Gold takin

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Gold takin
Gold takin (Budorcas bedfordi)

Gold takin ( Budorcas bedfordi )

Systematics
without rank: Forehead weapon bearer (Pecora)
Family : Horned Bearers (Bovidae)
Subfamily : Antilopinae
Tribe : Goatsies (Caprini)
Genre : Takine ( Budorcas )
Type : Gold takin
Scientific name
Budorcas bedfordi
Thomas , 1911

The gold takin ( Budorcas bedfordi ), also known as the golden takin or Schensi-takin , is a large member of the horn-bearer family . It is characterized above all by its gold-colored to yellowish-white, very dense fur. Further characteristics are the short ears and the short, triangular tail as well as the outward and backward curved horns. The animals inhabit a small area in central China , where they occur in mountain forests at 1500 to 3600 m altitude. Depending on the altitude , they use mixed or coniferous forests and meadows as living space. They are crepuscular and diurnal. The social structure is relatively complex. There are core groups of mother and young animals that can form larger, but largely unstable herds. The groups undertake annual hikes. Over the course of the year, the Goldtakin changes altitude a total of four times; in spring and autumn it is in lower mountain regions than in summer and winter. The respective migratory movements are influenced by solar radiation and plant growth. Soft parts of the plant are mainly used as food, and the gold takin also regularly drinks water and looks for salt licks. Reproduction takes place in summer, the individual young are born in winter and thus in a relatively high mountain area. The gold takin was first observed by Western scientists during two expeditions to central China in 1909 and 1910. The first description followed two years later . The stocks are considered endangered.

features

Habitus

The gold takin has a head-trunk length of 1.70 to 2.20 m and a shoulder height of 1.07 to 1.40 m, the tail is only 7 to 12 cm long. The weight varies between 150 and 350 kg. With the dimensions given, the gold takin represents a comparatively large representative of the goat-like species. The animals have a very light, mostly gold-colored to yellowish-white, very dense fur, with greasy awns that cover the entire body. In winter, a very dense and fine undercoat also forms. Black hair spots appear characteristically on the mouth, knees, rear and tail, the latter is triangular short and bare on the underside. The short, stocky legs have large, wide, deeply split hooves. The head is rather small and sits on a short neck. He has a flat forehead that slopes slightly forward. The nose has large nostrils. The ears and eyes are relatively small. Males and females have dark-colored horns, which first rise vertically from the head for a short time, then bend outwards and finally point straight backwards. In males, the horns reach a length of up to 64 cm and a basal circumference of 38 cm, the tips are up to 91 cm apart. The females have 4 teats on the underside. The glands known from other horn carriers, for example between the toes or in front of the eyes, are missing in the takins, but instead they release an oily secretion that smells very strongly of "goat" from glands that extend over the entire body.

Skull features

The skull becomes a total of 39 to 44 cm long and in the area of ​​the eyes between 16.2 and 19.4 cm wide. Males have larger and wider skulls than females. The most noticeable difference to the other takins is the nasal bone , which appears shorter and less arched. The height of the nasal bone above the palatine bone averages 11.8 cm (in males), which is significantly lower than in the Sichuan takin ( Budorcas tibetana ).

distribution and habitat

Distribution map of the takins, the occurrence of the gold takin covers the eastern distribution area

The gold takin is restricted to the Qinling Mountains in the south of central China 's Shaanxi Province . Its distribution area extends in the west from Mount Ziboshan in Liuba County to the east to Niubeiliang in Zashui County . He lives in the high mountain regions from 1500 to 3600 m altitude. Depending on the altitude, the animals can be found in different types of vegetation. Mixed forests of pines and broad-leaved deciduous trees such as oak , poplar or birch dominate at an altitude of 1080 to 2200 m ; the undergrowth here is made of bamboo . In the subalpine zones from 2200 to 2900 m, pine, larch and birch predominate , while the subsoil is covered by rhododendrons , honeysuckles and sparrows . From an altitude of 2750 m, the forests gradually turn into meadow landscapes. As a rule, the animals prefer natural forest landscapes and avoid forest plantations and farmland as well as areas populated by humans. The total population was estimated at around 5070 individuals in 2001, with the three regions of Taibai, Ningshan and Zhouzhi being characterized by relatively large populations. Scientists estimated the population density in the Foping nature reserve in 1998 at 1.3 to 1.6 individuals per square kilometer with a total of 435 to 527 animals.

Way of life

Territorial behavior

a resting gold takin in Liberec Zoo

Through intensive studies in the Foping Nature Reserve in the 1990s and 2000s, the way of life of the gold takin has been well studied. In the summer months he lives diurnal and twilight, phases of special activity take place between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Overall, the animals are active around 70% of a 24-hour day, with most activities, more than three quarters, taking place between sunrise and sunset. The main feeding times are in the early morning and evening hours. The animals rest at night, but there was a phase of particular activity between 01:00 and 02:00. Animals in captivity have a similar behavioral pattern; observations have shown that about a third of the active time is spent resting, a quarter to a third each with eating and ruminating, and the rest with exercise. The values ​​vary somewhat with the age of an individual, as younger animals require longer feeding and shorter ruminating times than older animals.

The gold takin shows a relatively complex social behavior that includes various group formations. The mother animal forms the core group with the younger and older young animals, the male is not necessarily integrated. These individual core groups consist of an average of three members, they can join together to form larger herds, which sometimes also include male animals. All-male groups are extremely rare, but are more common in Sichuan takin . The largest herd observed in the Foping Nature Reserve consisted of 59 animals, but larger groups are often split up. Herds consist of an average of 14 to 18 members; half of all documented herds had more than 15 members. A core group of two animals (a mother with a calf) observed between 1995 and 1996 joined different groups over time. Their size varied from four (mother, two young animals and one calf) to over 20 members (5 male and female animals each, eight young animals, 3 calves). This suggests that the herd size of the Goldtakin is very unstable and that there is little cohesion. The groups often form on hikes and at feeding places and have so far mainly been observed in summer. Subadult animals in particular often change herds, possibly to develop their social skills. Males appear more often than solitary animals, this is mainly of great importance in the reproductive phase, as they can change groups several times and thus increase their chances of mating. However, individual females were also observed. In addition, sick animals are left behind when they can no longer keep up with the group.

During the year, the gold takin changes its altitude several times. In summer from June to August it stays at altitudes of 2200 to 2800 m, in winter from December to March it moves to lower altitudes around 1900 to 2400 m. However, he spends spring (April to May) and autumn (September to November) at even lower altitudes from 1400 to 1900 m. The ranges in summer and winter are about 2.3 to 6.6 km apart, those of spring and autumn about 0.3 to 0.8 km. In autumn the animals need about 23 days to descend from their summer quarters and about 5 days to ascend to the winter quarters. Conversely, the hikes take 15 or 12 days in spring. The relatively high-altitude wintering areas are unusual; as a rule, hoofed animals in the high mountains go to relatively low altitudes at this time of the year, for protection from snow or because of the available food resources. This may be influenced by the stronger solar radiation, as the animals also seek out the sunniest places in their current locations (southern slopes). This can minimize the higher cost of survival in winter. In addition, the bamboo bushes and forests offer protection from snow, while the branches and leaves serve as food. The descent into the valleys shortly before the beginning of spring enables the gold takin to reach the new roost when the plants are budding and so the most energetic parts of the plant are available.

Four observed animals in the Foping nature reserve, two females and two males each, showed activity areas between 35.2 and 98.5 km² in size over the year. Due to the high altitude hikes, only a certain proportion can be used. The average size was 11.1 km² in winter and 19.5 km² in summer. In contrast, it reached 26.9 and 22.1 km² in spring and autumn, respectively. It is noticeable that the areas of subadults are larger than those of adults. The individual action areas overlap, but territorial behavior of the animals has not been proven. The territories enclose the most diverse types of vegetation, which prevail depending on the altitude. Within the seasonal action areas there is a different preference for different types of landscape according to gender. Male animals, for example, use bush landscapes more often in winter and coniferous and mixed forests in spring. Female animals, on the other hand, are more likely to be found in wooded areas in winter, while they visit mixed and deciduous forests in spring. The causes for this different habitat selection have not been fully researched, but are partly related to gender-specific behavior, diet and physical condition.

nutrition

Eating gold takin

The gold takin feeds on soft parts of plants ( browsing ) such as twigs , buds and leaves , but also bark when food is scarce , a total of 161 different food plants are known. Of this, 62.7% come from trees and shrubs, 32.9% from herbaceous plants and 4.4% from mosses . He regularly drinks water or licks snow to meet his water needs. In order to supply themselves with additional minerals, the animals look for salt licks, which strongly influences the movement patterns and the territorial size. The muscular physique allows them to reach food in a number of ways. The animals can stand on their back legs or bend young trees with their bodies and hold them tight with their front legs. Individual animals were observed ramming and breaking young trees with their heads. Likewise, some individuals kneeled down to eat deeper-lying food. The plant parts are usually plucked off with the lips. In groups, a fully grown female signals the departure from the feeding grounds by a barking noise.

Reproduction

Cub of the gold takin

The rut takes place from June to August. Male animals fight among themselves for mating privilege. They woo the female animals by chasing, sniffing and pleading . The gestation period is around 220 days, so that the individual calf is born in February or March. The birthplaces are located in deciduous forests on southern slopes at an altitude of 2000 to 2400 m and have less than 5% snow cover, and some are also located in pine forests. The females give birth to their individual young in hiding places of 6.8 by 4.7 m, which are against the slopes or cut off by bamboo thickets. The calf is darker in color and, in contrast to the adult animals, has a noticeable strip of hair along the center line of the back. It can follow the mother shortly after the birth and remains in the herd. The relationship between mother and young is very close in the first few days, both of which are no more than three body lengths apart. From the seventh day onwards, the mother's attention decreases significantly. Very young calves suckle once an hour for an average of five minutes. As the young animal gets older, this is reduced to around two to three times a day, mostly during the day, sometimes also at night. The females reach sexual maturity at 4½ years, the males only at 5½ years. The maximum age in the wild is around 16 years.

Predators and enemy behavior

Natural enemies include the leopard and red dog . Because of its way of life in forests, the gold takin primarily uses its hearing to detect danger, and less often its sense of sight or smell . Alarmed animals put their ears up and stand still for around 18 seconds. As a rule, alarm sounds are then called out. In response to impending danger, the group moves closer together or attacks the potential threat, but in the majority of cases they flee. When threatened, it can leave its home area for up to 22 hours and travel up to 5 km. Larger groups then sometimes split up.

Systematics

Internal system of takins according to Li et al. 2003
 Budorcas  

 Budorcas taxicolor


   

 Budorcas tibetana 


   

 Budocas bedfordi




Template: Klade / Maintenance / Style
Oldfield Thomas

The gold takin is a species from the genus of the takins ( Budorcas ) within the tribe of the goat-like (Caprini). The goat-like in turn represent a diverse group of the horned bearer family (Bovidae) and belong to the subfamily of the Antilopinae . There are different kinship lines among the goat-like. The takins have a closer genetic relationship to the goats ( Capra ), to the mountain goat ( Oreamnos ), to the chamois ( Rupicapra ) and to the various forms of the blue sheep ( Pseudois ), all of which are occasionally summarized as the lower tribus of the Caprina. There is no closer relationship to the musk ox ( Ovibos moschatus ; Untertribus Ovibovina), partly based on morphology . The takins today contain a total of four types, which are restricted to southern and eastern Asia . Originally they were grouped into one type, the takin, with the mishmi-takin ( Budorcas taxicolor ) as the nominate form . A revision of the hornbeams, published in 2011 by Colin Peter Groves and Peter Grubb , recognized all subspecies as separate species. Molecular genetic data published in 2003 and carried out on the three forms found in China confirmed the existence of three distinct lines of development that largely correspond to the morphologically defined species. The gold takin is closely related to the Sichuan takin ( Budorcas tibetana ).

The first scientific description of the gold takin was created in 1911 by Oldfield Thomas . Thomas used a fully-grown female animal 193 cm long, which Malcolm Anderson had shot in mid-January 1910 on Taipeisan at an altitude of around 3,050 m in the Chinese province of Shaanxi . Anderson was a participant in an expedition to central China that took place under the auspices of Herbrand Arthur Russel , eleventh Duke of Bedford . Thomas named the species in honor of the client. Two years earlier, Joel Asaph Allen had presented some animals from Alan Owston's collection, which is in the holdings of the American Museum of Natural History . The animals were also picked up at Taipeisan in the same year. But they all assigned them to the Sichuan takin. In his first description, Thomas stated that the gold takin lives relatively isolated from the nearest stocks of takins. He attributed Allen's assignment to the young animals that were available to him and which are significantly darker in color than the adult individuals. Anderson informed Thomas by letter that the gold takin occurs in larger herds on the Taipeisan, and that he himself had observed groups of up to 40 individuals.

Hazards and protective measures

a gold takin in the Dresden Zoo

The IUCN does not yet list the gold takin as an independent species, but as a subspecies of the takin ( Budorcas taxicolor ) and classifies it overall as "endangered" ( vulnerable ). The main threat to this species is illegal hunting and habitat fragmentation due to the expansion of human settlements and agricultural land. To protect the gold takin, various protected areas have been designated in its habitat. The takins are listed in Appendix 2 of the CITES Agreement. The gold takin is also successfully bred in zoos ( e.g. in Liberec in the Czech Republic and in the Dresden Zoological Garden).

literature

  • Colin P. Groves and David M. Leslie Jr .: Family Bovidae (Hollow-horned Ruminants). In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 2: Hooved Mammals. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2011, ISBN 978-84-96553-77-4 , p. 714
  • Oldfield Thomas: The Duke of Bedford's zoological exploration of eastern Asia. XIV. On mammals from southern Shen-si, Central China. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1911, pp. 687–695 ( [6] ), abstract pp. 26–27 ( [7] )
  • Zhi-Gao Zeng, Wen-Qin Zhong, Yan-Ling Song, Jun-Sheng Li and Feng Guo: Group size, composition and stability of golden takin in Shaanxi Foping Nature Reserve, China. Folia Zoologica 51 (4), 2002, pp. 289-298

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Oldfield Thomas: The Duke of Bedford's zoological exploration of eastern Asia. XIV. On mammals from southern Shen-si, Central China. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1911, pp. 687-695, abstract pp. 26-27
  2. ^ A b John F. Neas and Robert S. Hoffmann: Budorcas taxicolor. Mammalian Species 277, 1987, pp. 1-7 ( [1] )
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Colin P. Groves and David M. Leslie Jr .: Family Bovidae (Hollow-horned Ruminants). In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 2: Hooved Mammals. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2011, ISBN 978-84-96553-77-4 , p. 714
  4. ^ A b Colin Groves and Peter Grubb: Ungulate Taxonomy. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011, pp. 1–317 (SS 108–280)
  5. ^ A b Zhi-Gao Zeng, Wen-Qin Zhong, Yan-Ling Song, Jun-Sheng Li and Feng Guo: Group size, composition and stability of golden takin in Shaanxi Foping Nature Reserve, China. Folia Zoologica 51 (4), 2002, pp. 289-298
  6. ↑ a b Wen-Bo Yan, Zhi-Gao Zeng, Hui-Sheng Gong, Xiang-Bo He, Xin-Yu Liu, Kai-Chuang Si and Yan-Ling Song: Habitat use and selection by takin in the Qinling Mountains, China . Wildlife Research 43 (8), 2017, pp. 671-680
  7. ↑ Zhi-Gao Zeng, Yan-Ling Song and Hui-Sheng Gong: Population size and age structure of golden takin in Foping Nature Reserve. Acta Theriologica Sinica 18 (4), 1998, pp. 241-246
  8. ^ A b Y. L. Song, AT Smith and J. MacKinnon: Budorcas taxicolor. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008. e.T3160A9643719 ( [2] ); last accessed on April 18, 2017
  9. ^ Zhi-Gao Zeng and Yan-Ling Song: Daily Activity Rhythm and Time Budget of Golden Takin in Spring and Summer. Acta Theriologica Sinica 21 (1), 2001, pp. 7-13
  10. ↑ Wei Chen, Qi Shen, Qing-yi Ma, Guang-lin Pan and Chu-zhao Lei: Diurnal activity rhythms and time budgets of captive Qinling golden takin (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi) in the Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi, China. Journal of Forestry research 18 (2), 2007, pp. 149-152
  11. ↑ a b Xue-Zhi Wang, Yan-Ling Song, Zhi-Gao Zeng, Hui-Sheng Gong, D.-H. Zhao and N.-X. Zhao: The relation of rutting behavior and social status of male golden takin (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi). Acta Theriologica Sinica 26 (1), 2006, pp. 33-37
  12. ↑ Yan-Ling Song and Zhi-Gao Zeng: Observation on group types of golden takin (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi). Acta Theriologica Sinica 19 (2), 1999, pp. 81-88
  13. ^ Zhi-Gao Zeng and Yan-Ling Song: Preliminary observation on the phenomena of solitary individuals in Golden takin (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi) in Qinling Mountain ranges. Acta Theriologica Sinica 19 (3), 1999, pp. 169-175
  14. ↑ Zhi-Gao Zeng, Andrew K. Skidmore, Yan-Ling Song, Tie-Jun Wang and Hui-Sheng Gong: Seasonal Altitudinal Movements of Golden Takin in the Qinling Mountains of China. Journal of Wildlife Management 72 (3), 2008, pp. 611-617
  15. ^ Zhi-Gao Zeng, Pieter SA Beck, Tie-Jun Wang, Andrew K. Skidmore, Yan-Ling Song, Hui-Sheng Gong and Herbert HT Prins: Effects of plant phenology and solar radiation on seasonal movement of golden takin in the Qinling Mountains, China. Journal of Mammalogy 91 (1), 2010, pp. 92-100
  16. ↑ Yan-Ling Song, Zhi-Gao Zeng, Jian Zhang, Xue-Jie Wang, Hui-Sheng Gong and Kuan-Wu Wang: Home range of golden takin (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi) in Foping Nature Reserve, Shaanxi, China. Acta Theriologica Sinica 20 (4), 2000, pp. 241-249
  17. ↑ Zhi-Gao Zeng, Yan-Ling Song, Wen-Qin Zhong, Hui-Sheng Gong, J. Zhang and G.-D. Dang: Food habits of golden takin. Chinese Journal of Zoology 36 (3), 2001, pp. 36-44
  18. ^ Zhi-Gao Zeng and Yan-Ling Song: Habit of licking salt soil of Qinling takin (Budorcas taxicolor). Chinese Journal of Zoology 33 (3), 1998, pp. 31-33
  19. ↑ Zhi-Gao Zeng, Wen-Qin Zhong, Yan-Ling Song, Hui-Sheng Gong, X.-J. Wang and K.-W. Wang: Feeding behavior of golden takin. Chinese Journal of Zoology 36 (6), 2001, pp. 29-32
  20. ↑ Xue-Zhi Wang, Yan-Ling Song, Zhi-Gao Zeng, Hui-Sheng Gong and N.-X. Zhao: Characteristics of birth-site and early mother-infant relationship of the golden takin Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi. Acta Zoologica Sinica 51, 2005, pp. 748-752
  21. ^ Ai-Li Kang and En-Di Zhang: Behavioral observations on the mother / offspring relationship in Takins in captivity. Chinese Journal of Zoology 36 (2), 2001, pp. 19-22
  22. ↑ Zhi-Gao Zeng and Yan-Ling Song: Observation on defending behaviors of the Golden Takin. Acta Theriologica Sinica 18 (1), 1998, pp. 8-14
  23. ↑ a b Ming Li, Fuwen Wei, Pamela Groves, Zoujian Feng and Jinchu Hu: Genetic structure and phylogeography of the takin (Budorcas taxicolor) as inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences. Canadian Journal of Zoology 81, 2003, pp. 462-468
  24. ↑ Alexandre Hassanin, Anne Ropiquet, Arnaud Couloux and Corinne Cruaud: Evolution of the Mitochondrial Genome in Mammals Living at High Altitude: New Insights from a Study of the Tribe Caprini (Bovidae, Antilopinae). Journal of Molecular Evolution 68, 2009, pp. 293-310
  25. ↑ Alexandre Hassanin, Frédéric Delsuc, Anne Ropiquet, Catrin Hammer, Bettine Jansen van Vuuren, Conrad Matthee, Manuel Ruiz-Garcia, François Catzeflis, Veronika Areskoug, Trung Thanh Nguyen and Arnaud Couloux: Pattern and timing of diversification of Cetartiodactalia, Lauriala (Mammia ), as revealed by a comprehensive analysis of mitochondrial genomes. Comptes Rendus Palevol 335, 2012, pp. 32-50
  26. ↑ Fayasal Bibi: A multi-calibrated mitochondrial phylogeny of extant Bovidae (Artiodactyla, Ruminantia) and the importance of the fossil record to systematics. BMC Evolutionary Biology 13, 2013, p. 166
  27. ↑ Hui Feng, Chengli Feng, Lu Wang and Yuan Huang: Complete mitochondrial genome of the golden takin (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi). Mitochondrial THEN Part B 1 (1), 2016, pp. 186–188
  28. ↑ M. Pasitschniak-Arts, PF Flood, SM Schmutz, S. Tedesco and B. Seidel: The phylogenetic relationship of the muskox and takin based on high resolution, G-banded, chromosome analysis. Rangifer 12 (3), 1992, pp. 203-205
  29. ↑ Don E. Wilson and DeeAnn M. Reeder: Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005 ( [3] )
  30. ^ Joel Asaph Allen: Mammals from Shen-si Province, China. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 26 (29), 1909, pp. 425–446 ( [4] )
  31. ↑ Zoo animal list ( [5] ), last accessed on April 29, 2017

Web links

Commons : Goldtakin  - collection of images, videos and audio files