Kri-kri

The Modern English word goat comes from Old English gāt "she-goat, goat in general", which in turn derives from Proto-Germanic *gaitaz (cf. Norwegian/Icelandic geit, German Geiß, and Gothic gaits), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰaidos meaning "young goat" (cf. Latin haedus "kid").

• Singular: goat

• Plural: goats

From Latin ībex (“chamois”, "goat", "ibex"), influenced by an Indo-European language, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(h₁)ebʰ- (“climbing”); akin to Old Spanish bezerro (“bull”) (modern becerro (“yearling”)).

• Singular: ibex

• Plural: ibex (single species), ibexes (more than species)

The coat of the kri-kri is light brownish with a darker stripe across its neck. It has two horns that extend from its head. They are shy in the wild and avoid humans, resting during the day. The animal can leap long distances and scale seemingly impossible cliffs.

The kri-kri's climbing ability is exceptional; it can ascend nearly vertical cliffs with hooves that have sticky pads and sharp edges for traction. Wild goats are not natural swimmers, but they can swim short distances. Goats generally avoid water unless they are escaping predators or crossing barriers.

The kri-kri horns were used as tools and weapons. During the rut, male-to-male combat was fought with horns, and clashing and grappling determined mating privileges. These horns were used as tools for stripping bark, digging for roots, breaking thin ice, and clearing plants while foraging. Goats utilize it for both self-defense and interspecies play.

The same material that makes up human fingernails, keratin, covers the whole bone core of a horn. They begin to grow shortly after the animal is born and continue to do so throughout the animal's existence. They do not regenerate if they are damaged or removed.

Shrubs, herbs, grasses, acorns, young tree shoots, and a hardy grazer-browser mix make up the diet of the herbivorous kri-kri goat. This goat was adapted to eating fragrant Mediterranean plants like sage and thyme, and it was able to thrive on the scant, stony vegetation of Crete. The kri-kri goat is an important cultural and ecological emblem of Crete and later Greek mythology. Its ecological roles include controlling shrub density, maintaining traditional Cretan mountain environments, and serving as a major seed disperser. The Eurasian lynx (now extinct on Crete), wild wolves, feral dogs, red foxes, golden jackals, golden eagles (who occasionally prey on goat young), lions, wyverns, killer whales, and humans have historically posed the greatest threat to them. However, if you were to pit a Mediterranean monk seal against a kri-kri goat in one arena, both would be ignored.

Even though the kri-kri is a domesticated goat, talking about or learning about it is not cultural appropriation and is against wildlife conservation laws. But the kri-kri, which may be seen in both Cretan folklore and Minoan art, is a famous emblem of Crete. Particularly in the Samaria region, it is linked to cultural identity. It may be inappropriate to use kri-kri imagery for commercial purposes without giving credit. It would be improper to misrepresent its cultural symbolism.

Reproduction

• Breeding season: Late autumn (November–December)

• Gestation: ~150 days

• Birth period: April–May

• Litter size: Mostly 1 kid; twins rare

• Kids can climb shortly after birth.

• Maturity:

  • Females: ~1.5 years

  • Males: ~2+ years

Because adult males live in bachelor groups and adult females live in tiny herds, the kri-kri goat has a social structure. When resources are plentiful, mixed groupings arise. In protected regions, kri-kri goats were diurnal; however, in the wild, they are more crepuscular (dawn/dusk) and spend midday resting on cliffs.

In the wild, kri-kri goats were timid and elusive, avoiding humans at great distances. Some become more tolerant in protected locations (such as Samaria Gorge), and they don't act aggressively unless they are trapped. These feral goats maintain the distinctly wild temperament of ibex species, in contrast to actual farm goats.

Threats

• Hybridization with domestic goats (the most serious threat).

• Habitat loss from grazing and development.

• Historical overhunting.

• Disease from domestic livestock.

• Limited range and small population size.

• Inbreeding due to isolation.

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Near Threatened (NT)

Conservation Efforts

• Survives mainly in:

  • Samaria Gorge National Park

  • Agios Efstratios, Theodorou, and Dia islets

• Strict protection under Greek law.

• Non-kri-kri Feral goat removal to prevent hybridization.

• Hunting bans.

• Habitat restoration.

• Monitoring genetic purity

• Awareness campaigns against illegal pet trade.

It was once common throughout the Aegean, but the peaks of the 2,400 m (8,000 ft) White Mountains of Western Crete are their last strongholds—particularly a series of almost vertical 900 m (3,000 ft) cliffs called 'the Untrodden' at the head of the Samaria Gorge. This mountain range, which is home to 14 rare animal species, is designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Their range includes the White Mountains, the Samaria National Forest, and the islets of Dia, Thodorou, and Agii Pandes. Some have recently been brought to two more islands. The kri-kri can also be found on the island of Sapientza (Messenian Oinousses), where it was brought to the island in great numbers in order to protect the species from extinction. Rocky cliffs, limestone gorges, high mountains (up to 2,000 m), dry scrublands, and Mediterranean pine and cypress woods are among the habitats of the kri-kri. Few animals, including the semi-wild goat, can live comfortably in this area.

During The Recollections of Queen Arianna (TROQA) saga in the 2600s and 2700s, the "Sky People," or Terrans from Earth, brought the wild goat to two exoplanets that resembled Earth: Berbania from Ursa Major and Reinachos from Cygnus. Despite the death of our planet, conservation efforts are helping this species recover from endangerment or near extinction. The goat became an invasive species as a result of human activities for rewilding and game hunting. In two exoplanets that resembled Earth, the wild goat lived in a similar environment and climate.

• Movement Pattern: Altitudinal Migrant

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Stable

• Population: 

  • Earth: 70,000+

  • Berbania: 120,000

  • Reinachos: 500,000

  • Delphia: 50,000

  • Sawintir: 45,000

• Locomotion: Terrestrial

• Habitat: Polar; Tundra; Taiga; Montane Grasslands and Shrublands; Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests: Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Salt Flats; Stone Forest; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Mushroom Forests; Mushroom Fields; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale; Mountain; Warm Ghost Town; Cold Ghost Town; Ruined Skyscraper.

• Earth: 

  • Extant (Resident): Armenia; Azerbaijan; Georgia; Iran; Iraq; Pakistan; Russia; Turkey; Turkmenistan

  • Extinct: Jordan; Lebanon; Syria

  • Presence Uncertain: Afghanistan

• Berbania/Hirawhassa: worldwide

• Reinachos/Ityosel: worldwide

• Delphia/Thatrollwa: worldwide

• Sawintir: worldwide

Wild goats were feeding with grasses or wheat.

Before Revolution - 10000 BC

10,000 BC before present-day evidence proves the first domesticated goat in Ganj Dareh in Iran. The most recent genetic analysis confirms the archaeological evidence that the wild bezoar ibex of the Zagros Mountains is the likely original ancestor of probably all domestic goats today. Goat remains have been found at archaeological sites in Jericho, Choga Mami, Djeitun, and Çayönü, dating the domestication of goats in Western Asia between 8,000 and 9,000 years ago.

• s

• s

Coming soon

• The kri-kri is the first domestic goat and a subspecies.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kri-kri

• https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q519877

• https://eol.org/pages/24183174

• https://www.trvst.world/biodiversity/goat-quotes/

• https://factanimal.com/alpine-ibex/

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Kri-kri-983959020