[1] The Nubian ibex was first identified in modern science by Frédéric Cuvier in his 1825 Histoire naturelle des mammifères: avec des figures originales, coloriées, dessinées d'aprèsdes animaux vivans, in which he illustrated the animal with the label "Bouc sauvage de la Haute-Égypte" ("Wild goat of Upper Egypt").

[6] While it was referred to as its own species by some authors in the 19th[7][8] and early 20th Century,[9][10] the first widely recognized researcher to classify the Nubian ibex as a unique species, C. nubiana, was Hans-Peter Uerpmann in his 1987 book, The ancient distribution of ungulate mammals in the Middle East: fauna and archaeological sites in Southwest Asia and Northeast Africa.

[1] The earliest remains of Nubian ibex in Israel date back approximately 150,000 years to the Pleistocene, and they have been continually present in the region since then.

[6][12] In spite of the growing presence of livestock like domesticated goats over the last 10,000 years, Nubian ibex in the region have remained present throughout this time.

[13] However, their abundance has fluctuated over time in places like Ein Gedi, where they showed an increase in population in the Late Holocene between 949 and 5,164 years ago.

[14] Radiocarbon dated bones from archaeological excavations indicate that the Nubian ibex has been in a predator-prey relationship with the Arabian leopard throughout the Holocene.

The study's authors provide potential explanations for this discrepancy, including a possible ancient hybridization of the ancestors of the two Y-chromosome clades.

[1] Nubian ibex live in rough, dry, mountainous terrain, where they eat mainly grasses and leaves, especially from Acacia trees (Genus Vachellia).

[33][34] Female Nubian ibex in Oman have been recorded consuming small bone fragments (osteophagy), a common behavior in mammals to supplement calcium and phosphorus in their diet.

[44] They may host parasites including: the ibex fly (Lipoptena chalcomelanea), blood sucking lice (Linognathus africanus and Damalinia sp.

), ticks (Hyalomma rhipicephaloides, Boophilus annulatus, and others), mites (Psoroptes cuniculi and Sarcoptes scabiei), biting flies (Oestrus sp.)

[46] Nubian ibex have been detected with a strain of the malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) virus group of ruminant rhadinoviruses, closely related to caprine herpesvirus 2 (CpHV-2) found in domestic goats.

[55] In winter and early spring, the Middle East's rainy season, ibex often disperse to open plateaus where they can feed on new plant life.

A study of their retinal ganglion cell density shows that they share many traits with other artiodactyls: a temporal area, horizontal streak, and dorsotemporal extension.

They have a potentially unique dorsotemporal area of high ganglion cell density that benefits vision in the lower visual field, helpful for navigating varied terrain.

The spatial resolving power in their temporal area is 17 cycles/degree, meaning that they can distinguish objects as small as 3 mm (0.12 in) from a distance of up to 30 metres (98 ft), allowing for food identification and predator detection.

[61] Nubian ibex and other desert-dwelling ungulates have elevated isotopes of Nitrogen (δ15N) due to their diet of plants that grow in denitrified soils.

[63] Genetic analyses identify 22 positively selected genes in Nubian ibex, when compared to domestic goats (Capra hircus).

[65] Additional solar radiation mitigation adaptations include genes associated with hair follicle development and increased DNA repair mechanisms.

[66] In the 1970s, researchers in Lahav, Israel, began breeding and studying hybrids of Nubian ibex and domestic goats, called "Yaez" ("יעז").

[68] In a study on reproduction, researchers found that females were more likely to abort their young if they were first-time pregnancies and triplets (as opposed to smaller litters).

[70] The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the Nubian ibex as "vulnerable" on the basis that fewer than 10,000 mature individuals remain and the population is declining.

[1][71][72] Ecotourism and outdoor recreation may disturb ibex in nature reserves, causing them to change their behavior in order to avoid people.

[77][34] Their habituation leads to property damage, consumption of harmful substances like garbage, reproductive isolation from other subpopulations, and reduced antipredator behavioral responses.

[88] Three primary ibex populations exist in Israel: in the Negev Highlands, Eilat Mountains, and the Judaean Desert, which traverses into the Palestinian West Bank.

[1] Israel's Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) conducts an annual population count using visual surveys and trail cameras.

[121][122][123] The ibex's role in artwork has been suggested as representing literal acts like ritual hunts, as well as spiritual and metaphorical concepts such as resurrection, seasonal cycles of rain and drought, and the interplay of life and death.

[141][142] The ibex was one of many animals invoked in parables written by Medieval Jewish scholars, such as in Isaac ibn Sahula's Meshal ha-kadmoni ("Proverb of the Ancient").

[147] The Nubian ibex is the symbol of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and was chosen due to its iconic representation of Israeli wildlife, as well as for the resemblance of its rounded horn to a Roman arch, representing local archaeological history.

[151] Bedouin have traditionally hunted ibex for food and skin, and were often historically hired as hunters and guides by British and Egyptian officials.