From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Capra (genus)

Genus of mammals, the goats

Capra is a genus of mammals, the goats, comprising ten species, including the markhor and several species known as ibexes. The domestic goat (Capra hircus) is a domesticated species derived from the bezoar ibex (Capra aegagrus aegagrus). It is one of the oldest domesticated species of animal—according to archaeological evidence its earliest domestication occurred in Iran at 10,000 calibrated calendar years ago.

Wild goats are animals of mountain habitats. They are very agile and hardy, able to climb on bare rock and survive on sparse vegetation. They can be distinguished from the genus Ovis, which includes sheep, by the presence of scent glands close to the feet, in the groin, and in front of the eyes, and the absence of other facial glands, and by the presence of a beard in some specimens, and of hairless calluses on the knees of the forelegs.

Taxonomy

All members of the genus Capra are bovids (members of the family Bovidae), and more specifically caprines (subfamily Caprinae). As such they are ruminants, meaning they chew the cud, and have four-chambered stomachs which play a vital role in digesting, regurgitating, and redigesting their food.

The genus has sometimes been taken to include Ovis (sheep) and Ammotragus (Barbary sheep), but these are usually regarded as distinct genera, leaving Capra for ibexes. In this smaller genus, some authors have recognized only two species, the markhor on one side and all other forms included in one species on the other side. Today, nine wild species are usually accepted to which is added the domestic goat:

West Asian ibex also known as the wild goat (Capra aegagrus)
- Bezoar ibex (Capra aegagrus aegagrus)
- Sindh ibex (Capra aegagrus blythi)
Domestic goat (Capra hircus; includes feral goat; domesticated from C. aegagrus and sometimes considered a subspecies of it)
Asian ibex also known as the Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica)
Markhor (Capra falconeri)
West Caucasian tur (Capra caucasica)
East Caucasian tur (Capra cylindricornis)
Alpine ibex (Capra ibex)
Iberian ibex also known as the Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica)
Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana)
Walia ibex (Capra walie)

The goats of the genus Capra have complex systematic relationships, which are still not completely resolved. Recent studies based on mitochondrial DNA suggest that the Asian ibex and the Nubian ibex represent distinct species, which are not very closely related to the physically similar Alpine ibex. The Alpine ibex forms a group with the Iberian ibex. The West Caucasian tur appears to be more closely related to the wild goat than to the East Caucasian tur. The markhor is relatively little separated from other forms—previously it had been considered to be a separate branch of the genus.

The following cladogram of seven Capra species is based on 2022 mitochondrial evidence:

Almost all wild goat species are allopatric (geographically separated)—the only geographical overlaps are the wild goat (Capra aegagrus) with the East Caucasian tur (Capra cylindricornis), and the markhor (Capra falconeri) with the Asian ibex (Capra sibirica). In both cases, the overlapping species do not usually interbreed in the wild, but in captivity, all Capra species can interbreed, producing fertile offspring.

File:Goats as weed control.jpg|Goats used for natural weed control File:Boisseau à décor de bouquetins, sloughis et échassiers - Musée du Louvre Antiquités orientales SB 3174 ; AS 12672.jpg|Prehistoric terracotta pottery from Susa depicting an ibex, BC File:Ibex in the French Vanoise National Park.JPG|Ibex securely climbing rocky slope File:Capra nubiana, Tierpark Hellabrunn – 03.jpg|Male Nubian ibex File:Caprine heart.jpg|Caprine heart

Species and subspecies

Domestication and uses

Main article: Domestic goat

Along with sheep, goats were among the first domesticated animals. The domestication process started at least 10,000 years ago in what is now northern Iran. Easy human access to goat hair, meat, and milk were the primary motivations. Goat skins were popularly used until the Middle Ages for water and wine bottles when traveling and camping, and in certain regions as parchment for writing.

File:Goats as weed control.jpg|Goats used for natural weed control

References

(2000). "The Initial Domestication of Goats (Capra hircus) in the Zagros Mountains 10,000 Years Ago". Science.
Parrini, F.. (2009). "''Capra ibex'' (Artiodactyla: Bovidae)". Mammalian Species.
Ansell, W. F. H. 1972. Order Artiodactyla. Part 15. Pp. 1–84, in ''The mammals of Africa: An identification manual'' (J. Meester and H. W. Setzer, eds.) [issued 2 May 1972]. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., not continuously paginated. (quoted in {{MSW3 Grubb
Haltenorth, T. 1963. Klassifikation der Säugetiere: Artiodactyla I. ''Handbuch der Zoologie'', '''8'''(32):1–167 (quoted in {{MSW3 Grubb
(2006). "Evolutionary history of the genus Capra (Mammalia, Artiodactyla): Discordance between mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome phylogenies". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
Sarasa, M.. (2023). "Common names of the Asiatic ibex superspecies at a turning point in its taxonomy and management". Animal Biodiversity and Conservation.
(2012). "Common names of species, the curious case of Capra pyrenaica and the concomitant steps towards the 'wild-to-domestic' transformation of a flagship species and its vernacular names". Biodiversity and Conservation.
(1999). "Mammalia of Israel". Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
(2007). "Phylogenetic reconstructions in the genus Capra (Bovidae, Artiodactyla) based on the mitochondrial DNA analysis". Russian Journal of Genetics.
(2022). "Ancient mitochondrial and modern whole genomes unravel massive genetic diversity loss during near extinction of Alpine ibex". Molecular Ecology.
V. G. Heptner: ''Mammals of the Sowjetunion Vol. I UNGULATES''. Leiden, New York, 1989 {{ISBN. 90-04-08874-1
"''Capra nubiana''".
"''Capra nubiana''".
(2000). "The Initial Domestication of Goats ( ''Capra hircus'' ) in the Zagros Mountains 10,000 Years Ago". Science.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

capra-(genus) extant-pleistocene-first-appearances goats mammal-genera mammals-of-africa mammals-of-asia animal-taxa-named-by-carl-linnaeus

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Capra (genus) — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report