Deer goat antelope
| Deer goat antelope | ||||||||||||
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Male stag goat antelope in Velavadar National Park |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| antelope | ||||||||||||
| Pallas , 1766 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Antelope cervicapra | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The stag goat antelope ( Antilope cervicapra ) is an antelope from the group of gazelle-like (Antilopini) widespread in South Asia, within this it is most closely related to the real gazelles , especially the representatives of the genus Gazella . The stag goat antelope is the most common antelope in zoos . In the wild, however, it is far less common.
features
With a head body length of 120 cm, a shoulder height of 80 cm and a weight of 40 kg, the stag goat antelope is slightly larger than a deer . Their shape is typical of a gazelle . The comparison with deer and goats made in the German as well as in the scientific name is not particularly obvious.
The sexes show clear differences: only the males have horns. These are coiled like a screw, directed obliquely backwards and about 50, rarely even up to 70 cm long. The underside is white in both sexes, as are the insides of the legs and the area around the eyes. Females and young animals are otherwise light brown in color, while adult males are glossy black. The contrast between the top and bottom is particularly striking. The color develops in the first few years of life, during which it gradually becomes darker and darker.
distribution
The focus of the range is on India . Small populations also live in Nepal , and herds occasionally migrate to Pakistan . This antelope has become extinct in Bangladesh . Semi-wild stag goat antelopes also live in Texas and Argentina through human introduction . The habitat is open steppes, although occasionally not too dense forests are visited.
Way of life
Deer goat antelopes are diurnal grazing animals. However, they also occasionally eat leaves as well as herbs and shoots from bushes. In the hottest time of the year they limit their activities to dawn and dusk, otherwise they are out all day.
The females form herds of five to fifty animals. In earlier times, when this antelope was much more common, up to a thousand animals are said to have sometimes gathered. Males are territorial for at least part of the year. They claim all females who enter their territory and defend the territory vigorously against other males. Outside the mating season, the males join the female herds. In each herd there is usually only one adult male who drives the young males out of the herd. Although the horns can potentially inflict serious injuries, the fights are mostly ritualized and rarely bloody.
After a gestation period of six months, the female gives birth to a single cub. A stag goat antelope is sexually mature at the age of two, but the males are only strong enough to defend a territory and thus claim the right to mate when they are around six years old. The maximum age in the zoo is around twenty years. Even in the wild, individual females have been observed over a period of eighteen years. Males get less old.
According to new measurements, deer goat antelopes can reach speeds of 80 km / h. You can use it to outrun most of your enemies.
Threat and protection
Deer goat meat has always been eaten. European settlers began to hunt the animals for pleasure and adorned themselves with the fur and horns as trophies. Even today, hunting is the main reason for the massive decline in populations, along with habitat destruction. The stag goat antelope was once the most common ungulate on the Indian subcontinent. The population in India in the 19th century was about 4 million animals. In 1964 the low point was reached with 8,000 antelopes. After this, protective measures took effect, through which the population was able to grow back to 50,000 animals, most of which live in reserves such as Blackbuck National Park . The IUCN currently classifies the species as not endangered ( least concern ). According to Indian law, the stag goat antelope is strictly protected.
The wild stocks in Pakistan and Bangladesh are completely extinct. In Nepal, the stag goat antelope was thought to have been extinct, but in the 1970s a small population that had survived was discovered. About 200 antelopes live in Nepal today. The main area of distribution here is the Bardia National Park . They try to increase the stocks again by exposing them.
literature
- Tej Kumar Shrestha: Wildlife of Nepal - A Study of Renewable Resources of Nepal Himalayas. Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 2003, ISBN 99933-59-02-5
Web links
- Antelope cervicapra in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2018 Posted by: Mallon, 2017. Accessed April 5 2018th