---
title: "What the sources say about the Nubian Ibex | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "67 claims from the Nubian Ibex profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Nubian Ibex (*Capra nubiana*)

> 67 claims from the Nubian Ibex profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Nubian Ibex](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/nubian-ibex/)

## Tomsen, J. (2007). Capra nubiana (Nubian ibex). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Capra_nubiana/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Generally keeps to the most remote, highest, and steepest cliffs | Generally, Nubian ibex inhabit the most remote, highest, and steepest cliffs. |
| where staying near the edge lowers the risk of predation | Proximity to cliff edges directly reduces the risk of predation, and Nubian ibex therefore spends much of their time on rock faces. |
| Herbs, shrubs, and tree foliage (especially acacia), with a preference for cadaba and camphorweed, and occasionally grass | The main diet includes herbs, shrubs, tree foliage (especially Acacia), buds, fruits, and occasionally grass. Nubian ibex especially prefer cadaba (Cadaba spp.) and camphorweed (Pluchea spp.). |
| In Israel's Avedat Canyon, Nubian ibex mothers have been seen doing something that a 2007 Animal Diversity Web account calls unique among caprines, the group that holds the wild goats and sheep | A grouping pattern unique to Nubian ibex among all other caprines has been observed in herds in the Avedat Canyon in Israel. (note: 2007 is the ADW reference's year (Tomsen 2007). Old-page absolute kept only with its source, date and scope (observed in Avedat Canyon herds). Caprinae is the goat-antelope subfamily that includes wild goats and sheep.) |
| they leave their kids together in a canyon and come back often to feed them | Females leave their kids unattended in nursery groups in a steep-walled canyon with many other kids. ... Mothers visit the nursery often to feed the kids |
| Males average about 62.5 kilograms and stand roughly 75 centimeters at the shoulder | Males have an average weight of 62.5 kg, females average 26.5 kg. Shoulder height averages 75 cm in males and 65 cm in females. (note: Averages only in ADW; both sit inside SDZ's current ranges (25 to 66 kg, 61 to 76 cm).) |
| more than twice the weight of females, which average 26.5 kilograms | females average 26.5 kg (note: 62.5 / 26.5 = 2.36.) |
| Both sexes carry horns | Both males and females have horns, which are used for fighting, sexual selection, and territorial defense. |
| Females leave their kids unattended in nursery groups with many other kids in a steep-walled canyon, and visit often to feed them. | Females leave their kids unattended in nursery groups in a steep-walled canyon with many other kids. ... Mothers visit the nursery often to feed the kids |
| The same account says the nursery is most likely an accidental trap: the kids have fallen in and cannot climb its walls. | The nursery is most likely an accidental trap that the kids have fallen into and cannot surmount the cliff walls to climb out. |
| They stay until they are mature enough to follow along on the steep cliffs. | which stay in the nursery until they are mature enough to follow along on the steep cliffs. |
| Both sexes use their horns for fighting, for sexual selection, and to defend territory | Both males and females have horns, which are used for fighting, sexual selection, and territorial defense. |
| they fight by ramming rather than puncturing | Horns are used for fighting, specifically for ramming rather than puncturing. |
| often in forceful fights where they crash their horns together and try to overpower their opponents | Males often engage in forceful fights, whereby they crash against one another with their horns and try to overpower their opponents. |
| Sparring to settle dominance seldom results in serious injury. | Typically two males will spar, clashing their horns together to establish dominance. ... Sparring between individuals seldom results in serious damage or bodily injury. (note: ADW's 'typically' qualifies who spars (two males), not the injury rate.) |
| Older males are solitary for most of the year, then join the females during the rut and try to drive off other males. | Throughout most of the year older males are solitary. They join females during the rut and try to drive off other males. |
| generally on the most remote, highest, and steepest cliffs, from sea level up to 3,000 meters | They occur at varying elevations, from sea level to 3,000 meters. Generally, Nubian ibex inhabit the most remote, highest, and steepest cliffs. |
| Staying close to a cliff edge lowers the risk of predation | Proximity to cliff edges directly reduces the risk of predation, and Nubian ibex therefore spends much of their time on rock faces. |
| The main diet is herbs, shrubs, and tree foliage, especially acacia, with a preference for cadaba and camphorweed | The main diet includes herbs, shrubs, tree foliage (especially Acacia), buds, fruits, and occasionally grass. Nubian ibex especially prefer cadaba (Cadaba spp.) and camphorweed (Pluchea spp.). (note: ADW's 'occasionally' belongs to grass, which the body leaves out.) |
| they drink water every day if it is available | They drink water every day if available. |
| and have been known to groom them in a way that benefits both, eating insects and parasites on their skin | Grackles (Quiscalus sp.) have been known to groom Nubian ibex in a reciprocally beneficial act. They eat insects and parasites on skin of the ibexes. (note: ADW's genus Quiscalus is a New World genus and is not repeated on the page; the species is Tristram's grackle (yosef-1991).) |
| Leopards, wolves, striped hyenas, and humans are its probable predators, and young ibex may also be taken by golden eagles and eagle owls. | Probable predators of Nubian ibex include leopards (Panthera pardus), wolves (Canis lupus), striped hyenas (Hyaena hyaena) and humans. Young ibex may also be preyed on by golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) and eagle owls (Bubo bubo). |
| Staying near a cliff edge lowers its risk of being caught. | Proximity to cliff edges directly reduces the risk of predation, and Nubian ibex therefore spends much of their time on rock faces. |
| Roughly. A male's horns carry annual rings on the back, one ring a year. | A male’s horns are large, dark, and semi-circular, with annual rings on the back. (note: 'One ring a year' restates 'annual rings'. 'Roughly' because the source's own caveat follows (rings shortened by drought or disease).) |
| The rings grow 12 to 20 centimeters during the first five years of life, then 2 to 4 centimeters a year after that. | The annuli grow twelve to twenty centimeters during the first five years of life, and then grow between two to four centimeters per year thereafter. (note: The source spells the figures out as words (twelve, twenty, two, four); 'after that' is 'thereafter'. The page keeps the source's ambiguous 'during the first five years' rather than guessing per year or in total.) |
| Drought or disease can leave an individual with shorter rings. | The horns on an individual may have shorter annuli because of physical hardships during periods of drought or disease. |
| males often crash their horns together | Males often engage in forceful fights, whereby they crash against one another with their horns and try to overpower their opponents. (note: vibe.reason (#760)) |
| ramming rather than stabbing, to overpower a rival | Horns are used for fighting, specifically for ramming rather than puncturing. (note: vibe.reason (#760)) |

## Nubian Ibex. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/nubian-ibex

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Relatively small desert ibex of the Middle East and northeast Africa | This relatively small ibex is distinguished by the striking, backward-arching horns of the male, which are long, slender, and ridged, casting a brilliant silhouette against the rocky, mountainous terrain of its surroundings. (note: 'Desert' is sdz's 'rocky, desert mountains'. Range countries (Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman) are sdz's range list, claimed in the body.) |
| a true cliff dweller | They are true cliff dwellers |
| whose males carry ridged, backward-arching horns | This relatively small ibex is distinguished by the striking, backward-arching horns of the male, which are long, slender, and ridged, casting a brilliant silhouette against the rocky, mountainous terrain of its surroundings. |
| up to 122 centimeters long | Horn length: Females 14 inches (36 centimeters); males 48 inches (122 centimeters) (note: SDZ (current page) wins over ADW 2007's 120 cm. 'Up to' follows SDZ's own 'The impressive horns of males (up to 4 feet!)'.) |
| typically comes down only to graze | They are true cliff dwellers, typically only coming down the mountain to graze on grasses and leaves. (note: ADW 2007's night/twilight feeding is contradicted by SDZ's 'Nubian ibex are diurnal' and 'graze during the day', so the timing is cut and only the descent both agree on is kept.) |
| Steep, rocky desert mountains, gorges, and canyons from Egypt and Sudan to Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman | Nubian ibex live on rocky, desert mountains with steep slopes and associated hills, plateaus, canyons, and wadis. They are located in small pockets over a vast geographical range, including Egypt east of the Nile, northeast Sudan, northern Ethiopia and western Eritrea, Israel, west Jordan, scattered locations in western and central Saudi Arabia, scattered locations in Yemen, and in southern Oman. (note: 'Gorges' is adw-nubian-ibex: 'mountainous regions including gorges, outcrops, and scree areas'.) |
| is a relatively small ibex and a true cliff dweller | This relatively small ibex is distinguished by the striking, backward-arching horns of the male ... They are true cliff dwellers |
| found in small pockets of the Middle East and northeast Africa | They are located in small pockets over a vast geographical range, including Egypt east of the Nile, northeast Sudan, northern Ethiopia and western Eritrea, Israel, west Jordan, scattered locations in western and central Saudi Arabia, scattered locations in Yemen, and in southern Oman. |
| but a male's are long, slender, ridged, and backward-arching | This relatively small ibex is distinguished by the striking, backward-arching horns of the male, which are long, slender, and ridged, casting a brilliant silhouette against the rocky, mountainous terrain of its surroundings. |
| and can reach up to 122 centimeters, more than three times the 36 centimeters of a female's | Horn length: Females 14 inches (36 centimeters); males 48 inches (122 centimeters) (note: SDZ (current) wins over ADW 2007's 120 cm and 35 cm. 122 / 36 = 3.4.) |
| In the care of humans, Nubian ibex have a median life expectancy of about nine years. | Nubian ibex in the care of humans have a median life expectancy of about 9 years. |
| During the rut, usually in October, the strongest males compete for the right to breed | The "rut" (breeding season) occurs during the late summer or early fall, usually in October. The strongest males fight and compete for the right to breed by pushing against each other with their horns. (note: SDZ (current) timing; ADW 2007's 'may continue into December' dropped.) |
| Nubian ibex live in small pockets from Egypt east of the Nile through Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea to Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman | They are located in small pockets over a vast geographical range, including Egypt east of the Nile, northeast Sudan, northern Ethiopia and western Eritrea, Israel, west Jordan, scattered locations in western and central Saudi Arabia, scattered locations in Yemen, and in southern Oman. |
| they typically come down the mountain only to graze | They are true cliff dwellers, typically only coming down the mountain to graze on grasses and leaves. |
| competition with livestock and feral camels in Egypt and Saudi Arabia | Competition with livestock and feral camels poses a threat in Egypt and Saudi Arabia |
| The threats vary by place | The Nubian ibex faces numerous threats , although they vary depending on geographic location. |
| habitat loss and degradation | Habitat loss and degradation provides significant cause for concern. |
| hunting, which probably poses the greatest threat in Yemen | Hunting is an additional threat. In Yemen, automatic weapons are owned by many people throughout the country; this is where hunting probably poses the greatest threat to the ibex. |
| If a predator gets close anyway, the ibex rises onto its hind legs and points its horns at the threat. | If threatened, an ibex rises up on its very strong hind legs and points its intimidating horns toward the predator. |
| which gives the ibex an unusual way of getting groomed | The Nubian ibex has an unusual grooming technique. (note: faq 2; SDZ) |
| San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says fewer than 5,000 mature ibex likely live in their native habitat | It is likely that fewer than 5,000 mature ibex live in their native habitat. (note: A population count: kept attributed to the current SDZ page, with its 'likely'.) |
| in small pockets from Egypt and Sudan to Oman | They are located in small pockets over a vast geographical range, including Egypt east of the Nile, northeast Sudan, northern Ethiopia and western Eritrea, Israel, west Jordan, scattered locations in western and central Saudi Arabia, scattered locations in Yemen, and in southern Oman. |
| Habitat loss and degradation | Habitat loss and degradation provides significant cause for concern. |
| competition with livestock and feral camels | Competition with livestock and feral camels poses a threat in Egypt and Saudi Arabia |
| shifting waterholes are likely a major influence in Egypt | The fluctuation in availability and distribution of waterholes in Egypt is also likely to be a major influence on ibex populations. |
| and hunting are among its threats | Hunting is an additional threat. |
| Because the range includes so many countries, protecting it takes a cooperative effort between them. | Because the Nubian ibex’s range includes so many countries, it is difficult to coordinate the same policies and conservation efforts throughout. However, it is essential that there is a cooperative effort between countries to maintain adjacent tracts of habitat and protect Nubian ibex. |
| the rut, usually in October | The "rut" (breeding season) occurs during the late summer or early fall, usually in October. (note: vibe.reason (#760)) |

## Ross et al. (2020). Capra nubiana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T3796A22143385.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2020-2.rlts.t3796a22143385.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). |
| The IUCN's 2020 assessment lists the Nubian ibex as Vulnerable. | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). (note: GBIF's current copy of the Red List reports this category; the latest assessment DOI is 2020.) |
| The IUCN lists it as Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). |

## Yosef & Yosef (1991). Tristram's Grackles Groom Nubian Ibex. The Wilson Bulletin.

https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9696&context=wilson_bulletin

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Tristram's grackles peck at the hides of Nubian ibex | Only then would it start to groom and peck at the hide of the ibex. (note: body; species named by the paper (Onycognathus tristramii); ADW's Quiscalus is a New World genus) |
| Tristram's grackles | a flock of Tristram's grackles (Onycognathus tristramii) (note: faq 2) |
| birds about the size of a blackbird | Tristram's Grackle resembles the Blackbird (Turdus merula) in size. |
| land on an ibex's back | a single Tristram's Grackle would fly to it and land on its back |
| pick at its hide | Only then would it start to groom and peck at the hide of the ibex. |
| In a two-year study in Israel | During two years, we visited the area at dawn on 17 occasions (note: study site Ein-Gedi, Israel: 'In Israel, along the western bank of the Great Rift valley') |
| only one bird at a time cleaned an ibex | In all instances, only one bird at a time was seen to clean an ibex. |
| no competition for an ibex was seen | No aggression or competition for the cleaning of an ibex was observed. (note: contradicts SDZ's 'often compete for their ibex', which is cut) |