The Himalayan goral ( Naemorhedus goral) or the gray goral, is a bovid species native to the Himalayas. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List because the population is thought to be declining significantly due to habitat loss and hunting for meat.
Characteristics
The Himalayan goral is in length and weighs . It has a gray or gray-brown coat with tan legs, lighter patches on its throat, and a single dark stripe along its spine. Males have short manes on their necks. Both males and females have backward-curving horns which can grow up to in length.
In addition to certain peculiarities in the form of the
skull, gorals are chiefly distinguished from the closely related
in that they do not possess
below their
, nor corresponding depressions in their skulls.
Distribution and habitat
The Himalayan goral occurs in the Himalayas from
Pakistan,
Nepal,
Bhutan, southern
Tibet, and the states of
Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in India to possibly western
Myanmar. It most commonly occurs from above sea level, but has been recorded in
Pakistan at elevations of . Approximately 370–1017 Himalayan goral were present in Pakistan , occurring in seven isolated populations.
It is most likely absent from the Punjab Province of Pakistan.
Behaviour and ecology
Himalayan goral group
home range size is typically around , with males occupying marked territories of during the mating season.
Himalayan goral often form small bands of four to twelve individuals, although they are also known to pair off or, especially in the case of older males, be solitary. The animal is
crepuscular, being most active in the early morning and late evening. After a morning meal, it often drinks and then rests on a rock ledge through the day. It feeds on leaves and associated softer parts of plants, mainly grasses.
The Himalayan goral is very agile and can run quickly. Due to its coloration it is very well camouflaged, so that it is extremely difficult to sight it, especially since it spends much of the day lying still. However, it is hunted by various predators, notably the
Himalayan wolf.
Himalayan goral can live for 14 or 15 years. The female gives birth after a gestation period of 170–218 days, usually to a single offspring. The young are weaned at 7 or 8 months of age and reach sexual maturity at around 3 years.
Conservation
Naemorhedus goral is listed in CITES Appendix I.
