The Alpine ibex is a wild goat. It has dark brownish to greyish fur with white underbelly and insides of legs. Males have beards and longer, slightly curved horns which usually measure between 25 and 45 cm but can grow up to a meter long. Females are similar in size as males but their horns are shorter measuring 15-25 cm long.
They prefer fields and rocky terrain at high altitudes where they can look for food such as plants, grasses, leaves, bushes and trees by browsing or grazing during day time hours. The animal prefers rugged mountainous environment with steep slopes or cliffs that make climbing difficult for threats from predators such as wolves, golden eagles and human poachers.
The diet of the Alpine ibex consists of leaves, twigs, grasses, sedges and herbs. It vocalizes by making barking sounds or bleating. When mating season comes males use their twin horns to fight one another for dominance over breeding rights on female goats. The fights are usually short but very brutal with opponents crashing into each other head first at extremely high speeds so they can injure or kill one another if it continues long enough. These mating battles are what most likely caused the evolution of the Alpine ibex's eye sight being better than most animals with its vision being better in daylight hours even though night vision is more vital for survival in most cases.
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