Capra is a genusofmammals, the goats, comprising ten species, including the markhor and several species known as ibexes. The domestic goat (Capra hircus) is a domesticated species derived from the bezoar ibex (Capra aegagrus aegagrus). It is one of the oldest domesticated species of animal - according to archaeological evidence its earliest domestication occurred in Iran at 10,000 calibrated calendar years ago.[1]
| Capra ↓ | |
|---|---|
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| Capra, St. Leonhard in Passeier, Italy | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Caprinae |
| Tribe: | Caprini |
| Genus: | Capra Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Type species | |
| Capra hircus | |
| Species | |
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See text. | |
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| Approximate range of the Capra species | |
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.[2]
All members of the genus Capra are bovids (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),[3] 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.[4] Today, nine wild species are usually accepted to which is added the domestic goat:[5]
The goats of the genus Capra have complex systematic relationships, which are still not completely resolved. Recent studies based on mitochondrial DNA suggest that the Asian 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 Iberian 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.[9]
Almost all wild goat species are allopatric (geographically separated)—the only geographical overlaps are the wild goat (Capra aegagrus) with the East Caucasian tur (Capra cylindricornis), and the markhor (Capra falconeri) with the Asian ibex (Capra sibirica). In both cases, the overlapping species do not usually interbreed in the wild, but in captivity, all Capra species can interbreed, producing fertile offspring.[10]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian ibex, Siberian ibex
|
Capra sibirica Pallas, 1776 Four subspecies
|
Central & North Asia, Afghanistan, West and North China (mainly Xinjiang), NW India, SE Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, North Pakistan, South Russia, Tajikistan, East Uzbekistan.
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Markhor
|
Capra falconeri (Wagner, 1839) Five subspecies
|
South Asia; the Karakoram and Himalaya ranges.
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
NT
|
| Domestic goat
|
Capra hircus Linnaeus, 1758 |
Cosmopolitan distribution; domesticated. | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Wild goat
|
Capra aegagrus Erxleben, 1777 Four subspecies
|
Turkey, the CaucasustoTurkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
NT
|
| East Caucasian tur
|
Capra cylindricornis (Blyth, 1841) |
Greater Caucasus Mountains. | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
NT
|
| West Caucasian tur
|
Capra caucasica Güldenstädt and Pallas, 1783 |
Caucasus Mountains. | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
EN
|
| Alpine ibex
|
Capra ibex Linnaeus, 1758 |
Austria, Bavaria, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenia & Switzerland.
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Iberian ibex
|
Capra pyrenaica (Schinz, 1838) Four subspecies |
Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Pyrenees Mountains, SpaintoPortugal. | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Nubian ibex
|
Capra nubiana F. Cuvier, 1825 |
Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.[11] | Size: Males: 52–74.7 kg (115–165 lb)
Females: 25.3–32.7 kg (56–72 lb) |
VU
|
| Walia ibex
|
Capra walie Rüppell, 1835 |
Ethiopian Highlands & Simien Mountains.
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
VU
|
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.[13] Easy human access to goat hair, meat, and milk were the primary motivations. Goat skins were popularly used until the Middle Ages for water and wine bottles when traveling and camping, and in certain regions as parchment for writing.
