Markhor

Facts

IUCN ENDANGERED (EN)

Facts about this animal

The Markhor is a large, stocky goat with relatively short legs and broad hooves. Head body length is 140 to 180 cm. Males weigh from 80 to 110 kgs, females are considerably smaller and lighter, weighing form 32 to 40 kg.

They have a distinctive mane and unmistakable straight or flared, usually deeply-spiralled horns. The coat has a reddish-grey colour with a dark brown dorsal stripe extending from the shoulders to the base of the tail. The Coat length and colour varys according to the season: it is longer and greyer in winter, and shorter and yellower in summer. Males have an extensive dark chin beard, (present but very small in some females), a long shaggy mane of mixed grey and white hairs extending from the neck down the chest, a dark crest (the hairs of which do not stand erect but hang down the neck) and tufts of pale hair on the legs.

Horns are borne by both sexes, but males have larger and much heavier, longer and more spiralled horns. They are up to 160 cm long in males and up to 25 cm in females. The overall shape and tightness of the twists is variable between populations.

Did you know?
that Markhor horns are used in Oriental traditional medicines? In China, horns have reportedly fetched up to 1,000 USD per kg, twice as much as Saigo (Saiga tatarica) horns.

Factsheet
Class	MAMMALIA
Order	ARTIODACTYLA
Suborder	RUMINANTIA
Family	BOVIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Capra falconeri
Name (English)	Markhor
Name (French)	Markhor
Name (German)	Markhor
Name (Spanish)	Markhor
CITES Status	Appendix I
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Vladimír Motyčka

Distribution

Distribution
Range	India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Usbekistan, Afghanistan?, Turkmenistan?
Habitat	Inhabits rugged mountain regions from 700 to 4'000 m, usually around the level of the tree line.
Wild population	2,500 mature individuals (Red List IUCN 2011)
Zoo population	321 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 markhor is an endangered species listed in appendix I of CITES. Zoos therefore operate several coordinated breeding programmes at the regional level.

Male markhor are also very impressive animals with horns that are different from any other goat species. Displaying them is therefore also of educational interest.

How this animal should be kept

Markhor are social animals and should be kept in groups consisting of several adult males and females and their offspring, or in bachelor groups.

For up to 8 adults an outdoor enclosure of at least 500 m² is required, which should be enlarged by 50 m² per each additional adult. There should also be a smaller enclosure for temporarily separating individual animals as may be required. There must be some shelter protecting from rain, wind and sun, which must be large enough to accommodate all animals, but the animals are cold resistant and no closed stable is required, although a stable may be useful for trapping individual animals.

Climbing opportunities must be provided by natural rocks or artificial rockwork. Marly limestone ("mergel") is an ideal substrate for covering the soil. In case of sand-covered or natural soil there should be paving the feeding sites and around the shelter.

Markhor are selective grazers/browsers. They should be fed on a diet of good hay, grass, branches in leaves, coniferous branches, pellets and mineral salt.