Range Description

This species is endemic to the western part of the Great Caucasus Mountains in Georgia and Russia. Its range stretches in a narrow stripe from Tchugush Mountain massif (apprroximately 44ºN, 39º45?E) to the Balkar Cherek River headwaters on the north slope and Inguri River headwaters on the south slope (appr. 43ºN, 42º50?E), just east of the Mount Elbrus massif (Dinnik, 1910; Heptner et al., 1961; Kotov, 1966; Tsalkin, 1955; Vereshchagin, 1959). The present length of the range hardly exceeds 250 km. The distribution reaches its maximal width near Mount. Elbrus ? up to 70 km. Thus, the range of the West Caucasian tur is the smallest one among all the genus Capra.