The Himalayan goral (Naemorhedus goral) or gray goral is a bovid species native to the Himalayas. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List because the population is thought to be declining significantly due to habitat loss and hunting for meat.
Characteristics
The Himalayan goral is in length and weighs . It has a gray or gray-brown coat with tan legs, lighter patches on its throat, and a single dark stripe along its spine. Males have short manes on their necks. Both males and females have backward-curving horns which can grow up to in length. In addition to certain peculiarities in the form of the skull, gorals are chiefly distinguished from the closely related serows in that they do not possess preorbital glands below their eyes, nor corresponding depressions in their skulls.
Distribution and habitat The Himalayan goral occurs in the Himalayas from Chitral District and the Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan to Nepal, Bhutan and southern Tibet, to Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in India, to possibly western Myanmar. It most commonly occurs from . In Pakistan, it has been recorded at elevations of . Approximately 370–1017 Himalayan goral were present in Pakistan as of 2004, occurring in seven isolated populations.
Behaviour and ecology
The Himalayan goral is crepuscular and rests on a rock ledge through the day; it feeds on leaves and associated softer parts of plants, mainly grasses. It often forms small groups of four to twelve individuals; older males pair off and are solitary. The home range of Himalayan goral groups is typically around , with males occupying marked territories of during the mating season. The Himalayan goral is very agile and can run quickly. Due to its coloration it is very well camouflaged, so that it is extremely difficult to sight it, especially since it spends much of the day lying still. However, it is hunted by various predators, notably the Himalayan wolf.
Palaeoecology During the Pleistocene, the Himalayan goral's range stretched into mainland Southeast Asia; fossil remains from the site of Tham Kra Duk in Thailand possess high δ18O values, likely reflecting grazing in open habitats.
Conservation Naemorhedus goral is listed in CITES Appendix I.
References