The Cretan goat, or kri-kri Capra aegagrus creticus
The Cretan goat is found only on the island of Crete and small islands just offshore. Recent genetic studies demonstrated that the Cretan goat is a feral domestic goat whose ancestors inhabited Mediterranean region in around 8000-7500 BC. Body length of an adult animal reaches 1.2-1.6 m, shoulder height is about 0.8 m and weight ranges between 15 and 40 kg. Kri-kri males have large crescent-shaped horns with the length of up to 80 cm, and long dense beard. These animals are elusive, preferring almost vertical cliffs and rocky slopes covered by vegetation or mountain meadows. Kri-kris are sedentary. They feed on grass and herbs, and also leaves and branches of shrubs. Adult males and females live separately during most time of the year, forming small single sex herds. The rut occurs from October through December. After gestation of 140 to 150 days, the female gives birth to one or two kids weighing about 2 kg. The young are weaned at the age of 3 to 4.5 months. Young males reach sexual maturity at the age of 12 months, young females, at the age of between 10 and 11 months.
The population of the Cretan goat found on the island is estimated at about 2,000 animals but in the 1960-ies, the Cretan goat was under critical threat with numbers below two hundred individuals. In the 1970-ies, the population of the Cretan goat was successfully restored in the Burazani Nature Park, one of the ecotourism centres in Greece. Later, Cretan goats were translocated to their natural habitats. The Cretan goat is included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and hunting of these animals is strictly prohibited.
