The horned goat [1] [2] , or Markhor [1] [2] ( Latin Capra falconeri ) is a hoofed mammal from the genus of mountain goats of the bovid family ( Bovidae ). The specific Latin name is given in honor of the Scottish botanist Hugh Falconer (1808–1865) [3] . The name "Markhur" comes from the Persian words Mar - "snake" and khur - "eating" and is associated with the beliefs of the people of Afghanistan and Tajikistan that the horned goat purposely searches for snakes and eats them. In addition, they believed that the meat of this animal is able to neutralize the action of snake venom, and bezoar , sometimes found in the stomachs of goats, can pull the poison out of the bite site [4] .
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Content
Description
The name of this species comes from the shape of the horns , twisting like a corkscrew or screw . The males on the neck and chest suspension of the elongated dark hair. The coat color is usually reddish-gray, in old males it is dirty-white. Body length up to 1.7 m, height at withers 90 cm, weighs up to 90 kg, less often more.
In males, horns reach 1.5 m and more, in females, small horns are 20–30 cm in length.
Area
It is distributed in the Western Himalayas , Kashmir , Little Tibet and Afghanistan , as well as in the mountains along the Pyanj River , the Kugitangtau , Babatag ridges and Darvaz in Tajikistan. It forms several subspecies differing in the shape of horns. The horned goat inhabits the steep slopes of ravines, cliffs and precipices at an altitude of 500 to 3,500 meters, feeding on grass and leaves. It is the ancestor of some breeds of domestic goats.
The horned goat is one of the symbols of Pakistan , where it is known as Markhoor (“serpent”).
Subspecies
Currently, there are 3 subspecies of the horned goat [5] [6] [7] :
- Capra falconeri falconeri - Articulated Markhor [5] , nominative subspecies, includes 2 forms: proper falconeri - Astoric Markhor [5] , northern Pakistan, and cashmirensis - Kashmir Markhor [5] , northeastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan and adjacent regions of northern India [5] ;
- Capra falconeri heptneri - Tajik Markhor [5] , or Bukhara Markhor [5] , extreme east of Turkmenistan and south-east of Uzbekistan , the area between the Pyanj and Vakhsh rivers in south-western Tajikistan and adjacent areas of northeast Afghanistan [5] ; includes the form ognevi - Turkmen Markhur [5] , which lives on the Kugitangtau ridge [1] ;
- Capra falconeri megaceros - The unbroken Markhur [5] , includes 2 forms: actually megaceros - Kabul Markhur [5] , eastern Afghanistan ( Kabul and Kapisa provinces ), central-western Pakistan [5] , and jerdoni - Suleiman Markhur [5] , Suleymanovs mountains and surrounding areas in central western Pakistan [5] .
Guard
Some forms of the horned goat are endangered and are listed in regional red books. It is protected on the territory of several reserves and national parks, including in the Kazinag National Park [8] .
Photo
Markhur in the Moscow Zoo
Horned goat. Coin of the Bank of Russia - Series: “The Red Book”, silver, 1 ruble, 1993
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 USSR Red Book : Rare and endangered species of animals and plants. Volume 1 / Home ed. Collegium: A. M. Borodin, A. G. Bannikov , V. E. Sokolov, and others. - 2nd ed. - M .: Forest industry, 1984. - p. 78-79. - 392 s.
- ↑ 1 2 Bannikov A. G. , Flint V. E. Detachment Artiodactyla (Artiodactyla) // Animal Life. Volume 7. Mammals / ed. V.E. Sokolova . - 2nd ed. - M .: Enlightenment, 1989. - p. 503-504. - 558 s. - ISBN 5-09-001434-5
- ↑ Bo Beolens, Michael Watkins, and Mike Grayson. The eponym dictionary of mammals. - Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009. - P. 131. - 574 p. - ISBN 978-0-8018-9304-9 .
- ↑ Fisher D., Simon N., Vincent D. The Red Book. Wildlife in danger / lane. from English, ed. A. G. Bannikova . - M .: Progress, 1976. - p. 221. - 478 p.
- 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Castello JR (2016) Bovids of the World: Antelopes, Gazelles, Cattle, Goats, Sheep, and Relatives . - Princeton University Press. - Pp. 320–325. - 664 p. - ISBN 978-0-691-16717-6
- ↑ Michel S., Rosen Michel T. 2015. Capra falconeri . (errata version published in 2016) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.
- ↑ Capra falconeri in Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (editors). 2005. Mammal Species of the World . A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.), Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.) ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0 . [one]
- ↑ Kazinag National Park - Jammu & Kashmir Wildlife Protection Department .
Literature
- Tsalkin V.I. A horned goat in the USSR. - “Uch. zap Moscow State University, 1945, c. 83
- Mammals of the Soviet Union / ed. W. G. Heptner and N. P. Naumov, vol. 1. - M., 1961.