Diet While tooth morphology and tooth texture suggests that some earlier
Myotragus species may have been
grazers or mixed feeders (consuming both grass and browse), This plant is known for toxicity, with a high concentration of poisonous
alkaloid compounds, with other boxwood species known to cause toxic effects when ingested by other bovids, suggesting that the digestive system of
M. balearicus had developed the ability to effectively process and neutralise the toxins without ill effect. The smoothness of the coprolites suggests that digestion was highly efficient. The hollow skull cavity containing the brain (
cranial endocast) of
M. balearicus indicates that the areas of the brain and structures associated with vision, sound and smell are small when compared with living caprines, with the brain only being half the size of other comparably sized modern caprines, The smaller brain likely represents an optimisation to the animal's energy budget, as
neural tissue is energetically expensive to maintain, and better developed senses were unnecessary in a resource limited environment where there was little need to detect predators. later research suggested that this bone morphology is common to all ruminants and is not unique to
Myotragus. Based on counting the lines of arrested growth, it has been estimated that
M. balearicus reached maximum size (somatic maturity) and probably sexual maturity at 12 years of age. Analysis of the high-crowned teeth of
M. balearicus, shows that they grew more slowly than those of other caprines, with their last teeth erupting at approximately six years of age, likely as an adaptation to their longevity, though the rodent-like evergrowing lower incisor of
M. balearicus erupted early, both relative to the posterior teeth and in absolute age compared to other bovids. Based on skeletochronology and dental durability analysis, some individuals of
M. balearicus are likely to have reached a lifespan of 27 years, which is exceptionally long relative to its body size. The estimated mortality rates are substantially lower than those found for other members of Bovidae, with a large proportion of individuals surviving into old age. Newborn specimens of
M. balearicus are estimated to have been approximately in height with a weight of about , approximately 30% the height and 2% the bodymass of mature adult females, much lower than that of a typical ruminant, in which newborns are usually over half the height and over 4% the mass of their mother, with newborns of
M. balearicus having relatively short legs in comparison to those of other bovid newborns (with the long legs typical of newborn bovids thought to be an adaptation for immediate predator avoidance from birth). Compared to living caprines and other artiodactyls, the bones of newborn
Myotragus balearicus are more robust. Although the length of pregnancy and number of offspring given birth to at a time is not known for certain, given that
M. balearicus clearly had a
k-selected life strategy, it has been proposed that
M. balearicus only gave birth to a single (or perhaps exceptionally two) offspring at a time, and had a relatively long pregnancy length. It has been speculated that
Myotragus balearicus engaged in
rutting behaviour like living caprines. William H. Waldren argued that
Myotragus balearicus males likely engaged in ramming headbutt contests against rival males and that damage to a number of
M. balearicus skulls were as a result of injuries obtained during these contests. However, this proposal was met with skepticism by Damià Ramis and Pere Bover, due to the lack of evidence of impact protection features in the skull of
Myotragus, as well as the lack of agility in the limbs of
M. balearicus which would have made it unlikely that
M. balearicus males could impart enough force to cause damage to the skulls of other males. ==Extinction==