# What Do Ibexs Eat?

> What ibexs eat: Herbivore, foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Steep rocky mountain slopes.

- **Species:** Ibex (*Capra ibex*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Herbivore
- **Habitat:** Steep rocky mountain slopes
- **Lifespan:** 14–16 years in the wild
- **Top speed:** Around 50 km/h (31 mph)
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/ibex/what-do-ibex-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/ibex/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

An ibex is a wild mountain goat with long, backward-curving ridged horns, built for life on steep cliffs. The Alpine ibex of Europe can climb near-vertical rock faces and dam walls. Males carry the largest horns, and ibex typically live 14 to 16 years in the wild.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Master of steep terrain

Ibex are extraordinary climbers, using split, rubbery-edged hooves to grip tiny ledges on near-vertical rock. They are famous for scaling steep dam walls in the Alps to lick mineral salts from the stone, balancing in places few other large animals could reach.

## Help protect the Ibex

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/ibex/what-do-ibex-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.