Everything about Caprinae totally explained
The term
goat antelope usually means any of the
species of mostly medium-sized
bovids that make up the subfamily
Caprinae (as treated here). The domestic
sheep and domestic
goat are both part of the goat antelope group, and the group itself is part of the
family Bovidae, which in other branches contains the
antelopes and domestic
cattle. "Goat antelope" also sometimes refers to the
Tibetan antelope.
Characteristics
Although most goat antelopes are gregarious and have a fairly stocky build, they diverge in many other ways. For example the
Musk Ox (
Ovibos moschatus), is adapted to the extreme cold of the
tundra; the
Rocky Mountain goat (
Oreamnos americanus), of
North America is specialised for very rugged terrain; the
Urial (
Ovis orientalis) occupies a largely infertile area from
Kashmir to
Iran, including much desert country. The
European mouflon (
Ovis musimon) is thought to be the ancestor of the modern
domestic sheep (
Ovis aries).
Many species became extinct since the last
ice age, probably largely because of human interaction. Of the survivors:
- five are classified as endangered,
- eight as vulnerable,
- seven as of concern and needing conservation measures, but at lower risk, and
- seven species are secure.
Members of the group vary considerably in size, from just over a metre long for a full-grown
grey goral (
Nemorhaedus goral), to almost 2.5 metres long for a musk ox, and from under 30 kg to more than 350 kg. Musk oxen in captivity have reached over 650 kg.
In lifestyle, the caprids fall into two broad classes,
resource-defenders which are territorial and defend a small, food-rich area against other members of the same species, and
grazers, which gather together into herds and roam freely over a larger, usually relatively infertile area.
The resource-defenders are the more primitive group: they tend to be smaller in size, dark in colour, males and females fairly alike, have long, tassellated ears, a long mane, and dagger-shaped horns. The grazers evolved more recently. They tend to be larger, highly social, and rather than mark territory with scent glands, they've highly evolved dominance behaviours. There is no sharp dividing line between the groups, but a continuum between the serows at one end of the spectrum and sheep, true goats, and musk oxen at the other.
Evolution
The goat antelope or
caprid group is known from as early as the
Miocene, when members of the group resembled the modern
serow in their general body form. The group didn't reach its greatest diversity until the recent
ice ages, when many of its members became specialised for marginal, often extreme, environments: mountains, deserts, and the
Subarctic region.
The ancestors of the modern sheep and goats (both rather vague and ill-defined terms) are thought to have moved into mountainous regions – sheep becoming specialised occupants of the foothills and nearby plains, and relying on flight and
flocking for defence against predators, and goats adapting to very steep terrain where predators are at a disadvantage.
Classification
FAMILY BOVIDAE
Subfamily Caprinae
Further Information
Get more info on 'Caprinae'.
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