Alpine Ibex

• Context (HT): Warmer temperatures caused by climate change are changing the lifestyles of mountain goats in the European Alps.
• The Alpine ibex, also known as the steinbock, is a species of goat that lives in the Alps of Europe.
• They are astonishing rock climbers.

Physical Characteristics

• The Alpine ibex has big horns, curved backward.
• The horns of females are a little shorter, subtler, and more curved, serving as a means of self-defense against predators.
• The coat of these animals is short and smooth, having different colors, depending on the season: in winter they are covered with a reddish-brown coat while in summer their coats become brownish-grey.

Diet

• Alpine ibex are herbivores (graminivores, folivores). They feed mainly on grasses, flowers, bushes, springs, and other plants.

Distribution

• Restricted once to the Gran Paradiso national park in northern Italy, in recent years it has recolonised most of the European Alps, and is found in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, & Slovenia.

Conservation Status

• IUCN Status: Least Concern