Luca Melcarne's Image

Luca Melcarne (France) makes the most of his mountain guide skills to reveal the fascinating lives of Alpine animals.

Luca stumbled across the small herd of Alpine ibex on his mountain ascent. Bracing himself against the snow-filled wind and using his bag as a tripod, he homed in on the only curve of colour in the white landscape.

The ridged horns of female ibex can reach up to 35 centimetres in length. They grow throughout their life and an individual’s age can be determined by counting the number of rings on its horns, with females known to live up to 22 years.