German)	Westkaukasischer Tur
Name (Spanish)	Tur del Cáucaso occidental
CITES Status	Not listed
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Dmano

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, on the western half of the Caucasus Mountain.
Habitat	Mountainous terrain between 800 and 4000 m
Wild population	6.000-10.000 (2001) (Red List IUCN 2011)
Zoo population	149 specimens reported to ISIS (2007).

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Requirement 73 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Vladimír Motyčka

Why do zoos keep this animal

The West Caucasian tur is an endangered species. Zoo in Europe, where the majority of the zoo population is kept, therefore undertake efforts to maintain a viable ex situ population by operating a coordinated breeding programme.