The East Caucasian tur Capra cylindricornis
The East Caucasian tur is found in the western part of the Greater Caucasus mountain range. These animals occur at elevations from 800 to 4,200 meters above sea level, in stony and alpine areas, and in the forests. Like all other mountain goats, East Caucasian turs are excellent climbers. They sometimes gather in large herds consisting of several hundred individuals but smaller groups of 10 to 12 animals are more stable. During the breeding season, males join the females living in these groups in order to breed and aggression between males for access to females is common: first, two males stand still in front of each other, then rear up on their hind legs, abruptly lower the heads, and clash horns. Sometimes the blows are so hard that banging sounds could be heard from the distance of over one kilometre. After a gestation period of around 150 days, one or two young are born that are able to walk at the end of the first day of life.
