What is a markhor?
Q: What is a markhor?
A: A markhor is a large goat found in woodland in Central Asia, Karakoram and the Western Himalayas, and it is the National Animal of Pakistan.
Q: How tall are markhor?
A: Markhor are 65 to 115 centimetres tall at the shoulder.
Q: What is the color of the females and males?
A: Females are a tan colour with a white underbelly and a pattern of black and white on the legs. Males are a lighter tan colour with the same white underbelly and pattern on the legs.
Q: What are the unique features of male markhor?
A: Male markhor have a black face and lots of long white fur on their neck and chest which can grow down to their knees. Both males and females have corkscrew-shaped horns which can grow up to 160 cm / 64 inches long in males, and up to 25 cm / 10 inches in females.
Q: Where do markhor live and what do they eat?
A: Markhor live in places 500 to 3500 metres (1,500 to 11,000 feet) high, where they eat grass, leaves. They often stand on their back legs to reach the top leaves of trees.
Q: Do male and female markhor live together?
A: No, females gather in herds (groups) of up to nine animals. Males usually live alone.
Q: Why are there fewer markhor left in the wild?
A: There are fewer markhor left because human beings take livestock to eat grass in the places where the markhor lives, and some people have killed the markhor for its horns. As of 2012, the IUCN said there were probably 2,500 markhor left in the wild.
