Ever seen an antelope with a trunk?
The distorted-looking nose of the Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica), is
probably its most distinctive feature, and it's thanks to this bulbous
snout that Saigas can live in the dry plains and semi-deserts of Central
Asian countries. In warm summers the nose filters the dusty air and in
the cold winters it warms the air before it's breathed in. Saigas reach
about 1-1.5 metres long and 0.8 at the shoulder, about the size of sheep.
When breeding seasons comes around, each Saiga male will attempt to
create himself a harem of around 5-10 females. Intense fights (sometimes
to the death) are fought for harems. Males devote their energy to
protecting their harems, even at the expense of grazing, and as a result
male mortality rates can reach over 90% simply due to exhaustion.
The Saiga is the only surviving member of its genus, and it's
critically endangered today. Until the 1990s the total Saiga population
was strong, reaching around a million individuals, but when the Soviet
Union collapsed poaching became rife. The loss of large numbers of
males, hunted for their horns (which are desired for - you guessed it -
traditional Asian medicine), created a massive drop in birth rates and
prevented the population recovering. Hopefully the programs which are in
place today will allow Saiga populations to recover.
Photo credit: Igor Shpilenok/NaturePL.
http://
http://www.arkive.org/
http://wwf.panda.org/
http://
Ever seen an antelope with a trunk?
The distorted-looking nose of the Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica), is probably its most distinctive feature, and it's thanks to this bulbous snout that Saigas can live in the dry plains and semi-deserts of Central Asian countries. In warm summers the nose filters the dusty air and in the cold winters it warms the air before it's breathed in. Saigas reach about 1-1.5 metres long and 0.8 at the shoulder, about the size of sheep.
When breeding seasons comes around, each Saiga male will attempt to create himself a harem of around 5-10 females. Intense fights (sometimes to the death) are fought for harems. Males devote their energy to protecting their harems, even at the expense of grazing, and as a result male mortality rates can reach over 90% simply due to exhaustion.
The Saiga is the only surviving member of its genus, and it's critically endangered today. Until the 1990s the total Saiga population was strong, reaching around a million individuals, but when the Soviet Union collapsed poaching became rife. The loss of large numbers of males, hunted for their horns (which are desired for - you guessed it - traditional Asian medicine), created a massive drop in birth rates and prevented the population recovering. Hopefully the programs which are in place today will allow Saiga populations to recover.
Photo credit: Igor Shpilenok/NaturePL.
http://
http://www.arkive.org/
http://wwf.panda.org/
http://
The distorted-looking nose of the Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica), is probably its most distinctive feature, and it's thanks to this bulbous snout that Saigas can live in the dry plains and semi-deserts of Central Asian countries. In warm summers the nose filters the dusty air and in the cold winters it warms the air before it's breathed in. Saigas reach about 1-1.5 metres long and 0.8 at the shoulder, about the size of sheep.
When breeding seasons comes around, each Saiga male will attempt to create himself a harem of around 5-10 females. Intense fights (sometimes to the death) are fought for harems. Males devote their energy to protecting their harems, even at the expense of grazing, and as a result male mortality rates can reach over 90% simply due to exhaustion.
The Saiga is the only surviving member of its genus, and it's critically endangered today. Until the 1990s the total Saiga population was strong, reaching around a million individuals, but when the Soviet Union collapsed poaching became rife. The loss of large numbers of males, hunted for their horns (which are desired for - you guessed it - traditional Asian medicine), created a massive drop in birth rates and prevented the population recovering. Hopefully the programs which are in place today will allow Saiga populations to recover.
Photo credit: Igor Shpilenok/NaturePL.
http://
http://www.arkive.org/
http://wwf.panda.org/
http://
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