Red Goral

About this species

Size

Body length up to 100cm; horns 7.5–16cm

Habitat

Seasonal mountain areas at about 1,000–2,000m

Range

Where the borders of India, Myanmar and Tibet meet

The red goral is a bright, foxy-red goat-antelope with long, soft, shaggy hair, a thin dark stripe from head to tail tip, red legs and lighter buff underparts. Its body length can reach 100 cm, and horns of 7.5–16 cm are typical of both sexes, longer and thicker in males. It can clear obstacles over 1.8 m from a standing start. It was first reported in 1863 but was not recognised as a species until 1961 (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is endemic to the region where the borders of India, Myanmar and China meet, with numbers in India and Myanmar unknown but unlikely to be high given the restricted range. Its habitat is seasonal mountain country at about 1,000–2,000 m, and it migrates vertically, staying high in summer and moving lower in winter. Males are territorial in the breeding season, which runs from September to November, and call with a zer-zer sound. It is threatened by habitat loss and hunting (Wikipedia, general species account).

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