RISE ABOVE
BBC Wildlife|July 2022
Roaming the crags and sheer slopes of Western Europe's highest mountain range, the Alpine ibex is now thriving again having come perilously close to extinction
Emile Séchaud
RISE ABOVE

Cloud cover

A lone male ibex (known as a bouquetin in French-speaking regions of the Alps) stands sentinel above the clouds cloaking Lake Geneva in France's Haute-Savoie region. On this December dawn, at the peak of the mating season, he's on the lookout for females - hoping that at least one will be impressed by his hefty horns.

High and wild

A magnificent male grazes among shattered rocks beneath the Mont Blanc massif in south-west Switzerland. Living at altitudes up to 3,300m in summer across their Alpine range, these large goats - a big male can top 100kg at his pre-winter peak - prefer south-facing slopes and ridges.

Social climber

An ibex scales a stratified cliff-face in Haute-Savoie to join a cluster of females with kids above her; in summer, ibex form same-sex groups comprising several dozen individuals.

Horns of plenty

The curved, heavily ridged horns of male ibex grow to nearly 1m long and can weigh over 6kg - intimidating weapons used during bouts to establish a place in the local hierarchy and access to breeding females. Such a powerful creature will likely win more opportunities to mate than less well-endowed rivals.

Boys club

This story is from the July 2022 edition of BBC Wildlife.

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This story is from the July 2022 edition of BBC Wildlife.

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