Himalayan goral

Naemorhedus goral

Group: Big game
Size class: Medium (10–70 kg)
Family: Bovidae

Range

Asia

Habitat

Mountain

Range

Countries it is found in

5 countries

Bhutan
China
India
Nepal
Pakistan

Range from:ASM Mammal Diversity Database — read 2026-08-05

Chapter 01

Overview

The Himalayan goral (Naemorhedus goral), or grey goral, is a small goat-antelope of the Himalayas, found from Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan through Nepal, Bhutan and southern Tibet to Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in India, and possibly western Myanmar. It lives mainly in mountain forest and on cliffs, most commonly at 900–2,750 m, though in Pakistan it has been recorded from 1,000 to 4,000 m. The IUCN lists it as near threatened, as its numbers are thought to be falling significantly through habitat loss and hunting for meat. Pakistan held only about 370–1,017 animals in 2004, in seven isolated populations.

Chapter 02

Identification

A small, stocky goat-antelope 95–130 cm long, with a tail of up to 18 cm, a shoulder height of about 80 cm and a weight of 35–42 kg. The coat is grey or grey-brown, with tan to almost whitish legs, lighter patches on the throat and a single dark stripe along the spine; the winter coat is much thicker than the summer one. Males have a short mane on the neck. Both sexes carry short, backward-curving horns of 13–18 cm. Gorals differ from the closely related serows by lacking the preorbital glands below the eyes and the matching hollows in the skull.

Chapter 03

Behaviour

The goral is crepuscular, most active in the morning and late afternoon and in cool weather also at midday, resting through the day on a rock ledge. It is an exceptional climber, agile and fast, and its colouring camouflages it so well that it is very hard to spot as it lies still. It feeds on leaves, twigs, nuts and especially grasses. Groups of four to twelve hold home ranges of about 40 ha, while older males pair off or live alone and mark territories of 22–25 ha in the breeding season. After a gestation of 170–218 days the female usually bears one young, occasionally up to three, which is weaned at seven to eight months and matures at about three years; gorals live up to 15 years. The Himalayan wolf is a notable predator, along with leopard, lynx, tiger, dhole and martens.

Chapter 04

Hunting

Hunting, together with habitat loss, is the main threat to the goral, and the IUCN's near-threatened listing rests on hunting for meat among other pressures. It is listed on CITES Appendix I.

On the table