Trivia question for Sep-27-2011

Carter is up today and he found these guys interesting.  They are sure-footed and nimble, preferring remote rocky terrain inaccessible to most predators.

They have small heads with large eyes and small pointed ears and red circles on their cheeks. Their hooves have a flexible, rubbery core that allows them to grip smooth rocks, while a hard, sharp rim can lodge into small footholds. Males are larger and have different coloration and horn structure than the females.

So here are Carter’s questions: Tell us what this hairy creature is and where they can be found?  Also, tell us in which country these animals were introduced and now exist in large numbers?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations goes out again to Bradley Walker for being the first with the correct answer. The furry feller we featured is the Himalayan Tahr. The Himalayan Tahr or Common Tahr is a large ungulate related to the wild goat.  Its native habitat is in the rugged wooded hills and mountain slopes of the Himalaya from Central Asia in northern Kashmir to China. They spend the summers grazing in high pastures, then come down the mountains and form mixed-sex herds in the winter.

The Himalayan Tahr has been introduced to New Zealand, where it now exists in large numbers.  Its appetite for native vegetation has made it a pest in some areas.  Here is more on these guys: Himalayan Tahr

Thanks for playing along 😉