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All members of the genus ''Capra'' are [[bovid]]s (members of the family Bovidae), and more specifically caprines (subfamily [[Caprinae]]). As such they are [[ruminant]]s, meaning they chew the cud, and have four-chambered stomachs which play a vital role in digesting, regurgitating, and redigesting their food.
All members of the genus ''Capra'' are [[bovid]]s (members of the family Bovidae), and more specifically caprines (subfamily [[Caprinae]]). As such they are [[ruminant]]s, 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]]),<ref>Ansell, W. F. H. 1972. Order Artiodactyla. Part 15. Pp. 1–84, in ''The mammals of Africa: An identification manual'' (J. Meester and H. W. Setzer, eds.) [issued 2 May 1972]. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., not continuously paginated. (quoted in {{MSW3 Grubb|id=14200767}})</ref> 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.<ref>Haltenorth, T. 1963. Klassifikation der Säugetiere: Artiodactyla I. ''Handbuch der Zoologie'', '''8'''(32):1–167 (quoted in {{MSW3 Grubb|id=14200767}})</ref> Today, nine species are usually accepted:<ref>Nathalie Pidancier, Steve Jordan, Gordon Luikart, Pierre Taberlet: Evolutionary history of the genus Capra (Mammalia, Artiodactyla): Discordance between mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40 (2006) 739–749 [https://archive.today/20120910034526/http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WNH-4JRVR4H-1&_user=616145&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1100793634&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000032322&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=616145&md5=a6c6a435a624197535cfa3a64ca20906 online]</ref>
The genus has sometimes been taken to include ''[[Ovis]]'' (sheep) and ''Ammotragus'' ([[Barbary sheep]]),<ref>Ansell, W. F. H. 1972. Order Artiodactyla. Part 15. Pp. 1–84, in ''The mammals of Africa: An identification manual'' (J. Meester and H. W. Setzer, eds.) [issued 2 May 1972]. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., not continuously paginated. (quoted in {{MSW3 Grubb|id=14200767}})</ref> 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.<ref>Haltenorth, T. 1963. Klassifikation der Säugetiere: Artiodactyla I. ''Handbuch der Zoologie'', '''8'''(32):1–167 (quoted in {{MSW3 Grubb|id=14200767}})</ref> Today, nine wild species are usually accepted to which is added the domestic goat:<ref>Nathalie Pidancier, Steve Jordan, Gordon Luikart, Pierre Taberlet: Evolutionary history of the genus Capra (Mammalia, Artiodactyla): Discordance between mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40 (2006) 739–749 [https://archive.today/20120910034526/http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WNH-4JRVR4H-1&_user=616145&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1100793634&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000032322&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=616145&md5=a6c6a435a624197535cfa3a64ca20906 online]</ref>
* [[Wild goat|West Asian ibex]] (''Capra aegagrus'')
* [[Wild goat|West Asian ibex]] also known as the wild goat (''Capra aegagrus'')
** [[Bezoar ibex]] (''Capra aegagrus aegagrus'')
** [[Bezoar ibex]] (''Capra aegagrus aegagrus'')
**[[Sindh ibex]] (''Capra aegagrus blythi'')
**[[Sindh ibex]] (''Capra aegagrus blythi'')
*[[Domestic goat]] (''Capra hircus''; includes [[feral goat]]; sometimes considered a subspecies of ''C. aegagrus'')
*[[Siberian ibex|Asian ibex]] also known as the Siberian ibex (''Capra sibirica'')<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sarasa |first=M. |date=2023 |title=Common names of the Asiatic ibex superspecies at a turning point in its taxonomy and management |url=https://doi.org/10.32800/abc.2023.46.0079 |journal=Animal Biodiversity and Conservation |language=en |pages=79–86 |doi=10.32800/abc.2023.46.0079 |issn=2014-928X}}</ref>
*[[Markhor]] (''Capra falconeri'')
*[[West Caucasian tur]] (''Capra caucasica'')
*[[West Caucasian tur]] (''Capra caucasica'')
* [[East Caucasian tur]] (''Capra cylindricornis'')
* [[East Caucasian tur]] (''Capra cylindricornis'')
* [[Markhor]] (''Capra falconeri'')
*[[Domestic goat]] (''Capra hircus''; includes [[feral goat]], sometimes considered a subspecies of ''C. aegagrus'')
* [[Alpine ibex]] (''Capra ibex'')
* [[Alpine ibex]] (''Capra ibex'')
* [[Iberian ibex]] also known as the Spanish ibex (''Capra pyrenaica'')<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sarasa |first=Mathieu |last2=Alasaad |first2=Samer |last3=Pérez |first3=Jesús M. |date=2012 |title=Common names of species, the curious case of Capra pyrenaica and the concomitant steps towards the ‘wild-to-domestic’ transformation of a flagship species and its vernacular names |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-011-0172-3 |journal=Biodiversity and Conservation |language=en |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=1–12 |doi=10.1007/s10531-011-0172-3 |issn=1572-9710}}</ref>
* [[Nubian ibex]] (''Capra nubiana'')
* [[Nubian ibex]] (''Capra nubiana'')
* [[Spanish ibex]] (''Capra pyrenaica'')
* [[Siberian ibex]] (''Capra sibirica'')
* [[Walia ibex]] (''Capra walie'')
* [[Walia ibex]] (''Capra walie'')


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 Siberian 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 Spanish 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.<ref>''Phylogenetic Reconstructions in the Genus Capra (Bovidae, Artiodactyla) Based on the Mitochondrial DNA Analysis''. Russian Journal of Genetics, 2007, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 181–189. [https://doi.org/10.1134%2FS1022795407020135 online]</ref>
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.<ref>''Phylogenetic Reconstructions in the Genus Capra (Bovidae, Artiodactyla) Based on the Mitochondrial DNA Analysis''. Russian Journal of Genetics, 2007, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 181–189. [https://doi.org/10.1134%2FS1022795407020135 online]</ref>


Almost all wild goat species are [[allopatric]] (geographically separated)—the only geographical overlaps are the wild goat (''Capra hircus'') with the East Caucasian tur (''Capra caucasica cylindricornis''), and the markhor (''Capra falconeri'') with the Siberian ibex (''Capra siberica''). In both cases, the overlapping species do not usually interbreed in the wild, but in captivity, all ''Capra'' species can interbreed, producing fertile offspring.<ref>V. G. Heptner: ''Mammals of the Sowjetunion Vol. I UNGULATES''. Leiden, New York, 1989 {{ISBN|90-04-08874-1}}</ref>
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.<ref>V. G. Heptner: ''Mammals of the Sowjetunion Vol. I UNGULATES''. Leiden, New York, 1989 {{ISBN|90-04-08874-1}}</ref>


==Species and subspecies==
==Species and subspecies==
Line 59: Line 59:
| [[File:Gorges du Verdon Goat-Rove-black 0253.jpg|120px]] || ''Capra hircus'' || [[Domesticated goat]] ||Domesticated
| [[File:Gorges du Verdon Goat-Rove-black 0253.jpg|120px]] || ''Capra hircus'' || [[Domesticated goat]] ||Domesticated
|-
|-
| [[File:Steinbock-P1150170.jpg|120px]]|| ''Capra sibirica'' || [[Siberian ibex]] || central and northern Asia, Afghanistan, western and northern China (Primarily Xinjiang), north-western India, south-eastern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, eastern Uzbekistan, Mongolia, northern Pakistan, and south-central Russia.
| [[File:Steinbock-P1150170.jpg|120px]]|| ''Capra sibirica'' || [[Siberian ibex|Asian ibex]] || central and northern Asia, Afghanistan, western and northern China (Primarily Xinjiang), north-western India, south-eastern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, eastern Uzbekistan, Mongolia, northern Pakistan, and south-central Russia.
|-
|-
| [[File:Cabra montés 2.jpg|120px]] || ''Capra pyrenaica'' || [[Spanish ibex]] || Iberian Peninsula
| [[File:Cabra montés 2.jpg|120px]] || ''Capra pyrenaica'' || [[Iberian ibex]]|| Iberian Peninsula
|-
|-
| [[File:Walia ibex 2.jpg|120px]] || ''Capra walie'' || [[Walia ibex]] ||Ethiopia
| [[File:Walia ibex 2.jpg|120px]] || ''Capra walie'' || [[Walia ibex]] ||Ethiopia

Revision as of 08:33, 24 March 2023

Capra
Temporal range: 2.58–0 Ma
Early Pleistocene-Present
Capra, St. Leonhard in Passeier, Italy
Scientific classification Edit this classification
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

See text.

Approximate range of the Capra species

Capra is a genus of mammals, the goats, composed of up to nine species, including the markhor and many species known as ibexes. The domestic goat (Capra hircus) is a domesticated species derived from the wild goat (Capra aegagrus). Evidence of goat domestication dates back more than 8,500 years.

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.[1]

The Rocky Mountain goat is in a separate genus, Oreamnos. Present-day genetic and phenotypic differences between the Capra species are largely related to (1) discontinuity of and impeded migration between Capra populations during glacial periods, and (2) insufficient time in the postglacial period for now-adjoining Capra populations to overcome behavioral mechanisms impeding hybridization in the wild so as to erase these differences.[2]

Taxonomy

Male Nubian ibex
Caprine heart.

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.[8]

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.[9]

Species and subspecies

Image Scientific name Common Name Distribution
Capra caucasica West Caucasian tur Caucasus Mountains range.
Capra cylindricornis East Caucasian tur Greater Caucasus Mountains
Capra falconeri Markhor Central Asia, Karakoram and the Himalayas
Capra aegagrus Wild goat Turkey and the Caucasus in the west to Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan
Capra hircus Domesticated goat Domesticated
Capra sibirica Asian ibex central and northern Asia, Afghanistan, western and northern China (Primarily Xinjiang), north-western India, south-eastern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, eastern Uzbekistan, Mongolia, northern Pakistan, and south-central Russia.
Capra pyrenaica Iberian ibex Iberian Peninsula
Capra walie Walia ibex Ethiopia
Capra ibex Alpine ibex France, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Bavaria, Austria and Slovenia
Capra nubiana Nubian ibex Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen

Domestication and uses

Goats used for natural weed control
Ibex securely climbing rocky slope

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.[10] 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.


References

  1. ^ Parrini, F.; et al. (2009). "Capra ibex (Artiodactyla: Bovidae)". Mammalian Species. 830: 1–12. doi:10.1644/830.1.
  2. ^ Gavashelishvili, A.; Yarovenko, Y. A.; Babayev, E. A.; Mikeladze, G.; Gurielidze, Z.; Dekanoidze, D.; Kerdikoshvili, N.; Ninua, L.; Paposhvili, N. (2018). "Modeling the distribution and abundance of eastern tur (Capra cylindricornis) in the Caucasus". Journal of Mammalogy. 99 (4): 885–897. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyy056.
  3. ^ Ansell, W. F. H. 1972. Order Artiodactyla. Part 15. Pp. 1–84, in The mammals of Africa: An identification manual (J. Meester and H. W. Setzer, eds.) [issued 2 May 1972]. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., not continuously paginated. (quoted in Grubb, P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4. OCLC 62265494.)
  4. ^ Haltenorth, T. 1963. Klassifikation der Säugetiere: Artiodactyla I. Handbuch der Zoologie, 8(32):1–167 (quoted in Grubb, P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4. OCLC 62265494.)
  5. ^ Nathalie Pidancier, Steve Jordan, Gordon Luikart, Pierre Taberlet: Evolutionary history of the genus Capra (Mammalia, Artiodactyla): Discordance between mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40 (2006) 739–749 online
  6. ^ Sarasa, M. (2023). "Common names of the Asiatic ibex superspecies at a turning point in its taxonomy and management". Animal Biodiversity and Conservation: 79–86. doi:10.32800/abc.2023.46.0079. ISSN 2014-928X.
  7. ^ Sarasa, Mathieu; Alasaad, Samer; Pérez, Jesús M. (2012). "Common names of species, the curious case of Capra pyrenaica and the concomitant steps towards the 'wild-to-domestic' transformation of a flagship species and its vernacular names". Biodiversity and Conservation. 21 (1): 1–12. doi:10.1007/s10531-011-0172-3. ISSN 1572-9710.
  8. ^ Phylogenetic Reconstructions in the Genus Capra (Bovidae, Artiodactyla) Based on the Mitochondrial DNA Analysis. Russian Journal of Genetics, 2007, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 181–189. online
  9. ^ V. G. Heptner: Mammals of the Sowjetunion Vol. I UNGULATES. Leiden, New York, 1989 ISBN 90-04-08874-1
  10. ^ Melinda A. Zeder, Brian Hesse: The Initial Domestication of Goats (Capra hircus) in the Zagros Mountains 10,000 Years Ago. Science 24 March 2000: Vol. 287. no. 5461, pp. 2254–2257 online abstract