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Home > Coniferous Forest Animals > Himalayan Tahr

Himalayan Tahr

Essentially a wild goat, the Himalayan tahr is an ungulate found throughout the Himalayas and in places where it has been introduced. They are highly adapted to survive in the cold climates they inhabit.

Himalayan Tahr Images

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Artiodactyla
Family Bovidae
Subfamily Caprinae
Genus Hemitragus
Scientific Name Hemitragus jemlahicus

Himalayan Tahr Pictures

Himalayan Tahr Goat

Quick Information

Also Known As Meshi, kaarth, taheer
Description

Size: 3-4.5 ft (90-140 cm)

Weight: Males – 161 lb (73 kg); Females – 79 lb (36 kg)

Horn Length: Maximum of 18 in (46 cm)

Color: Reddish, thick, wooly coats which become thinner and lighter as the winter comes to an end

Distribution Southern ranges of the Himalayas, from Northern India to Bhutan in the east and Tibet in the North, introduced populations live in New Zealand, Ontario, California, New Mexico, Argentina and South Africa
Habitat Jagged and wooded mountains and hills in alpine and sub-alpine regions at elevations of 11,500-14,760 ft; it also sometimes prefers mixed oak forests at 8,200 ft and alpine meadows at 16,400 ft
Communication They communicate through audiovisual, tactile and chemical means
Lifespan 10-14 years; some have lived up to 22 years
Diet Being grazers they primary feed on herbs and grass, but also eat leaves of shrubs during snow-covered winters
Adaptations
  • The shedding of the excess wooly coat during non-winter months is to adjust to the weather of that period
  • They have the ability to move on rough and smooth surfaces with ease because their hooves have a rubbery core which helps on smooth surfaces and keratin at the edges of the hooves aid them in traversing rough terrain
  • Dewclaws on the hooves make them efficient climbers
Predators Snow leopards
IUCN Conservation Status Near Threatened

Behavior

  • They are at their most active 3 hours after and before dawn and dusk respectively. The remainder of the day it spends at rest.
  • They are social animals and live in herds sometimes numbering up to 80 individuals, but usually with 23 members. Male herds are separate from those of females, and older males form separate groups than younger ones.

Himalayan Tahr Baby

Himalayan Tahr Babies

Mating & Reproduction

The breeding season for Himalayan tahrs start in mid-October and last till mid-January. During this period all herds come together with younger males trying to mate with any female they see. Older males walk behind and defend females in heat. Competition between two males involves them walking next to each other with their heads down and horns on display, and one has to chase  the other away or block his path in order to be victorious. Head butting is rare, and often half-hearted. Mating occurs between the victor and the female, and after a gestation period of 6-7 months, a single offspring is born.

Life-cycle

The calf feeds on its mother’s milk for the first six months of its life, and stays with her for 2 years. Both sexes become sexually mature at 2 years, but males rarely get access to females before they are at least 4 years of age.

Himalayan Tahr Photos

Himalayan Tahr

Interesting Fact

  • Himalayan tahrs are considered an invasive species in many of its introduced regions.

References:

  1. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/9919/22152905
  2. https://blueplanetbiomes.org/himalayan_tahr.php
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayan_tahr#Introduction_as_an_invasive_species
  4. http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Hemitragus_jemlahicus/
  5. https://animalia.bio/himalayan-tahr

Published on April 21st 2017 by Sudipto Chakrabarti under Coniferous Forest Animals.
Article was last reviewed on 5th December 2022.

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