The national animal of Pakistan is the markhor. This is a large species of Capra native to Central Asia, known as the “screw-horned” goat in local langauages. The word “markhor” means “snake eater”, referring to an old belief that the animal would eat snakes. Their horns are extremely unique and impressive and they are an important national symbol.
The markhor may be a humbler beast than the national animals of other countries like lions or tigers, but they are nonetheless beautiful and majestic animals in their own right and they are very important to Pakistani nationality and culture.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Pakistan?
The national animal of Pakistan is the markhor.
This is a species of Capra, or goat, native to central Asia. Capra, of course, is a wider genus that includes many different species.
The domestic goat is its own species within that larger genus, as is the Markhor.
The scientific name of the markhor is Capra falconeri.
They are fairly large and are most distinguished by their enormous, twisting horns which have earned them the name “screw-horned goat” in Pakistani languages.
They generally stand between 26 and 45 inches high at the shoulder, being 52 to 73 inches long and weighing anywhere from 70 to 250 pounds.
They tend to have grizzled, light brown coats that are short in the summer and grow long and thick for the winter.
They are highly sexually dimorphic, meaning that the males and females are very different.
Both males and females, though, crucially, have the twisting horns.
The horns of the females, though, are considerably smaller than the males.
They are well adapted to mountains terrain and are usually found 2000 to 11,000 feet in elevation.
They prefer scrub forests of oaks, pines and junipers.
They will shift their diets seasonally, eating whatever is available at that time of year: they tend to graze in the spring and summer but will browse in the winter.
They will also mate during the winter so that the females give birth in the spring.
Mating season is when the horns come into use, as they are used by males competing for female attention.
They will lock horns and lunge at one another in order to push each other off balance.
Markhor, though, do live in herds, typically up to ten individuals, usually comprising an adult female and her young.
Why, then, is this the national animal of Pakistan?
Why is the markhor the national animal of Pakistan?
There are a number of things that the markhor signifies to the Pakistani people.
It is meant on the one hand to signify the military capability of the Pakistani army, due to their long, powerful horns.
Due to old myths about them eating snakes, which we will look at shortly, this is also part of the metaphorical military connection.
Beyond that, though, the fact is that you may get different answers from different people about why the markhor is the national animal.
Markhors are not much found outside of Pakistan, so they are in that sense a very unique symbol of the country that you won’t see much elsewhere.
They are incredibly striking and their horns look like something designed rather than something out of nature.
They are, simply, a unique piece of natural beauty and this has made them the focus of human imagination in Pakistan.
They have of course existed alongside people in Pakistan for as long as people have lived there, so it is almost harder to imagine them not playing a part in national culture and identity.
Where exactly the markhor can be found today is an important question in understanding its role in Pakistani culture.
Is the markhor only found in Pakistan?
The vast majority of the markhor population are found in Pakistan, but not all of them by any stretch.
They can be found in many parts of Central Asia, including the Himalaya, Afghanistan, India, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
So, they do have a large range and undoubtedly they once roamed much further; they were a favorite animal to hunt during the British occupation in Pakistan and this led them to the brink of extinction.
Today, they are near threatened, meaning they have bounced back but not to anything like their past numbers.
It is, then, a point of pride for Pakistan that most markhor live there.
Why is it called the markhor?
The word markhor in Urdu, a language spoken in Pakistan, means “snake eater”.
This references the belief that because of a markhor’s twisted horns, resembling snakes, that there was a connection between the two animals and that markhor would even eat snakes.
Of course, they don’t eat snakes.
But the local, Pakistani name for the goats actually translates to “screw-horn” which is a much clearer reference to the shape of their horns.
So, the locals may not actually refer to it as the markhor at all but rather as the screw-horn.
These animals are certainly very beautiful and impressive, then, and it’s easy to see why Pakistan would choose it as a national symbol.
The twisted horns of these goats are like nothing else in nature and have inspired many bizarre myths about these impressive creatures.
Today they remain a very important part of Pakistani culture and are a vital national symbol. Markhors may not be a brave lion, but they are a sight to behold nonetheless.