Himalayan Tahr

About this species

Weight

Males about 73kg; females about 36kg

Diet

A wide variety of plants; grasses make up as much as 75%

Habitat

Slopes at about 2,500–5,000m

Range

Himalaya in southern Tibet, northern India, western Bhutan and Nepal

The Himalayan tahr is a large even-toed ungulate with a small head, small pointed ears, large eyes and thick reddish wool coats over dense undercoats, thinning and lightening at the end of winter. Males and females differ, the females being smaller with smaller horns; the backward-curved horns reach at most 46 cm. Males average about 73 kg and females about 36 kg. Coat colour affects rank, with lighter-coated males mating more often (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is native to the Himalaya in southern Tibet, northern India, western Bhutan and Nepal, mainly on slopes at 2,500–5,000 m. It eats a wide variety of plants, up to 75% grasses. The young are precocious and can stand soon after birth, and head-butting is a common mating ritual among males, which lose much of their fat reserves during the mating season. Snow leopards prey on tahr. Typical lifespan is 14–15 years (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)