Markhor

The spiral horns

The markhor’s horns are among the most extraordinary of any wild goat. They grow in a tight, twisted spiral — corkscrew-shaped — and in large males can reach 160 cm. The tightness and direction of the spiral differs between subspecies: Astor markhors have flared, open spirals; Bukharan markhors have tighter corkscrews. The horns are present in both sexes but are much larger in males. Their function is primarily in male combat and status display.

Mountain life

Markhors are adapted for extreme terrain. Their hooves have hard outer edges and flexible inner pads that grip rock surfaces, allowing them to scale near-vertical cliff faces. They use inaccessible rock faces as refuge from snow leopards, wolves, and humans. Seasonal migration is driven by snow — in winter they descend to lower forest habitats; in summer they move to high alpine meadows. Their shaggy coat varies by season from short and reddish-brown in summer to long, grey, and silky in winter.

The snake eater myth

The Farsi name markhor translates roughly as “snake eater” — a reference to a local belief that the goat eats snakes and that watching a markhor chew its cud creates a foam that can be used to draw snake venom from wounds. The belief likely arose from the spiral, fang-like horns and the foam naturally created when markhors chew certain plants. Markhors do not eat snakes.

Conservation

After decades of hunting for trophies and for perceived medicinal properties, markhor populations declined severely in the 20th century. Trophy hunting programmes in Pakistan, which channel fees directly to local communities, have been credited with significant population recovery — a conservation model that aligns economic incentives with protection. The species was downlisted from Endangered to Near Threatened in 2015.