Endangered Animals Of Asia
The Markhor
Description
- Mammal with grizzled light brown to black fur
- Lives in groups of nine
- Every year, a rut happens where males use corkskrew-like horns to decide who is the strongest for the female
- Active early morning and late afternoon
- Found in mountains at elevations as high as 3,600 meters
(ARKive)
Food Chain
- Herbivores who eat grass, leaves on pine trees, twigs, shrubs, and junipers
- Find food on mountainous terrain or scrub forests made of oaks, pines, and junipers
- Predators are the wolf, snow leopard, and lynx
(ARKive/IUCN Red List)
Habitat
- Located in the edges of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan
- Like to live on mountains and scrub forests
- Climate alternates seasonally from sunny to cold
- Usually live anywhere near the top of mountains.
(ARKive)
Predators
Two wolves hunt for markhor. (Photo from Flickr)
Habitat
Markhors live on rocky, jagged mountains. (Photo from Flickr)
Traits
The male markhors have long corkscrew-like horns for protection. (Photo from Flickr)
Adaptation
- Male markhors have long corkskrew-like horns for protection
- Every markhor has warning sound similar to the bleating of a goat
- Markhors are extremely adapted to mountains with steep slopes or rocky sides.
- Live in groups and have powerful legs to reach leaves on trees or jumps on the tree
(ARKive)
Critical Info
- Markhors are hunted for their meat, fur, and horns
- These mammals listed in Appendix I of CITES
- Jammu and Kashmir's Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1978 Afghanistan's Protected Species List of 2009 have been enforced to protect markhors in Afghanistan and India
- In Pakistan, markhors protected by the federal law.
(IUCN Red List)
Joseph's Link
Photo Credits
photo credit: Traits
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ekilby/4144850557/">Eric Kilby</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">cc</a>
photo credit: Predators
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ucumari/2446548561/">ucumari</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>
photo credit: Habitat
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bouldair/5367432821/">Andrew-Hyde</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>