|
|
| |
| Description
and Biology |
 |
Scientific
Name: Pantholops hodgsonii
Common Names:
Tibetan Antelope, chiru
Other Names:
Tsod (Tibetan), Zanglingyang (Chinese)
|
|
General Description: The Tibetan
antelope is the only genus of large mammal endemic to
the Tibetan Plateau. Morphological characteristics and
DNA analysis reveal that the species is most closely related
to the wild goats and sheep of the subfamily Caprinae.
Males are 80-85 cm (31-33 ins.) high at the shoulder,
weigh 35-40 kgs (77-88 lbs.) and have slender, slightly
curving black horns 50-60 cm (19-23 ins.) long. Females
are 75 cm (30 ins.) tall, weigh 25-30 kgs (55-66 lbs.)
and are hornless. Coloration ranges from white on the
belly to gray and reddish-brown; males display distinctive
black markings on the face and legs in the winter. More
than a million chiru may have roamed the Tibetan Plateau
at the beginning of the century, but the population has
been reduced by more than 90% -- principally due to poaching
-- and has been estimated to number less than 75,000.
Biology: Tibetan antelope are one of the world's hardiest
animals and can survive in -40 degree F temperatures.
Chiru can tolerate these extremes due to a layer of dense,
fine wool next to the skin, called "shahtoosh."
Females typically give birth to a single calf in June
or July after mating in late November or December. Survival
of young in the first year of life is low -- at least
two-thirds do not survive to age two; maximum lifespan
is up to 8 years. Chiru are mixed feeders, favoring a
diet of graminoid and forb species, with the percentage
of plants changing seasonally. Livestock and chiru may
compete for forage in overlapping range, since their diets
are similar.
Behavior:Chiru reproduction is characterized by seasonal
migration of females and yearlings. In May, male and female
chiru segregate, and adult females and their female offspring
migrate up to 300 kms (185 mis.) north to calving grounds,
while males tend to remain near their wintering grounds.
Chiru wintering areas are fairly well known, but most
calving areas are still not adequately documented or protected,
although they are regarded as essential for conserving
chiru populations. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
SHARE
4 NATURE
|
|
|
| - Wild Fact |
| - Green Tip |
| - Quiz |
| - Atricle |
| - Campaign |
| - Wild Photos |
| - Your Experience |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
