''Capra'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of mammals, the goats, composed of up to nine

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

, including the markhor and many species known as

ibex An ibex (plural ibex, ibexes or ibices) is any of several species of wild goat (genus ''Capra''), distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa ...

es. The domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated

derived from the wild goat (''Capra aegagrus''). Evidence of goat domestication dates back more than 8,500 years. Wild goats are animals of mountain habitats. They are very agile and hardy, able to climb on bare rock and survive on sparse vegetation. They can be distinguished from the genus '' Ovis'', which includes sheep, by the presence of scent glands close to the feet, in the groin, and in front of the eyes, and the absence of other facial glands, and by the presence of a beard in some specimens, and of hairless calluses on the knees of the forelegs. The

Rocky Mountain goat The mountain goat (''Oreamnos americanus''), also known as the Rocky Mountain goat, is a hoofed mammal endemic to mountainous areas of western North America. A subalpine to alpine species, it is a sure-footed climber commonly seen on cliffs a ...

is in a separate genus, '' Oreamnos''. Present-day genetic and phenotypic differences between the ''Capra'' species are largely related to (1) discontinuity of and impeded migration between ''Capra'' populations during glacial periods, and (2) insufficient time in the postglacial period for now-adjoining ''Capra'' populations to overcome behavioral mechanisms impeding hybridization in the wild so as to erase these differences.

Taxonomy

All members of the genus ''Capra'' are

bovid The Bovidae comprise the biological family of cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammals that includes cattle, bison, buffalo, antelopes, and caprines. A member of this family is called a bovid. With 143 extant species and 300 known extinct species, t ...

s (members of the family Bovidae), and more specifically caprines (subfamily Caprinae). As such they are ruminants, meaning they chew the cud, and have four-chambered stomachs which play a vital role in digesting, regurgitating, and redigesting their food. The genus has sometimes been taken to include '' Ovis'' (sheep) and ''Ammotragus'' ( Barbary sheep), but these are usually regarded as distinct genera, leaving ''Capra'' for ibexes. In this smaller genus, some authors have recognized only two species, the markhor on one side and all other forms included in one species on the other side. Today, nine species are usually accepted: * West Asian ibex (''Capra aegagrus'') **

Bezoar ibex The bezoar ibex (''Capra aegagrus aegagrus'') is a wild goat subspecies that is native to the montane forested areas in the Caucasus and the Zagros Mountains. Characteristics The bezoar ibex, which weighs around 60kg (130lb) is known particu ...

(''Capra aegagrus aegagrus'') **

Sindh ibex The Sindh ibex or Sindhi wild goat (''Capra aegagrus blythi'') is a vulnerable subspecies of wild goat endemic to southern Pakistan. Description Sindh ibex are rather stocky animals with thick-set bodies and strong limbs terminating in broad ...

(''Capra aegagrus blythi'') * West Caucasian tur (''Capra caucasica'') * East Caucasian tur (''Capra cylindricornis'') * Markhor (''Capra falconeri'') * Domestic goat (''Capra hircus''; includes feral goat, sometimes considered a subspecies of ''C. aegagrus'') *

Alpine ibex The Alpine ibex (''Capra ibex''), also known as the steinbock, bouquetin, or simply ibex, is a species of wild goat that lives in the mountains of the European Alps. It is a sexually dimorphic species: males are larger and carry longer, curved ...

(''Capra ibex'') * Nubian ibex (''Capra nubiana'') * Spanish ibex (''Capra pyrenaica'') * Siberian ibex (''Capra sibirica'') * Walia ibex (''Capra walie'') The goats of the genus ''Capra'' have complex systematic relationships, which are still not completely resolved. Recent studies based on

mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...

suggest that the Siberian ibex and the Nubian ibex represent distinct species, which are not very closely related to the physically similar Alpine ibex. The Alpine ibex forms a group with the Spanish ibex. The West Caucasian tur appears to be more closely related to the wild goat than to the East Caucasian tur. The markhor is relatively little separated from other forms—previously it had been considered to be a separate branch of the genus. Almost all wild goat species are

allopatric Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...

(geographically separated)—the only geographical overlaps are the wild goat (''Capra hircus'') with the East Caucasian tur (''Capra caucasica cylindricornis''), and the markhor (''Capra falconeri'') with the Siberian ibex (''Capra siberica''). In both cases, the overlapping species do not usually interbreed in the wild, but in captivity, all ''Capra'' species can interbreed, producing fertile offspring.

Species and subspecies

Domestication and uses

Ibex in the French Vanoise National Park

Along with sheep, goats were among the first domesticated animals. The domestication process started at least 10,000 years ago in what is now northern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

.Melinda A. Zeder, Brian Hesse: ''The Initial Domestication of Goats (''Capra hircus'') in the Zagros Mountains 10,000 Years Ago''. Science 24 March 2000: Vol. 287. no. 5461, pp. 2254–225
online abstract
/ref> Easy human access to goat hair,

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...

, and

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulat ...

were the primary motivations. Goat skins were popularly used until the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

for water and

wine bottles A wine bottle is a bottle, generally a glass bottle, that is used for holding wine. Some wines are fermented in the bottle while others are bottled only after fermentation. Recently the bottle has become a standard unit of volume to describe sal ...

when traveling and

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

, and in certain regions as

parchment Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves, and goats. It has been used as a writing medium for over two millennia. Vellum is a finer quality parchment made from the skins ...

for writing.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Capra (Genus) Goats Mammals of Asia Mammals of Africa Mammal genera Extant Pleistocene first appearances Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus