Tibetan antelope
(scientific name: Pantholopshodgsonii):
national first-class protected animal ,
is a mammal of the order Order, Bovine family , and Tibetan antelope genus . The body length is 120-140 cm, the tail length is 14-16 cm, and the shoulder height is 65-70 cm. The male has straight and slender horns, about 55-62 cm long, and has obvious transverse edges near the base. Female is slightly smaller. The species has a wide and long head, a thick snout, a broad and slightly raised nose, and a swelling on both sides of the nasal cavity, making it hemispherical. Thick and dense back hair. The upper body is light brown, and the lower neck, chest, abdomen and the inner side of the limbs are all white. The dorsal fur is the same color, the tail side and tail tip are white, and the tail ventral surface is exposed.
is mainly distributed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region (Qinghai, Tibet and Xinjiang) centered on Qiangtang . A small number of Tibetan antelope is found in Ladakh area. The body shape is similar to that of celestial sheep, but it is larger than celestial sheep and also appears strong. The body length is 120-140 cm, the tail length is 14-16 cm, the shoulder height is 65-70 cm, and the weight is 45-60 kg. The hairs on the whole body are very thick and fine, light yellow-brown, slightly pink, with white on the abdomen and inner sides of the limbs, and the front edges of the male beast's face and limbs are black or black-brown. The head is wide and long, the male beast has thick and hairy snout, its upper lip is wide and thick, and there are no infraorbital glands. The nose is swollen and slightly raised, the nasal cavity is wide, and it is hemispherically bloated to both sides. The end of the nose is covered with hair, the nostrils are larger, and slightly bent downward. There is also a small sac in each nostril, which is designed to help breathe on a plateau with thin air to facilitate rapid running. The limbs are strong and well-proportioned, and the hooves are flat and pointed. The tail is short and the ends are sharp. The rat turtle has two symmetrical cystic rat turtle glands, which are very developed and can secrete fragrant yellowish-brown secretions.
female animal has no horns. The male beast has horns and special angular shapes, with more than 20 obvious transverse edges, which are slender and whip-like, black and shiny, almost vertically up from the top of the head, and only the smooth horn tips are slightly tilted inward. The length is generally about 60 cm, and the longest record is 72.4 cm, which is very beautiful. Because the two horns are very well-proportioned and from the side, they seem to have only one horn, so they are called " unicorn " or "one horned beast"
lives in high-altitude plains, desert meadow plateaus, plateau grasslands and other environments at an altitude of 3,250-5,500 meters. The undulating hills and mountain valleys are composed of mountains, desert grasslands and meadows, characterized by low vegetation coverage and low primary productivity. I especially like the flat grass beach near the water source. The areas where Tibetan antelope live have a span of 1,600 kilometers in the east and west. Most populations are highly migratory or nomadic, and can move up to 300-400 kilometers between summer and winter. Seasonal migration is an important ecological feature of them. Because the lambing sites of the female antelope are mainly in Ulan Ula Lake, Zhuonai Lake, , Keke Xili Lake, , Sun Lake and other places. The birthplace is chosen and preferred plain grasslands with gentle slopes, moderate density of grazing livestock, and only at low altitudes.
Tibetan antelope activities are very complicated. Some Tibetan antelopes will live in the same place for a long time, and some have the habit of migration. The activity patterns of female and male Tibetan antelope are different. Adult female Tibetan antelope and their female offspring migrate 300 kilometers each year from winter mating sites to summer lambing sites. Young male Tibetan antelope will leave the community and gather with other young or adult male Tibetan antelope until it eventually forms a mixed community. The Tibetan antelope live in the areas where the east and west spans 1,600 kilometers, and seasonal migration is an important ecological feature of them. Because the lambing places of female antelope are mainly in Ulan Ula Lake, Zhuonai Lake, Kekexili Lake, Sun Lake and other places, at the end of April every year, male and female antelope begins to live in groups, and young children under one year old will be separated from female antelope. By May and June, ewes and their female children migrate to the lambing land, and then female antelope leads the young children back the same way to complete a migration process.
Tibetan antelope migration may originate from a kind of "population collective memory". About 4,000 to 8,500 years ago, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was in a warm and wet period, and forests and shrubs extended across the Kokoxili area. Because Tibetan antelope prefers to inhabit open grasslands, their populations begin to migrate to the colder north.In winter, as the north is covered with large areas of snow, leaves in the Kokoxili and further south begin to fall off, and Tibetan antelope migrate south to feed. In this way, the seasonal migration has become a collective memory of Tibetan antelope populations and still affects their behavior today.
Tibetan antelope is timid and often hides in caves, or digs a small shallow pit in a flat place, hiding its entire body inside, revealing its head, which can not only hide from wind and sand, but also discover enemies. Tibetan antelope is good at running. There is a circular hole about 2 cm in diameter under the skin between its two hind legs. There is also a leather lid on the hole. When running, this hole inflates the skin of the hind legs into a skin bag, making it as light as flying. Its wide nasal cavity is conducive to breathing, so it can run on a plateau with thin air, with a speed of up to 80 kilometers per hour, which often makes carnivorous animals such as wolves sigh.
Tibetan antelope mainly forages in the early morning and evening. However, in winter and spring, when food conditions are relatively poor, their foraging time will be extended, so they can often be seen moving around during the day; in summer and autumn, when food is abundant, they will rest at the lakeside, river bank or lower depression at noon. Come out in the morning and dusk and go to the stream to feed the weeds of the grass family and the sedge family . Moss, needles with yellow flowers and pioneer lichens and other lower plants are their deliciousness. Usually, they form small groups of 3-5 or about 10. When they escape, they are in line with the male beasts and follow them in sequence. But sometimes it suddenly appears and runs like crazy, because maggot drills into its butt.
In addition, when the wolf suddenly approaches, the Tibetan antelope group often does not flee in all directions, but gathers together, lowers its head, and confronts the wolf with its long horns as a weapon, which often makes the wolf unable to start and has to give up.
late winter and early spring are mating seasons, male animals are in an excited state, their appetites are reduced, and their bodies are thin. Each male beast controls about 10-20 female animals and strictly guards it, so as not to let one female animal slip away or be taken away by other male animals.
If you find other male beasts approaching, you will stand up, lower your head and make a scream, and hit it with your horn. Interestingly, losers often turn around and run away for a while and slowly follow them, until they fail many times before they have to give up. Sometimes, male beasts will point their anus at the female beasts, and hit the ground with their hooves, lowering their heads, making contemptuous calls, indicating that they are no longer willing to command them. The female beasts can automatically disband and look for other male beasts.
This species has to travel thousands of miles to Kekexili for childbirth. Zhuonai Lake and Sun Lake have abundant water and grass, and few natural enemies. Rich food and a relatively safe environment are conducive to the production and growth of Tibetan antelope. The water quality of Zhuonai Lake and Sun Lake contains some special substances, which are conducive to the survival of Tibetan antelope mother and son. After Tibetan antelope is concentrated in lambing, it is possible to return to the population that was not the one where it was before. This will facilitate the communication between genes and increase the genetic diversity of of species, thereby helping the continuation of Tibetan antelope population.
The composition and number of Tibetan antelope herds will vary depending on gender and period. Female Tibetan antelope reaches sexual maturity between 1.5 and 2.5 years old, and after 7-8 months of pregnancy, usually gives birth to their first child between 2 and 3 years old. The young are born in mid-to-late June or late July, with one child per child. The mating period is usually between the end of November and December. Male Tibetan antelope generally needs to protect 10-20 female Tibetan antelope.
Origin: China (Xinjiang, Qinghai, Tibet) and India.
China is mainly distributed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, centered on Qiangtang, to the north of Lhasa, to the north of Kunlun Mountains, to the east of the northern part of the Changdu region in Tibet and southwestern Qinghai, and to the west of the Sino-Indian border.
