Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of West Caucasian Tur (Capra caucasica), recorded as Endangered
West Caucasian Tur (Capra caucasica). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

West Caucasian Tur

Capra caucasica

The West Caucasian tur is a mountain-dwelling goat-antelope native to the western half of the Caucasus Mountains range, in Georgia and European Russia.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Capra caucasica
CITES
Appendix II
Taxonomy
Mammalia · Artiodactyla · Bovidae · Capra

Appearance

West Caucasian turs have a chestnut coat with a yellow underbelly and darker legs.

West Caucasian turs stand up to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall at the shoulder and weigh around 65 kg (143 lb). In males, these horns are around 70 cm (28 in), while in females they are much smaller.

Range and habitat

West Caucasian turs live in rough mountainous terrain between 800 and 4,000 m (2,600 and 13,100 ft) above sea level, where they eat mainly grasses and leaves. Their range is about 4,500 square kilometres (1,700 mi2), and likewise used to be much larger before the 20th century. In the Pleistocene, it was found as far from the Caucasus as southern France.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

In crisis

Humans are also a risk due to hunting expeditions. It is legal to hunt them from August to November in Russia, though they are fully protected in Georgia. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as the wild population is estimated to be between 3,000 and 4,000 individuals. This population has been declining due to livestock grazing in their habitat and poaching, as well as harsh winters.

CITES lists this taxon on Appendix II. Confirm the current appendix on the CITES checklist.

West Caucasian Tur is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on West Caucasian Tur, Wikidata item Q752141. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

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Walia ibex

Capra walie
Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

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Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii

Quick answers

What is West Caucasian Tur?
The West Caucasian tur is a mountain-dwelling goat-antelope native to the western half of the Caucasus Mountains range, in Georgia and European Russia.
What is the conservation status of West Caucasian Tur?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Capra caucasica. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does West Caucasian Tur live?
The West Caucasian tur is a mountain-dwelling goat-antelope native to the western half of the Caucasus Mountains range, in Georgia and European Russia.
Why is West Caucasian Tur in crisis?
It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as the wild population is estimated to be between 3,000 and 4,000 individuals.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Capra caucasica?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is West Caucasian Tur a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.