The habitat of the Alpine Ibex

 

The habitat of the Alpine Ibex way up above sea level, higher up the rocky region. The Alpine ibex lives along the snowline found above the forests of the alpine regions of the European Alps. The rough and rocky terrain that Alpine ibexes occupy are steep and dangerous for most other animals, but years of living in high altitude and their superior balance and control allows the unique Alpine ibex to be able to trek up and down without much of a bother.

 

The Ibex lives in small groups or herds of up to 20 or so females, the males either live alone or in small bachelor groups only joining the females in the late autumn during the breeding season known as the rut. At this time fights take place among the male Ibex as they decide who is entitled to breed with the females, most of this fighting is ritualistic and playful and they are seldom injured.

Females are usually sexually mature by 18 months, while males take a little longer maturing around 2 years. A typical lifespan is 10-14 years.

Habitat and Rough terrain

The Alpine ibex habitat is found up above in rough terrain, in elevations between 6,500 feet up to 15,000 feet. The range is equal to 2,000-4,600 in meters.

Up in such elevations in the habitat and rocky regions of the Alps, the Alpine ibex survive the altitude with a steady diet of moss, flowers, grass, leaves, and twigs. Their habitat provides a lot of their daily dietary needs. And in such cases where if the leaves and branches are out of reach, the Alpine ibex can stand up on its two hind legs in order to pick off what they want to eat. Alpine Ibex feed on alpine grasses, herbaceous plants and shrubs.

During the winter seasons, the Alpine ibex moves to lower altitudes. This is mainly due to the fact that vegetation becomes scarce during that time of year and not because of the temperature, which the Alpine ibex can mostly handle.