FACTORS AFFECTING HORN GROWTH IN MALE SPANISH IBEX (CAPRA-PYRENAICA)

Variability of annual growth rate of the hom in Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica Schinz, 1838) was studied in a sample of 47 male skulls from Sierra de Cazorla, Spain. Assuming that each horn segment represents horn growth in a calendar year, three hypotesis can be put forward to explain the possible factors that introduce variation in the annual horn growth: determination by previous horn growth, age dependent growth, and environmental factors showed by a Xericity Index (XI). The results suggest that all three factors are related to annual horn growth variation, among them age being the best predictor.