Iberian ibex

Appearance

''C. pyrenaica'' are strong mountainous animals characterized by their large and flexible hooves and short legs. These physical adaptations allow them to be able to run and leap on bare, rocky, rough, and steep slopes. This gives them an advantage over potential predators that possibly cannot reach them because of the terrain. The Iberian ibex also shows remarkable sexual dimorphism, with males being greater in size and weight and also having larger horns than the females. The horns of the ibexes are different among wild caprids as they curve out and up and then back, inward, and, depending on subspecies, either up again or down. The annual horn growth is influenced principally by age but can also be contributed by environmental factors and the growth made in the previous year. Even though the female ibexes are smaller, they have a faster ossification process and typically finish full bone development nearly two years before males.

Naming

* Western Spanish ibex or Gredos Ibex – ''Capra pyrenaica victoriae'' Cabrera, 1911
⤷  Southeastern Spanish ibex or Beceite Ibex – ''Capra pyrenaica hispanica'' Schimper, 1848
⤷  Portuguese ibex – ''Capra pyrenaica lusitanica'' Schlegel, 1872
⤷  Pyrenean ibex – ''Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica'' Schinz, 1838

Habitat

The Iberian ibex ''Capra pyrenaica'' populates the Iberian Peninsula and consisted originally of four subspecies. However with recent extinctions occurring within the last century, only two of the subspecies still exist. These two subspecies of ibexes, ''C. p. hispanica'' and ''C. p. victoriae'', can be found along the Spanish Iberian Peninsula and have even migrated and settled into the coast of Portugal.

Food

The Iberian ibex is generally a mixed feeder between a browser and a grazer, depending on the plant availability in their home range. Thus, the percentage of each type of resource that is consumed will vary altitudinally, geographically, and seasonally. The ibex also has a special mechanism in the kidney that stores fat in order to be used as energy during the cold winter times. The highest body storage of kidney fat can be found during the productive warm seasons and the lowest during the cold period. The body storage is characterized by limited the food resources. Foraging in ibexes is also different depending on the season. When food resources are low during the winter, ibexes would reduce their rates of movement when foraging. However during the spring season, when food is more available, they would increase their rate of movement and become more mobile in finding food. This would be the ideal trend of movement since the spring season is more abundant in food resources meaning that there is more competition for food resources forcing some to trek farther in order to obtain food.