The Western Iberian ibex or Gredos ibex (''Capra pyrenaica victoriae'') is a
subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
of
Iberian ibex
The Iberian ibex (''Capra pyrenaica''), also known as the Spanish ibex, Spanish wild goat and Iberian wild goat, is a species of ibex endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. Four subspecies have been described; two are now extinct. The Portuguese ibex ...
native to
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, in the
Sierra de Gredos
The Sierra de Gredos is a mountain range in central Spain that spans the provinces of Ávila, Spain, Ávila, Salamanca, Spain, Salamanca, Cáceres, Spain, Cáceres, Madrid, and Toledo, Spain, Toledo. It is part of the much larger Sistema Central o ...
. It was later introduced to other sites in Spain (
Las Batuecas,
La Pedriza
La Pedriza is a geological feature on the southern slopes of the Guadarrama mountain range of great scenic and leisure interest. Access is from Manzanares el Real, a municipality in the northwest of the Community of Madrid (Spain). Geological f ...
,
Riaño) and to northern
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
(
Peneda-Gerês National Park
Peneda-Gerês National Park (, ), also known simply as Gerês, is a national park in Norte Region, Portugal. Created in May 1971, it is the oldest protected area and the only national park in Portugal. It covers an area of , occupying the Distric ...
) as a replacement for the extinct
Portuguese ibex (''C. p. lusitanica'').
Remnant populations survive in the
Picos de Europa
Picos is a municipality in the state of Piauí in the Northeast region of Brazil. Picos is the state's third-largest city, located in the south-central region of Piauí and is the most economically developed city in the region. The city's fin ...
and other parts of the
Cantabrian Mountains
The Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range () are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.
They stretch for over 300 km (180 miles) across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the Galician Massif ...
, along with some reintroductions. The largest population is in the mountains north of Riaño. It is also found in southern
Galicia near the border with Portugal. In northern Portugal, 100 or so survive in the Peneda-Gerês National Park, which adjoins the larger population in southern Galicia. The Western Iberian ibex has been reintroduced to several areas for hunting purposes. Because of their limited distribution and narrow ecological niche, Western Iberian ibex are more at risk of extinction than their Southeastern Iberian ibex relatives. They are more vulnerable to climatic change and parasitic diseases might pose a threat to them. Therefore to further ensure their survival, the IUCN suggests distributing some of the Western Iberian ibex population to more areas.
The related
Pyrenean ibex (''Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica'') which once ranged across the
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
, went extinct in 2000. In 2014, a small number of Western Iberian ibex were introduced to France's
Pyrenees National Park
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto.
F ...
as a replacement for the Pyrenean ibex. By 2020, the population had increased to 400 individuals in the park, and neighboring
Ariège.
References
Capra (genus)
{{eventoedungulate-stub