Markhor

마코르

The markhor is the national animal of Pakistan. Males have corkscrew-twisted horns and long shaggy hair hanging from the neck and chest. It climbs steep rocky slopes in the Karakoram and Hindu Kush with ease.

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At a glance

Class: Mammals
Lives in: Mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan
Diet: Plant eater (herbivore)
Weight: about 65 kg
Conservation status: Near Threatened (IUCN NT)
Habitat: mountains, forests

Quick answers

Where does the Markhor live?

It lives in mountains, forests. On the globe you can find it near Mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

How big is the Markhor?

It grows to about 65 kg.

What does the Markhor eat?

Its diet: plant eater (herbivore).

Is the Markhor endangered?

It is listed as Near Threatened (IUCN NT).

The markhor is a large wild goat that lives in the mountains where Central and South Asia meet, including the Karakoram and the Himalayas. It is the national animal of Pakistan, where people also call it the screw-horn goat. Its name comes from a Persian word meaning "curly", a nod to its horns.

Both males and females grow tightly twisted, corkscrew-like horns, and a big male's horns can reach about 160 centimetres. The markhor has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List since 2015, so protecting its mountain homes matters. Wild markhor are a symbol of rugged mountain country, and the animal is active mainly by day. Different groups live in different mountain ranges, so each local population matters for the species.

Where does the markhor live?

The markhor is built for steep, rocky ground and lives between about 600 and 3,600 metres above sea level. It shelters in shrub forests of oak, pine and juniper. Wild groups are found in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, but many populations are small and scattered. The biggest one lives in Chitral National Park in Pakistan. Keeping their steep homes safe from poaching has helped some groups survive in places such as Afghanistan, where hunting once drove them out of most of their range.

What does a markhor look like?

An adult stands 65 to 115 centimetres tall at the shoulder and weighs roughly 32 to 110 kilograms. Its grizzled coat is short and smooth in summer and grows longer and thicker for winter. Males have long hair on the chin, throat, chest and legs, while females are redder with a short black beard and no mane. Female horns only reach about 25 centimetres. A male's long hair makes him look even bigger than he is, while the smaller horns of a female stay close and tightly twisted.

Fun facts

It is the national animal of Pakistan and has twisting, corkscrew-shaped horns.
The word markhor can be read as "snake eater", because people once believed the goat hunted snakes.
Among the wild goats of the genus Capra, the markhor stands tallest at the shoulder.
Its horns sit close together at the head and then spread apart toward the tips.