Nubian Ibex (Capra nubiana) Fact Sheet: Summary

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Artiodactyla (Cetartiodactyla)

Family: Bovidae

Genus: Capra

Species: Capra nubiana^* - Nubian ibex

* Treated by some taxonomists as a subspecies of Capra ibex (C. i. nubiana)

Body Weight
Male: 42.0-85.0 kg (92.6-187.4 lb)
Female: 25.0-39.5 kg (55.1-87.1 lb)

Body Length
Male: 1190-1590 mm (46.9-62.6 in)
Female: 920-1210 mm (36.2-47.6 in)

Tail Length
Male: 80-170 mm (3.1-6.7 in)
Female: 65-160 mm (2.6-6.3 in)

Pelage: Tan to grayish body hair; belly and buttocks white. Legs distinctively marked with black and white.

Range: Portions of northeastern Africa and the Arabian peninsula.

Habitat: Desert mountains. Steep, rocky slopes provide vital routes for escaping predators. 

IUCN Status: Vulnerable (2020 assessment)

CITES: Not listed

Population in Wild: No systematic surveys; fewer than 2,500 mature individuals, according to one rough estimate.

Locomotion: Walk, run, jump, and climb. Agile—able to navigate steep cliffs. Leap to scale sheer canyon walls.

Activity Cycle: Active during the day. Browse throughout the day while temperatures permit. Scale canyon walls to rest during the day and sleep at night.

Social Groups: Social. Live in small groups—typically of multiple females, infants, juveniles, and young adults. 

Diet: Consume grasses, forbes, and shrubs. 

Predators: Leopard (Panthera pardus), gray wolf (Canis lupus), and striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena).

Sexual Maturity: Females mature at about 2 years of age; males at significantly older ages due to social constraints. 

Gestation: 150-163 days [combined estimates from wild and managed care settings]

Litter Size: 1-3 young; 1 typical, though twins are not uncommon.

Birth Weight: 1.5-3.0 kg (3.3-6.6 lb)

Age at Weaning: Begin solid food by 2-4 weeks of age; weaning complete by c. 6 months.

Typical Life Expectancy: 
Managed care: median life expectancy of about 9 years

Feature Facts

• ​Characterized by their prominent, unbranched, and strongly recurved horns.
• Active in daylight when they browse and graze for grasses, forbes, and shrubs.
• Often form groups, whose structure and composition is variable.  
• During the seasonal rut, male groups break up and individuals compete, in violent clashes, to mate with females.