This twisty goat lives in the western Himalayas, in parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It’s endangered due to hunting for food and “traditional medicine,” warfare, and increasing competition with livestock. Hunting permits for the markhor can fetch quite a price: a couple of weeks ago some Norwegian paid US$81,200 for the right to kill one in Pakistan.

The word markhor comes from Farsi words for snake and eating, which is a little mysterious because goats don’t eat snakes. It could refer to the horns, which in their ribbony way are reminiscent of snakes.