Scientific Classification

KINGDOM: Animalia

PHYLUM: Chordata

CLASS: Mammalia

ORDER: Artiodactyla

FAMILY: Bovidae

GENUS: Naemorhedus

Goral (Naemorthedus griseus) feeding on leaf and looking at the camera
Close Up of a Chinese Goral in the Sun
The goral is small ungulates with a goat-like or antelope-like appearance
Central Chinese goral (Nemorhaedus caudatus arnouxianus)

Himalayan Goral

Long-tailed Goral, Red Goral, and Chinese Goral

Gorals grow 20-30 inches tall, 30-50 inches long, and up to around 90 pounds, with males being the larger sex. Coat coloration differs slightly between the four subspecies, but they range from light grey to dark reddish-brown, with lighter patches on their throat and underside, and a dark stripe down their back. Goral coats become coarse and woolly during the winter to protect them in their cold habitats.

Another noticeable trait of gorals is their backwards-facing horns. Both sexes have them, but a male’s horns can reach a length of 9 inches, while a female’s are a little shorter at 7.5 inches. Even though the gorals have sharp horns, they don’t use them for protection against predators. If a goral senses danger, they will make a hissing noise to alarm other gorals in the area. They can escape either by playing dead since their coat helps them blend into the terrain, or by fleeing as they can easily navigate the mountainous landscape and clear obstacles over seven feet tall!
Gorals are medium-sized wild goats that resemble antelopes. There are four species of goral in the wild that mainly inhabit the steep, dry rocky hills or coniferous forests of Nepal, China, and India. Some species can even be found as high up as 13,000 feet! Gorals have their own territories, but you can often find serows overlapping the goral grounds. The serow is another species of goat in the same family as the goral; however, goral can usually be found at higher elevations.
Goral are more active during the day and will spend the night in high up places or under the safety of sheltered ledges. Their broad hooves allow them to climb and reach the vegetation growing on the rough terrain. Gorals have an herbivorous diet consisting of grass, shrubs, leaves, and lichens. Like most ungulates, they have a four-chambered stomach; the four chambers provide the room and support necessary to digest large amounts of plants.
Mating season for gorals usually occurs at the end of the year right before winter. Males are the ones that attract the females by releasing a waxy substance from their feet. Male gorals will fight for females with their horns, which can inflict serious injuries. Once a female goral is pregnant, she will carry her baby for about six months before giving birth to a single kid. Goral kids can walk only an hour after being born and have no problem keeping up with their mother on the rough terrain!

Gorals have their own territories, but you can often find serows overlapping the goral grounds. The serow is another species of goat in the same family as the goral; however, goral can usually be found at higher elevations.