East Caucasian tur
Capra cylindricornis
Overview
East Caucasian tur in Georgia
The East Caucasian tur (Capra cylindricornis), also called Daghestan tur or eastern tur, is a large wild goat in the family Bovidae. In Georgia it is mainly associated with the high mountains of the eastern Greater Caucasus. Sources name Tusheti, Khevsureti, the Kazbegi area, and the Lagodekhi part of the Caucasus. For identification, the heavy body, relatively short legs, and the large horns of adult males are especially useful. Unlike wild goat, the horn does not simply curve backward in a scimitar shape; it forms a more open spiral. According to IUCN, the species is globally Near Threatened, while Georgia’s 2014 Red List lists the Daghestan tur as Vulnerable (VU).
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Gallery
East Caucasian tur in photos
Photo: Nika Melikishvili
Lagodekhi ·
Georgia field photo
Photo: Nika Paposhvili
Lagodekhi ·
Georgia field photo
Photo: Nika Melikishvili
Lagodekhi ·
Georgia field photo
Photo: Nika Melikishvili
Lagodekhi ·
Georgia field photo
Photo: Nika Melikishvili
Lagodekhi ·
Georgia field photo
Identification
How to identify East Caucasian tur
A large wild goat with short legs, a heavy body, and large open-spiralled horns in adult males. In Georgia it is mainly associated with high, rocky environments of the eastern Greater Caucasus.
Size differs sharply by sex. According to general literature, female body length reaches about 138 cm, shoulder height about 85 cm, and mass about 56 kg. An adult male may be about 190 cm long, up to 104 cm at the shoulder, and up to 140 kg. These figures describe general species data, not a separately measured population in Georgia.
Adult males have a short beard. Coat colour changes by season, from dark brown to lighter rusty-brown tones. Females and young are usually more uniformly brownish. Male horns are rounded at the base, grow upward and outward, then curve downward and inward to form an open spiral. Female horns are much shorter.
Wild goat is a different wild goat. An adult male wild goat has long horns that curve farther backward in a scimitar shape, while the East Caucasian tur is more massive and male horns form an open spiral. Chamois (Rupicapra) is much smaller and has short, hooked horns. Roe deer and red deer belong to the deer family: males grow annually renewed antlers, not the permanent horns typical of goat-like bovids.
It is not venomous. In field identification, the most practical marks are large size, a heavy goat-like body, rocky high-mountain habitat, and the open-spiralled horns of adult males.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
In Georgia, the East Caucasian tur is associated with the high, rocky environments of the Greater Caucasus: alpine and subalpine meadows, scree, inaccessible slopes, and gorges. According to Tusheti Protected Landscape data, the summer range covers about 330 km² and extends from about 2,800 m elevation to the highest peaks. Many animals remain in nival and subnival areas that are difficult to reach. Their summer appearance on alpine meadows may be limited by intensive sheep grazing. The species’ full range covers the eastern Greater Caucasus: Georgia, Azerbaijan, and the North Caucasus of Russia. Tur is especially associated with rugged relief, safer slopes near cliffs, and relatively undisturbed places. This does not mean the species is evenly distributed across every high-mountain region of Georgia.
Diet
The East Caucasian tur is herbivorous. It feeds on grasses, alpine herbaceous plants, leaves, shoots, and low shrubs. Its diet changes with season and environment. In winter it may move to lower or less snowy slopes if snow cover and human disturbance allow. Detailed separate diet data for the Georgian population are not presented on this page.
Behavior
East Caucasian tur is active by day, though in hot seasons it often spends the midday hours in relatively sheltered places. Group composition changes by season and sex. Females form separate groups with young, young males gather together, and adult males are often found alone or with other males. At species level, the mating season is mainly linked to December-January, and young are born in late spring. These data refer to the whole range, not to a full calendar for a specific Georgian population. Cloven hoofprints may indicate the presence of tur, but reliable identification from tracks alone is difficult.
Conservation
According to the 2020 IUCN assessment, the East Caucasian tur is Near Threatened. Georgia’s 2014 Red List lists the Daghestan tur as Vulnerable (VU). The Tusheti Protected Landscape source estimates the local population at about 750 individuals and treats it as stable, but this is not a modern total for all of Georgia. The main threats named are illegal hunting, overgrazing by livestock on subalpine and alpine meadows, habitat fragmentation, and human disturbance. The effects of tourism, helicopters, and ski infrastructure may also be important in specific places. Studies show that the species is especially associated with rugged, less disturbed relief close to cliffs.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about East Caucasian tur.
Yes. The East Caucasian tur is a high-mountain mammal of Georgia’s eastern Greater Caucasus. Sources name Tusheti, Khevsureti, the Kazbegi area, and the Lagodekhi part of the Caucasus. It does not occur throughout all of Georgia.
Most realistically, it can be seen from a distance on high rocky slopes in the alpine and subalpine zones. Tusheti data describe the summer range from about 2,800 m elevation to the highest peaks. Getting close to a group is not worth it: it disturbs the animals and increases risk for people in rocky terrain.
Adult males have large open-spiralled horns, a heavy body, and relatively short legs. Wild goat horns curve backward more like a scimitar, while chamois is much smaller and has short, hooked horns.
General literature gives adult males up to about 104 cm at the shoulder and up to about 140 kg. Females are smaller, about 85 cm at the shoulder and up to 56 kg. A separate measurement series for the Georgian population is not presented on this page.
It is herbivorous. It feeds on grasses, leaves, shoots, and low shrubs, depending on season and environment. It is not a predator.
No. The East Caucasian tur is not venomous and does not perceive people as prey. Risk is mainly tied to getting too close on rocky slopes, chasing or disturbing an animal, or sending a dog toward it.
Yes. The East Caucasian tur is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on Georgia’s Red List, while IUCN assesses it globally as Near Threatened. Illegal hunting is named as one of its main threats.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Lortkipanidze & Weinberg 2020 — IUCN Red List, Capra cylindricornis
- ITIS — Capra cylindricornis, TSN 625137
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Capra cylindricornis
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — საქართველოს წითელი ნუსხა
- Tusheti Protected Landscape — აღმოსავლეთ კავკასიური ჯიხვი
- Weinberg 2002 — Capra cylindricornis, Mammalian Species
- Animal Diversity Web — Capra caucasica cylindricornis
- Gavashelishvili 2004 — Habitat selection by East Caucasian tur
- Gavashelishvili et al. 2018 — Modeling distribution and abundance of eastern tur
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
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