Ibex

The Ibex, belonging to the goat family, is easily identifiable with its back sloping, wagon-wheel horns. Their compact bodies and short powerful legs are ideally suited for the rough, mountainous terrain they normally roam. Ranging from red/brown in the summer to lighter gray/brown for winter these animals have adapted to handle temperature changes of more than 70 degrees in a single day.

Ibex herds containing upwards of 30 animals is not uncommon.  By the time males go in rut, rank has usually been established by ritualized fighting, at that time the ranking males will separate the breeding females from the flock.  The female will separate from her group when it is time to deliver.  After a short period, one to ten days, the newborn will leave its hiding place, joining its mother and the herd permanently.