Takins
| Takins | ||||||||||||
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Sichuan Takin ( Budorcas tibetana ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Budorcas | ||||||||||||
| Hodgson , 1850 |
The takins ( Budorcas ) are a genus of mammals living in Asia from the group of goats (Caprini). Especially in older literature to-find names like Rindergemse or Gnuziege point to the almost bovines animal back shape.
features
Takins are stocky, clumsy looking animals. They reach a head and trunk length of 1 to 2.4 meters, the tail is 7 to 12 centimeters long and the shoulder height is 70 to 140 centimeters. The weight is 150 to 400 kilograms. Both sexes have relatively massive horns, which are also reminiscent of those of the wildebeest . These grow close to the apex of the head, protrude outwards first, and then bend backwards and upwards. The coat color is different regional and ranges from golden ( Goldtakin ) via red-yellowish brown tones ( Sichuan Takin ) to grayish red brown ( Bhutan- and Mishmi Takin ). A dark line of eel runs down the back and is clearly visible in all species except for the gold takin. The winter fur of the Sichuan takin is significantly darker than in summer and has black tints. Variations occur as sexual dimorphism in the two southern subspecies on the one hand due to the contrasting coloring of the males and on the other hand due to the horn tips of adult females, which are strongly curved backwards. Below the chin, the fur is elongated into a beard. The legs are comparatively short and strong, the hooves wide. These are equipped with a total of five claws, of which the 2nd and 5th are particularly well developed.
distribution and habitat
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The takins are native to the mountainous regions of the eastern foothills of the Himalayas , such as northeast India , Bhutan , northern Myanmar and southwest China , where they inhabit eastern Tibet and parts of the provinces of Gansu , Shaanxi , Sichuan and Yunnan . Depending on the region, the altitude is between 1500 and 3500 meters above sea level. A significant migration of the animals and the associated different altitude tendencies illustrate the difference between summer (up to 4000 meters) and winter time, in which valley regions with an average of 1000 meters above sea level are usually visited. The habitats, which are constantly surrounded by rocks, represent dry grasslands as well as coniferous forests and subtropical areas.
Lifestyle and diet
Takins tend to look for food in the early morning and late afternoon, and in cooler weather also during the day. Fixed paths are often used that lead to important salt and mineral springs, among other things. In summer they form large herds of up to 300 animals and consist of females, juveniles and young males. Old bucks are solitary and only briefly join a herd in late summer to mate. Towards winter the herds break up into many smaller groups that are only three to twenty animals in size.
They are nourished by leaves of bushes and trees in summer, branches and coniferous leaves in winter.
Reproduction
In the northern range, the mating season is between June and August, the birthing season between February and March. After a gestation period of seven to eight months, the female usually gives birth to a single young, twins are rare. The young can follow their mother after a few days and start eating solid food after one to two months. It is finally weaned at around nine months, and sexual maturity occurs at 2.5 years of age.
Systematics
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Internal systematics of Caprini according to Bibi 2013
In Bibi 2013 the Nilgiri-Tahr ( Nilgiritragus ) was not taken into account and its position was added after Ropiquet and Hassanin 2005. |
The position of the takins in the goat-like system was not clear for a long time. Due to a similarly massive body structure and certain similarities in the construction of the skull, the musk ox was sometimes considered to be its closest relative, which is now the sub-tribus of the Ovibovina. Investigations of the mitochondrial DNA suggest, however, that the takins are more closely related to the sheep and thus belong to the sub-tribus of the Caprina. Their similarity to the musk ox therefore represents an example of convergent evolution .
There are four recent types:
- Gold takin ( Budorcas bedfordi Thomas , 1911); occurs only in the Qinling mountain range in the Chinese province of Shaanxi. Particularly noticeable is the shiny golden fur, which only appears in young animals when they reach sexual maturity. This species is considered rare and was only present in the 1990s with around 5000 specimens. There are a total of 13 national parks in the distribution area.
- Mishmi takin ( Budorcas taxicolor Hodgson , 1850); inhabits southeastern Tibet, the southwest of the Chinese province of Yunnan and the adjacent parts of northeastern India and northern Myanmar. Hunting is the main threat of this species. It is also rare.
- Sichuan takin ( Budorcas tibetana Milne-Edwards , 1874); occupies the eastern part of the highlands of Tibet, where the distribution extends from the Min Mountains via Sichuan and Gansu south to the Qionglai Mountains west of Chengdu (Sichuan) to the province of Yunnan. There it shares its habitat with the giant panda and the golden snub noses , which are now represented in a total of 20 national parks in this region due to their popularity.
- Bhutan takin ( Budorcas whitei Lydekker , 1907); occurs in Bhutan and neighboring regions of India and China. They are very similar to the mishmi takin, but the horns are closer together.
The gold takin, the Sichuan takin and the Bhutan takin were originally considered subspecies of the takin ( Budorcas taxicolor ) with the mishmi takin as the nominate form . Genetic analyzes on animals from China confirmed the existence of at least three lines which roughly correspond to the morphologically determined forms (Mishmi-Takin, Sichuan-Takin, Goldtakin; the Bhutan-Takin was not considered in the study). Based on this and including anatomical features of the skull, Colin Peter Groves and Peter Grubb raised all recent subspecies to the status of species in a revision of the hornbeams from 2011. In addition, Budorcas taxicolor lichii, another form, was described in 1948 , but it has become extinct. Her status is currently unclear.
There is also an extinct species:
- Budorcas teilhardi Young , 1948
Names
The singular of takin is the takin.
Tribal history
The genus Budorcas first became tangible in the late Pliocene around 4 million years ago. Individual finds come from Yuci near Taiyuan in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi . These early takins were still relatively generalized, the horns had rounded bases and ended with an additional curvature at the top. The finds were first published in 1938 by Teilhard de Chardin and ten years later by Chung-Chien Young under the name Budorcas teilhardi . Subfossil is also the form Budorcas (taxicolor) lichii . It was discovered at the archaeological site of Houchiachuang near Anyang in the northern Chinese province of Henan and dates back to the time of the Shang Dynasty around 1000 BC. A pair of horns was found that resemble the horns of today's species, especially the Sichuan takin. However, the horns of the subfossil form are smaller and the tips curved slightly differently. The current closest occurrence is gold takin. Possibly, Budorcas (taxicolor) lichii is one of the last representatives of the takins, the north of the Yellow River occurred. Individual later indications can be found in the form of engravings on silver fittings, for example from Kurgan VI of the burial ground of Noin Ula in Mongolia, which dates back to the 1st century BC. Belongs to BC, but an interpretation as a yak is also being considered.
Takins and human
The main threats to the takins are habitat destruction and hunting. The IUCN lists the species as endangered ( vulnerable ).
Especially in non-scientific sources, one repeatedly comes across the claim that the golden fleece from the Greek argonaut legend was the skin of a takin. This probably stems from the finding that a type of takin actually has an approximately gold-colored fur. However, this animal is unlikely to have been known to the ancient Greeks, so this connection is more than unlikely. A total of three types of takins are kept in zoos today. The first keeping was recorded at London Zoo in 1909 . The Tierpark Berlin is home to a particularly successful breed, which , according to its own statements, is the only zoo in the world that shows and breeds three forms (gold, mishmi and Sichuan takin).
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Colin P. Groves , David M. Leslie Jr .: Family Bovidae (Hollow-horned Ruminants). In: Don E. Wilson, 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 , pp. 713-714.
Individual evidence
- ↑ 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.
- ^ A b A. Ropiquet, A. Hassanin: Molecular phylogeny of caprines (Bovidae, Antilopinae): the question of their origin and diversification during the Miocene. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 43 (1), 2005, pp. 49-60
- ↑ Pamela Groves, Gerald F. Shields: CytochromeBSequences Suggest Convergent Evolution of the Asian Takin and Arctic Muskox. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 8 (3), 1997, pp. 363-374, ISSN 1055-7903 , doi : 10.1006 / mpev.1997.0423 .
- ^ A b Colin Groves, Peter Grubb: Ungulate Taxonomy. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011, pp. 1–317 (SS 108–280)
- ↑ a b Colin Groves, David M. Leslie Jr .: Family Bovidae (Hollow-horned Ruminants). In: Don E. Wilson, 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 , pp. 444-779
- ↑ Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder: Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005 ( [1] )
- ↑ 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
- ↑ a b c d Chung-Chien Young: Budorcas, a new element in the proto-historic Anyang fauna of China. American Journal of Sciences 246, 1948, pp. 157-164
- ^ A b John F. Neas, Robert S. Hoffmann: Budorcas taxicolor. Mammalian Species 277, 1987, pp. 1-7 ( [2] )
- ↑ Takin, the. In: Duden online. Bibliographisches Institut GmbH / Dudenverlag, June 27, 2011, accessed on March 4, 2018 .
- ^ Burchard Brentjes: Tschiru, Blauschaf and Takin on ancient oriental representations. Mammal Science Communications 17, 1969, pp. 201-203
- ↑ Takin-Kindergarten in Tierpark opens Press release of Tierpark Berlin from April 6, 2016, accessed on December 12, 2016
Web links
- Budorcas taxicolor in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Caprinae Specialist Group, 1996. Retrieved on 11 May, 2006.
- Information and distribution map at ultimateungulate.com