Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
In its native habitat, Hemitragus jemlahicus now survives only as remnant populations due to hunting and habitat loss. In areas where it was introduded, it is doing well, but is often heavily managed.
(Forsyth, Parkes, and Hickling 2000; Tustin 1990)
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: near threatened
Hemitragus jemlahicus has had a significant negative affect on the native flora of New Zealand, which has no native herbivores.
(Forsyth 1998; Forsyth, Parkes, and Hickling 2000; Tustin 1990)
Hemitragus jemlahicus is widely hunted for sport and trophies. It is also hunted for meat.
(Davys, Forsyth, and Hickling 1998; Forsyth 1998)
Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material
Hemitragus jemlahicus has had a significant negative affect on the native flora of New Zealand, which has no native herbivores.
(Forsyth 1998; Forsyth, Parkes, and Hickling 2000; Tustin 1990)
Ecosystem Impact: biodegradation
Hemitragus jemlahicus has had a significant negative effect on the native flora of New Zealand, which has no native herbivores. During the winter it eats less due to poor food quality and high metabolic costs. It eats alpine herbs and subalpine scrubland plants.
(Forsyth 1998; Forsyth, Parkes, and Hickling 2000; Huffman; Tustin 1990)
Plant Foods: leaves
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore )
Hemitragus jemlahicus is native to the southern flanks of the Himalaya Mountains from northern India east to Bhutan, as far north as Tibet. It has been widely introduced elsewhere for hunting. After introduction to New Zealand in 1904 it spread to all the suitable habitat there. There are also introducted populations in New Mexico, California, Ontario, and South Africa.
(Forsyth and Hickling 1998; Kingel; Tustin 1990; Williams 2001)
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Introduced ); palearctic (Native ); oriental (Native ); ethiopian (Introduced ); australian (Introduced )
In the Himalayas, Hemitragus jemlahicus prefers rugged wooded hills and mountains slopes in the subalpine and alpine regions from 3500-4500 meters in elevation. It may also seasonally use mixed oak forests as low as 2500 meters and alpine meadows as high as 5000 meters.
In New Zealand H. jemlahicus lives on grassy mountain slopes, large rock bluff systems, snow tussok basins, and the uppermost subalpine scrubland from 750-2250 meters in elevation. It prefers north and north-east facing slopes, which are sunnier and have less snow accumulation in the winter.
(Klingel; Tustin 1990)
Range elevation: 750 to 5000 m.
Habitat Regions: temperate
Terrestrial Biomes: scrub forest ; mountains
Normal lifespan is 10-14 years, although individuals up to 22 years old have been reported. Females live longer than males. Accidental death due to rock slides or avalanches is not uncommon.
(Huffman; Pare, Barrette, and Prescott 1996; Tustin 1990)
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 22 (high) years.
Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 10 to 14 years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 10 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 21.8 years.
Hemitragus jemlahicus has relatively short legs and a small head. Males are large than females. Males average 73 kg in weight while females average 36 kg. Their hooves are well-adapted for their mountain habitat, with a hard rim of keratin surrounding a soft spongy convex pad. These hooves and strong dewclaws allow them to be excellent climbers.
The adult male in winter has a dark face and muzzle, sides and hindquarters black to red-brown, a reddish rump patch, and a lighter underside. It has a thick ruff or mane around its neck and shoulders and down its front legs. Older males are darker, with a light band along the flanks and a dark mid-dorsal line. The mane may be as long as 250 cm and is slate grey to straw-colored. The adult female in winter is grey to brown with a darker muzzle and legs and a light underside. The summer coat in adults of both sexes is shorter and lighter brown to straw-colored. Young are uniformly brown except for the front of their legs, which are black.
Both sexes have horns which curve up, back, and then in. They are laterally flattened, triangular in cross-section, and have a keel on the front edge. Males have longer horns (up to 450 mm) than females (up to 190 mm).
(Forsyth 1998; Huffman; Tustin 1990)
Range mass: 36 to 90 kg.
Range length: 90 to 140 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
In the Himalayas, Hemitragus jemlahicus is preyed on by the snow leopard, Uncia uncia. In New Zealand and other areas it has been introduced, its only predator is humans.
(Huffman)
Known Predators:
In the Himalayas, the rut runs from mid-October to mid-January. In New Zealand, the rut runs from April to July and peaks in May or early June. The difference in breeding season is due the six-month shift in seasons between the northern and southern hemispheres. Captive animals that are transplated to the opposite hemisphere shift their breeding cycles in two years or less. During the rut, younger males will follow groups of females and attempt, generally unsuccessfully, to mate with any female. Older males will follow and defend individual oestrus females. The mating display consists of a male standing facing a female, at a right angle to her, with his head and muzzle high and his mane erect and hiding his horns. This is followed by a series of head nods and brief copulation. The competitive display involves two males walking stiffly parallel to each other, with their mane and dorsal ridge erect, their heads down, and their horns exposed. The victor will either move to block the path of his opponent or chase him away. Only rarely does the competitive display lead to direct head-to-head wrestling, which in Hemitragus jemlahicus has been described as "half-hearted" relative to other horned or antlered mammals.
(Forsyth 1998, Forsyth and Hickling 1998, Huffman; Pare, Barrette, and Prescott 1996, Tustin 1990)
Mating System: polygynous
Females leave their groups to give birth. The kid is able to nurse within a few minutes and can walk within three hours. Mother and kid return to the group after a few days. Twins are very rare in the wild, but occur more frequently in captivity. In the Himalayas, births occur from mid-April to mid-July. In New Zealand, the median birth date is 30 November. Females are fecund at 2 years. Captive females can concieve at up to 18 years old, although they rarely live that long in the wild. Males are fecund at 2 years, but rarely have successful access to females until 4 years old.
(Forsyth 1998; Haysen, van Tienhoven, and van Tienhoven 1993; Pare, Barrette, and Prescott 1996; Tustin 1990)
Breeding season: births in April-July (spring-summer)
Range number of offspring: 1 to 2.
Average number of offspring: 1.01.
Range gestation period: 6 (low) months.
Average gestation period: 6 months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2 to 6 years.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2 to 6 years.
Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); viviparous
Average birth mass: 2000 g.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Young stay in their mothers group until two years old, when the males disperse to form male-only groups. Females do not disperse.
(Tustin 1990)
Parental Investment: altricial ; female parental care ; post-independence association with parents
