Iberian ibex

It is not unusual, driving along the country roads of Els Ports, for an Iberian ibex to cross your path, to your surprise; and, depending on the time of year, in small groups that climb nimbly up gorges and crags, skirting the abyss. They feed on pasture and, when it is scarce, eat the leaves and tender tips of tree branches.

It is a strong, sturdily built animal. The male is larger, and so are his horns, ringed and curving backwards. The female’s horns are smaller and thinner.

It is a polygamous species: the male goes alone. When the mating season comes he approaches the herd of females, which generally keep together. The male is aggressive towards the other males, who also answer the call in the rutting season; the one who wins the contest stays with the group of females, and leaves them after mating.

Gestation lasts about 23 or 24 weeks, and the young are born between April and July. They usually have one or two kids. Female kids always stay with their mother; not so the xotos, the young males, which leave the herd.

We have noticed that when a group of ibex with their young is feeding there is always one on watch, scanning the surroundings, and at the first sign of danger they all run. Their predators are foxes, eagles and poachers. At other times, if we watch them calmly, they go on their way: they have a keen sense of survival and know when they are in danger.