Spanish ibex
| Iberian ibex | |
|---|---|
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| Male C.p. victoriae. | |
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| Female C.p. victoriae. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Caprinae |
| Genus: | Capra |
| Species: | C. pyrenaica |
| Binomial name | |
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Capra pyrenaica Schinz, 1838 |
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| Subspecies | |
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Capra pyrenaica hispanica LC |
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| Distribution of the Iberian ibex | |
Capra pyrenaica hispanica LC
Capra pyrenaica lusitanica † EX
Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica † EX
Capra pyrenaica victoriae VU
The Iberian ibex, Spanish ibex, Spanish wild goat, or Iberian wild goat (Capra pyrenaica) is a species of ibex with four subspecies. Of these, two can still be found on the Iberian Peninsula, but the remaining two are now extinct. The Portuguese subspecies became extinct in 1892 and the Pyrenean subspecies became extinct in 2000. An ongoing project to clone to the Pyrenean subspecies resulted in one clone being born alive in January 2009. This is the first taxon to become "un-extinct", although the clone died a few minutes after birth due to physical defects in lungs.
The Iberian ibex Capra pyrenaica populates the Iberian Peninsula and consisted originally of four subspecies. However, with recent extinctions occurring within the last century, only two of the subspecies still exist. These two subspecies of ibexes, C. p. hispanica and C. p. victoriae, can be found along the Spanish Iberian Peninsula and have even migrated and settled into the coast of Portugal.
C. pyrenaica are strong mountainous animals characterized by their large and flexible hooves and short legs. These physical adaptations allow them to be able to run and leap on bare, rocky, rough, and steep slopes. This gives them an advantage over potential predators that possibly cannot reach them because of the terrain. The Iberian ibex also shows remarkable sexual dimorphism, with males being greater in size and weight and also having larger horns than the females. The horns of the ibexes are different among wild caprids as they curve out and up and then back, inward, and, depending on subspecies, either up again or down. The annual horn growth is influenced principally by age but can also be contributed by environmental factors and the growth made in the previous year. Even though the female ibexes are smaller, they have a faster ossification process and typically finish full bone development nearly two years before males.
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Wikipedia