Grey Himalayan Goral

About the Grey Himalayan Goral

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.

The Himalayan goral is 95 to 130 cm (37 to 51 in) in length and weighs 35–42 kg (77–93 lb). 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 18 cm (7.1 in) 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.

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 900 to 2,750 m (2,950 to 9,020 ft). In Pakistan, it has... Wikipedia →