Where does the Alpine ibex live?
The Alpine ibex is a wild goat that lives in the Alps. It lives mostly in steep, rough terrain and open alpine meadows, at elevations as high as 3,300 m. Its sharp hooves let it scale steep slopes and cliffs. The last natural populations existed in Italy and France, but it is now also found in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
What does the Alpine ibex eat?
The Alpine ibex feeds primarily on grass and is active throughout the year. It is a social animal, but adult males and females live apart for most of the year, coming together only to mate. During the breeding season, males use their long horns to fight for access to females. Males are much larger than females, with much longer horns. Its coat is brownish-grey.
Is the Alpine ibex endangered?
No: the IUCN has listed it as Least Concern since 2020. In the 19th century, human hunters wiped it out from most of its range and drove it near to extinction, down to fewer than 100 individuals, all in Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy. Thanks to reintroduction programmes, the species is now out of danger, despite very low genetic diversity.
