Wild Goat, Capra aegagrus, at Shuwaymis. Note the raised surfaces down the neck and on the body. These coincide with the dark patches on the wild goat, lacking in the ibex. Photo by Sandra L. Olsen.

Size: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Weight: 60-136 kg (130-300 lbs)

Description

The wild goat has long, scimitar-shaped horns that form a large semi-circle curving backward or spiral. The surface of the horns is relatively smooth or has small ripples, in contrast to the transverse ridges found on the ibex’s horns. It has a short tail and both the male and female have a beard. Males tend to have a more distinct coat pattern, with dark dorsal, shoulder and flank stripes. Both sexes also have dark markings on a white background on their feet.

Capra aegagrus has been identified as the ancestor of the domestic goat, Capra aegagrus hircus.

Habitat

They prefer to live in the mountains most of the time, but can descend to sea level.

Distribution

This species is geographically widespread, ranging from Europe to Asia Minor, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Harrison (1968) only shows two dots on his map for this species on the Arabian Peninsula, one in the far north, and one in Oman, but in ancient times, their geographic range may have been much greater.