The Himalayan Tahr – The Rubber Footed Wonder

There is another animal of the day! Oh my goodness! They are here and they have a daily email which gets sent every now and then but certainly not every day. Like First Blog On The Moon, they are nominatively and determinedly inaccurate. There is simply not an animal every day.

They are however, a joyous crew of animal enthusiasts, and here is a most recent completely unedited example of their work.

From the Other Animal of the Day – The Himalayan Tahr – The Rubber Footed Wonder

The Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) is an animal that is classed as “Near Threatened” and is expected to become a threatened or vulnerable species in a few years except in New Zealand where there are absolutely heaps of them. They commonly have a small head, large eyes, and pointed small ears and in spite of this, they are not Christopher Pyne. Their hooves are well adapted to climbing rocks, mountains, and hills, and have a special footly adaptation with a flexible rubber-like core which lets them grab onto smooth rocks – and also wedge into sharp areas with the rim of the hoof. They can manipulate complex tools like sea otters, white winged choughs and claw hammers. In New Zealand they are sponsored by Hyundai. 

They weigh between 130-180kg and are about 1.2 – 1.6m in length and are 60-90 cm high. So they are more along than they are upwards which is a useful attribute when you live on a mountain. Their diets consist of shrubs, small plants, and small trees. They usually gestate for six months but then doesn’t everyone. The baby Tahrs (known as goslings) stick with their mother for up to two years, and can live to be 15 years of age. They can also fly.

Recent DNA evidence and genetic testing has shown that the three types of Tahr may not be related as closely as once figured, with the Himalayan Tahr being left in its own Genus, and the other two species moved to their own genera, which they did by borrowing a friend’s station wagon and getting an exboyfriend to help them shift all their stuff. I am so glad someone worries about this Genuses and that Genera and so on, and also glad that it is not me. This species of Tahr has been inadvertently introduced to habitats that it is not originally from (concealed in a pot plant), and a feral population in the South Island in the country of New Zealand, has become a particular pest, bro. Feral herds (FERAL HERDS) have been reported to cause damage to natural habitats due to their nature of browsing in video shops and eating many of the local vegetation that would otherwise be used by the native population of animals and Peter Jackson.

The Binomial name and species of the Himalayan Tahr is Hemitragus jemlahicus (gesundheit), with it being the sole member of its Genus Hemitragus. Hemitragus belongs to the Subfamily of Caprinae within the Tribe Caprini. In the Caprini Tribe the wild goat, domestic goat, domestic sheep, and the other members all voted the Himalayan Tahr off the island. Within the Subfamily it is related to the Musk ox, and takin of the Ovibovini Tribe, and the serows, gorals, mountain goats, and chamois of the Naemorhedini Tribe. Caprinae belongs to the Family Bovidae which are called the bovids. Time to shut up about that now.

Interesting Facts about the Himalayan Tahr 

The Himalayan Tahr has become such a pest in New Zealand that it is legal and encouraged to hunt them. There are still not many of them anywhere else.

A Himalayan Tahr inadvertently appeared in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. 

http://www.moviemistakes.com/film2638/page6/HimalayanTahr

Boring Facts about the Himalayan Tahr 

They are sort of  brown.

They have four legs.

They breathe air.

They may or may not float, I do not know if they can swim.

Sloths can swim though, sloths are excellent swimmers.