ibex

ibex
/uy"beks/, n., pl. ibexes, ibices /ib"euh seez', uy"beuh-/, (esp. collectively) ibex.
any of several wild goats of the genus Capra, inhabiting mountainous regions of Eurasia and North Africa, having long, recurved horns.
[1600-10; < L]

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Any of several species of surefooted, sturdy wild goats found in the mountains of Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Ibex are typically about 3 ft (90 cm) tall at the shoulder and have brownish gray fur that is darker on the underparts. The male has a beard and large, semicircular horns.

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mammal
      any of several surefooted, sturdy wild goats (goat) of the genus Capra in the family Bovidae (bovid) (order Artiodactyla (artiodactyl)) that are found in the mountains of Europe, Asia, and northeastern Africa.

 The European, or Alpine, ibex (C. ibex ibex) is typical. Adult males weigh around 100 kg (220 pounds), while females are about 50 kg (110 pounds). Males stand about 90 cm (3 feet) at the shoulder (females are about 10 cm [4 inches] shorter) and have brownish to gray fur, which is darker on the underparts. The male has a beard and large, semicircular horns with broad, transversely ridged front surfaces. The European ibex lives at altitudes close to the snowline and moves to lower altitudes in winter. It lives in exclusively male or female herds, but very old males are often solitary. Formerly common throughout the western and central Alps, C. ibex ibex is now greatly reduced in numbers. It is protected locally in the Italian Alps and has been reintroduced to France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia.

 Among the species closely related to the European ibex are the Siberian, or Asiatic, ibex (C. sibirica), which is larger and has a longer beard and horns, and the Nubian ibex (C. nubiana), which is smaller and has long, slender horns. Other ibexes include the Spanish ibex (C. pyrenaica) and the walia, or Abyssinian ibex (C. walie), which has been reduced to a single population of about 400 individuals in Ethiopia and whose numbers are still declining. Two subspecies of Spanish ibex are now extinct (C. p. pyrenaica, which lived in the Pyrenees, and C. p. lusitanica, which was found in Portugal) and one is vulnerable (C. p. victoriae, which lives in the Sierra de Gredos), but one is fairly abundant, with a population of about 9,000 head (C. p. hispanica). (For the Nilgiri ibex [Hemitragus hylocrius], see tahr.)

      The rut falls in early winter, and, after about 51/2 months, one kid is produced. The ibex can crossbreed with domestic goats and with wild goats (C. aegagrus). It has very good climbing skills but avoids deep snow. It can climb trees to browse foliage if the lower branches are sturdy enough to carry its weight.

Sandro Lovari
 

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Universalium. 2010.

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Synonyms:
(Capra ibex)


Look at other dictionaries:

  • IBEX 35 — Stammdaten Staat Spanien Börse Bolsa de Madrid ISIN ES0SI0000005 WKN 969223 Symbol I35 RIC ^I …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • IBEX — (Heb. יָעֵל, ya el; AV, JPS wild goat ), the wild goat Capra ibex nubiana, a wild animal permitted for food. Only the ibex and the gazelle have survived from over ten species of cloven hoofed ruminants which inhabited Ereẓ Israel in former times …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • ibex — ⇒IBEX, subst. masc. ZOOL. Synon. sc. de bouquetin. Ibex des Alpes, ibex espagnol. Timopht s élança avec la rapidité de l ibex pour exécuter les ordres du pharaon (GAUTIER, Rom. momie, 1858, p. 282). Prononc. : [ ]. Étymol. et Hist. 1561 (A.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Ibex — puede referirse a: IBEX 35, índice bursátil español. Capra ibex, nombre científico del íbice o cabra salvaje de los Alpes. Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX), sonda espacial de la NASA. Intrepid Ibex, el nombre clave de la versión 8.10 de… …   Wikipedia Español

  • IBEX 35 — Дата начала расчёта 14 января 1992 года …   Википедия

  • ibex — ÍBEX, ibecşi, s.m. Varietate de capră sălbatică cu coarne mari şi curbate (Capra ibex). – Din lat. [Capra] ibex, numele ştiinţific al animalului. Trimis de gall, 13.09.2007. Sursa: DEX 98  ibex s. m., pl. ibecşi Trimis de siveco, 10.08.2004.… …   Dicționar Român

  • IBEX-35 — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Ibex. L Ibex 35 est le principal indice boursier de la Bourse de Madrid élaboré par Bolsas y Mercados Españoles. Il est composé de 35 entreprises dont le poids est pondéré par leur capitalisation boursière.… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ibex — I bex ([imac] b[e^]ks), n.; pl. E. {Ibexes} ([imac] b[e^]ks*[e^]z), L. {Ibices} ([imac]b [i^]*s[=e]z). [L., a kind of goat, the chamois.] (Zo[ o]l.) One of several species of wild goats having very large, recurved horns, transversely ridged in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • IBEX — steht für: IBEX 35, spanischer Aktienindex Interstellar Boundary Explorer, Forschungssatellit Ibex steht für: Capra ibex, der Alpensteinbock oder Gemeine Steinbock eine Rockband, bei der 1969 Freddie Mercury gesungen hat …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ibex — (Steinbock), Untergattung der Gattung Ziege, ausgezeichnet durch knotige Hörner. Dahin gehört der Gemeine Steinbock (Capra Ibex) u. der Kaukasische Steinbock (I. caueasica) …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • ibex — (n.) c.1600, from L. ibex wild goat of the Alps and Apennines, from a pre Latin Alpine language. The German steinbock …   Etymology dictionary

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