Animal of the Week

By Abigail Holtz

The Markhor goat is believed to be the parents of modern-day goats. They have tall horns spiraling to look like a corkscrew, can grow to six feet tall, can weigh up to 240 pounds, and have a beard that goes from their jaw to their underbelly. Their name means "snake-eater" or "snake-killer." The name came from folklore saying that these goats would kill the snakes with their horns and eat them. The people who believe this would collect the grass that the Markhor would spit out to treat poisonous snake bites. According to One Earth, "Zoologists now either think the legend comes from the Markhor's ability to step on snakes and kill them with their powerful hooves or that their horns resemble the coiling of snakes."

One Earth says, "The Markhor lives from northern India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Turkestan which is in the Himalayan mountains. They live anywhere from 2,000 to 11,800 feet in elevation. They typically live in scrub forests where they feed by grazing and reaching high branches standing on their hind legs. It is a known fact that the males use their corkscrew horns to battle one another for mating rights. Lunging at full force, they will lock horns until one can render the other off balance.

"Gestation lasts four to five months and results in the birth of one or two kids, though sometimes three. Females use their horns to protect their young from predators. Golden eagles have been reported to prey upon young Markhor, and mothers have been seen attempting to spear the winged predators.

" Nine is the average number of Markhor living in a flock, composed of females and young. However, numbers can range to as large as 30-100 during mating season. Males are primarily solitary as they live on the open grassy patches and clear slopes in the forests, while females and young tend to climb to the high rocky ridges above.

"Poaching for their unique horns and hunting for the wildlife meat trade are mostly to blame for the decreasing population of Markhors. Currently listed as critically endangered, the Pakistan government has made it the national animal and the mascot for their intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, in hopes of spreading awareness and awe at the magnificent ancestor of the goat."

Roetzel Lindsey, "Markhors: magnificent corkscrew horned goats living high in the Himalayas." oneearth, oneearth 02 January 2021. https://www.oneearth.org/species-of-the-week-markhor/. Accessed 31 March 2022.