The Tibetan antelope or chiru, Pantholops hodgsonii, is a medium-sized bovid native to the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Most of the population lives within the Chinese border, while some are scattered across India and Bhutan in high-altitude plains, hill plateau and montane valleys. Fewer than 150,000 mature individuals are left in the wild, but the population is currently thought to be increasing. In the 1980s and 1990s it had become endangered because of massive illegal poaching for its extremely soft, light, warm underfur, known as shahtoosh, which is used to weave luxury shawls. In September 2016 it was reclassified on the IUCN Red List from Endangered to Near Threatened because of the increased population.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) ThreatsBiological Resource Use 1 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Conservation Status Connections
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Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Tibetan antelope (Wikipedia)Lead, systemQuote, Lead, system
Most of the population lives within the Chinese border, while some are scattered across India and Bhutan in the high-altitude plains, hill plateau, and montane valley.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Tibetan antelope (Wikipedia)Distribution and habitatQuote, Distribution and habitat
They are found almost entirely in China, where they inhabit Tibet, southern Xinjiang, and western Qinghai; a few are also found across the border in Ladakh, India.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Tibetan antelope (Wikipedia)Lead, systemQuote, Lead, system
Most of the population lives within the Chinese border, while some are scattered across India and Bhutan in the high-altitude plains, hill plateau, and montane valley.
Sources
1. Tibetan antelope (Wikipedia)
Conservation
In September 2016, Tibetan antelope has been reclassified on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list from Endangered to Near Threatened due to the increased population.
Lead
The Tibetan antelope or chiru (Pantholops hodgsonii) (Tibetan: གཙོད་, Wylie: gtsod, pronounced [tsǿ]; Chinese: 藏羚羊; pinyin: zànglíngyáng) is a medium-sized bovid native to the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.
Behaviour
The Tibetan antelope feeds on forbs, grasses, and sedges, often digging through the snow to obtain food in winter.
Lead, threats
In the 1980s and 1990s, they had become endangered due to massive illegal poaching.
Reproduction
Although the lifespan of Tibetan antelopes is not known with certainty, since so few have been kept in captivity, it is probably around 10 years.
Lead, system
Most of the population lives within the Chinese border, while some are scattered across India and Bhutan in the high-altitude plains, hill plateau, and montane valley.
Distribution and habitat
They are found almost entirely in China, where they inhabit Tibet, southern Xinjiang, and western Qinghai; a few are also found across the border in Ladakh, India.
View the SourceArtiodactyla (Wikipedia)
In Group: Even-Toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), Inner systematicsQuote, In Group: Even-Toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), Inner systematics
The bovids (Bovidae) are the most species-rich family.
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