The Cretan goat (formerly C. a. pictus), or kri-kri, was once thought to be a subspecies of wild goat, but is now considered to be a feral descendant of the domestic goat (Capra hircus), now known as Capra hircus cretica.
In Kirthar National Park, 283 wild goat groups were observed for 10 months in 1986. The group sizes ranged from two to 131 individuals but varied seasonally, with a mean ratio of two females per male.[11]
In Dagestan, male wild goats start courting females in mid December. The rutting season lasts until the third week of January. Females give birth to between one and three kids in late June to mid July.[6]
Older males drive younger males from the maternal herds. The gestation period averages 170 days. Kids are mobile almost immediately after birth. Kids are weaned after 6 months. Female goats reach sexual maturity at 1½–2½ years, males at 3½–4 years. The lifespan of a goat can be from 12 to 22 years.
Threats
Wild goat populations are threatened foremost by poaching, habitat loss due to logging, and competition with domestic livestock for food resources.[1]
^Mannen, H.; Nagata, Y.; Tsuji, S. (2001). "Mitochondrial DNA reveal that domestic goat (Capra hircus) are genetically affected by two subspecies of bezoar (Capra aegagurus)". Biochemical Genetics. 39 (5−6): 145−154. doi:10.1023/A:1010266207735. PMID11530852. S2CID24146711.
^Erxleben, J. C. P. (1777). "Capra aegagrus". Systema regni animalis per classes, ordines, genera, species, varietates cvm synonymia et historia animalivm. Classis I. Mammalia. Lipsiae: Weygandt. pp. 520–521.
^Akhmedov, E. G.; Yarovenko, Y. A.; Nasrullaev, N. I.; Babaev, E. A.; Akhmedov, S. G. (2009). "Conservation of the Bezoar Goat in the Eastern Caucasus". In Zazanashvili, N.; Mallon, D. (eds.). Status and Protection of Globally Threatened Species in the Caucasus(PDF). Tbilisi: CEPF, WWF. pp. 26−31.
^Khorozyan, I. G.; Weinberg, P. I.; Malkhasyan, A. G. (2009). "Conservation Strategy for Armenian Mouflon (Ovis [orientalis] gmelini Blyth) and Bezoar Goat (Capra aegagrus Erxleben) in Armenia". In Zazanashvili, N.; Mallon, D. (eds.). Status and Protection of Globally Threatened Species in the Caucasus(PDF). Tbilisi: CEPF, WWF. pp. 37−45.
^Talibov, T. H.; Weinberg, P. I.; Mammadov, I. B.; Mammadov, E. N.; Talibov, S. T. (2009). "Conservation Strategy of the Asiatic Mouflon (Ovis [orientalis] gmelini Blyth) and the Bezoar Goat (Capra aegagrus Erxleben) in Azerbaijan". In Zazanashvili, N.; Mallon, D. (eds.). Status and Protection of Globally Threatened Species in the Caucasus(PDF). Tbilisi: CEPF, WWF. pp. 46−52.
^Korshunov, V. M. (1994). "Ecology of the Bearded Goat (Capra aegagrus Erxleben 1777) in Turkmenistan". Biogeography and ecology of Turkmenistan. Monographiae Biologicae. Vol. 72. Dordrecht: Springer. pp. 231−246.
^ abEdge, W. D. & Olson-Edge, S. L. (1990). "Population Characteristics and Group Composition of Capra aegagrus in Kirthar National Park, Pakistan". Journal of Mammalogy. 71 (2): 156–160. doi:10.2307/1382162. JSTOR1382162.