Himalayan Ibex in Gilgit Baltistan

The Ibex are somewhat heavy bodied and thick set even when compared to the other wild goat species, and have short sturdy legs. Adult males have a much paler body colouring with mainly white or creamy hairs on the flank and rump when in winter coat. Females and young males are reddish or almost a golden colour in summer coat with a greyer-brown appearance in winter, due to an admixture of white hairs. Older males have a rich chocolate-brown colour in summer with circular patches of yellowish-white hair in the mid-dorsal and leftover regions. under wool of the Ibex, has long been prized for producing the softest and most luxurious quality of wool called "Pashm". In both sexes there is a thick woolly beard. Both sexes have a mid dorsal dark brown stripe running from the shoulder to the tip of the tail. The Himalayan Ibex can be separated from the Alpine population by the horn shape which, in adult males, grows much longer, curving round to form three-quarters of a complete arc and tapering to relatively slender points. The horns of an adult male are large and impressive despite the bulk of the animal and measure average 101.6cm (40 in).

Its Shoulder Height is 95cm-101.7cm and Weight is 85-88 kg / 188-193 lb

Gestation Period is 155 to 170 days. It gave birth to 1 but twins are also common. The young are born from May or early June. Life span is 10-12 years. The Himalayan Ibex is expansive like all wild goats. Young males, females and their followers normally associate in small herds varying from seven or eight upto thirty individuals. Feeding activity appears to be confined largely to early morning and late afternoon even in moderately distant regions. Winter feeding conditions are harsh due to heavy rainfall and Ibex have to dig for grasses, bushes, mosses confined to the relatively arid(waterless) mountain ranges of the inner-Himalayas, living well above the tree line only in the higher more precipitous regions. They occur from about 3,660m to over 5,000m in Pakistan, but are sometimes seen crossing valleys below 2,135m. The Himalayan Ibex is common in the higher mountain ranges of Baltistan in Karakoram Range, the Harmosh Range, and the Deosai. They are considered plentiful in Khunjerab National Park, Gilgit, Yasin, Nagar Hunza and Chilas.