Markhor

Weight:
Females weigh 30 - 40 kg (70 - 90 lb). Males weigh 80 - 110 kg (180 - 240 lb). 

Habitat:
The markhor occupies arid cliffside habitats in sparsely wooded mountainous regions at altitudes ranging from 700 m (2300') from November to May up to 4000 m (13,000') in the summer. It avoids deep snow.

The markhor occurs in the Middle Asian Mountains Temperate Forests Global 200 Ecoregion. (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999) 

Age to Maturity:
18 - 30 months. 

Gestation Period:
135 - 170 days. 

Birth Season:
Mating occurs during winter; births occur from late April to early June. 

Birth Rate:
1 or 2, rarely 3. 

Early Development:
A young markhor is weaned at 5 - 6 months. 

Maximum Age:
At least 13 years. 

Diet:
The markhor is a grazer and a browser. In the spring and summer it mainly grazes on tussocks of grass. When these have dried up it browses on leaves and twigs, including the leaves of trees such as Pistacia and evergreen oak. When acorns are plentiful It especially enjoys mast. 

Behavior:
The markhor forages 8 - 12 hours daily, and it is usually active all day except for several hours in the middle of the day, when it rests and chews its cud. 

Social Organization:
Years ago herds of markhor with 100 or more animals, usually consisting of females and young, were common. By the 1970's the average herd size was 9, with some as large as 35 (Schaller 1979). Although some adult males remain with the females throughout the year, most males only join the females during the rut. 

Mortality/Survival:
In one study, an average of 1.3 young accompanied each adult female in November, when about 6 months old. A year later only about 0.5 per adult female remained, a reduction of nearly 60% (Schaller 1979). 

Density/Range:
Population densities in Pakistan range from 1 - 9 individuals/sq km (2.6 - 23 individuals/sq mi). (Huffman 1999b)