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The West Caucasian tur (''Capra caucasica'') is a mountain-dwelling
West Caucasian turs stand up to tall at the shoulder and weigh around . They have large but narrow bodies and short legs. West Caucasian turs have a chestnut coat with a yellow underbelly and darker legs. Their horns are scimitar-shaped and heavily ridged. In males, these horns are around , while in females they are much smaller.
''Capra caucasica'' on ultimate ungulate web
Capra (genus) Mammals of Europe Tur, Caucasian, West Mammals described in 1783 Taxa named by Johann Anton Güldenstädt {{eventoedungulate-stub
goat-antelope
The subfamily Caprinae, also sometimes referred to as the tribe Caprini, is part of the ruminant family Bovidae, and consists of mostly medium-sized bovids. A member of this subfamily is called a caprine, or, more informally, a goat-antelope ...
native to the western half of the Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains,
: pronounced
* hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ,
: pronounced
* az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced
* rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ
* tr, Kafkas Dağla ...
range, in Georgia and European Russia
European Russia (russian: Европейская Россия, russian: европейская часть России, label=none) is the western and most populated part of Russia. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the cou ...
. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as the wild population is estimated to be between 5,000 and 6,000 individuals.
Names
It is also known by the names "zebuder," "zac" and "Caucasian ibex."Description
West Caucasian turs stand up to tall at the shoulder and weigh around . They have large but narrow bodies and short legs. West Caucasian turs have a chestnut coat with a yellow underbelly and darker legs. Their horns are scimitar-shaped and heavily ridged. In males, these horns are around , while in females they are much smaller.
Habitat
West Caucasian turs live in rough mountainous terrain between above sea level, where they eat mainlygrass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...
es and leaves
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...
.
Predators
They are preyed upon bysteppe wolves
The steppe wolf (''Canis lupus campestris''), also known as the Caspian Sea wolf, is a subspecies of grey wolf native to the Caspian steppes, the steppe regions of the Caucasus, the lower Volga region, southern Kazakhstan north to the middle o ...
and lynxes; Persian leopards and Syrian brown bears may also be possible predators.
Behaviour
The West Caucasian tur isnocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
, eating in the open at night, and sheltering during the day. Females live in herds of around 10 individuals, while males are solitary.
See also
*Caucasus mixed forests
The Caucasus mixed forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in the Caucasus Mountains, as well as the adjacent Lesser Caucasus range and the eastern end of the Pontic Mountains.
Geography
The ecoregion covers an area of , ext ...
* East Caucasian tur
* '' Capra dalii''
References
External links
''Capra caucasica'' on ultimate ungulate web
Capra (genus) Mammals of Europe Tur, Caucasian, West Mammals described in 1783 Taxa named by Johann Anton Güldenstädt {{eventoedungulate-stub