(Hemitragus jemlahicus)

Location: Himalayan Mountains from northern India to Tibet

Habitat: rugged wooded hills and mountain slopes

Tahrs are close relatives to the wild goat.  The Himalayan tahr is one of three species of tahr.  The others are Arabian tahrs of Oman and the Nilgiri of southern India.  Himalayan tahrs have relatively short legs and small heads with large eyes and small pointed ears.  Males are larger than females, they weigh between 79 and 198 pounds.  They are 26-40 inches at the shoulder, and 4-5 ½ ft long.  Their hooves have a hard keratin rim surrounding a soft spongy convex pad.  These hooves and their dewclaws make them excellent climbers.  Both sexes have horns which curve up, back and then in.  They can grow up to 18 inches long and are bigger on males than on females.  In the winter the tahr has dense, reddish to dark brown woolly fur with a thick undercoat, which keeps it warm. The males will grow a long, shaggy mane around their neck and shoulders, which grows down to the upper parts of their legs.  In the spring they lose much of their coat, and it becomes lighter in color.

They live in herds of 2 to 23 individuals.  During non mating times the males and females form separate groups.  Female groups, which include offspring under two years old, are smaller than the all male groups.  There is no apparent hierarchy within these groups.  They are most active in early morning and late afternoon.  They will migrate up the mountain in the morning, while grazing.  They spend the majority of the day resting where it is safe from predators, they then will migrate back down, eating again, at the end of the day.  They are very shy and timid creatures.  When confronted by danger they may whistle an alarm and take off running with great ease across the rocky mountain side. 

Himalayan tahrs are herbivores that eat snow tussock, alpine herbs and subalpine scrubland plants.  They tend to eat less in the winter due to loss of food quality and the high metabolic costs. The tahr is a ruminant and has a multi-chambered stomach. After feeding it needs to regurgitate the pulp and chew it over again. This allows it to get the maximum nutrition out of the tough vegetation it eats.

In the Himalayans its only predators are the snow leopard and humans.  In introduced areas, such as New Zealand, New Mexico, California, South Africa and Ontario, their only predators are humans which hunt them for meat, sport and trophies.  Their life span is about 10 – 14 years in the wild.  They can live over 22 years in captivity.  Females live longer than males and can mate up to 18 years old.  Accidental deaths do occur due to rock slides or avalanches. 

The Himalayan tahr is considered vulnerable by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in its home range.  It is a highly prized trophy all around the world. 

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REFERENCES

Kennedy, S. 2002. "Hemitragus jemlahicus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March
24, 2004 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Hemitragus_jemlahicus.html.

The National Geographic Society.  “National Geographic Book oh Mammals” vol 2.  National
Geographic Society, Washington D. C., 1981.

Wildlife Explorers, International Masters Publishers.  1999.  “Himalyahan tahr”. 
 http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/himalayan_tahr.htm