Four-horned antelope
| Four-horned antelope | ||||||||||||
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Male of the four-horned antelope |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Tetracerus | ||||||||||||
| É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire & F. Cuvier , 1824 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Tetracerus quadricornis | ||||||||||||
| ( Blainville , 1816) |
The four-horned antelope ( Tetracerus quadricornis ) is an Asian antelope of the family Bovidae . It is the only ungulate to death in the wild that can develop four horns. The four-horned antelope, which only occurs in India and Nepal, is becoming increasingly rare due to the dwindling habitat.
features
With only 55 to 64 cm shoulder height and a weight of 17 to 22 kg, this is a small antelope. The coat color changes with the seasons. In summer the fur is reddish brown, light brown or cream colored. In winter the fur becomes thicker and changes color to a dark brown. The fur is always significantly lighter on the inside of the legs and on the stomach. Sometimes white spots can be seen on the cheeks. The muzzle and the back of the ears are blackish-brown in color.
The most noticeable feature is the horns, which point upwards and are straight. Only the males have horns, the females completely lack them. But even in males, all four horns do not always develop. The South Indian populations are always two-horned. If there are four horns, the rear pair of horns is always larger than the front. Sometimes the front horns are so little pronounced that they only protrude from the fur as hairless bumps. The horn length is 7 to 10 cm at the back and 0 to 5 cm at the front.
distribution and habitat
The four-horned antelope lives in India and Nepal . Their range is today highly fragmented, the largest populations are still in central India. Stands isolated from the main distribution area are also found in southern and northern India, in Nepal and in the Gir National Park in western India.
The preferred habitat are dry forests with thick undergrowth. Four-horned antelopes are also less common in savannahs and rainforests. Conditions, however, are the constant availability of water and the lack of human settlements in the vicinity.
Way of life
activity
The four-horned antelope is a diurnal antelope. It is mostly hidden in the thick undergrowth and is therefore rarely seen. In the event of danger, it often remains motionless, and only when it is extremely threatened does it flee with great leaps.
Usually she is a loner, rarely seen in small groups of two to four animals.
food
The food consists of fruits, flowers and fresh leaves of various plants. In two different studies, the Indian jujube ( Ziziphus mauritiana ) was identified as the most commonly eaten plant. Other food crops sought after are thus Bauhinie ( Bauhinia racemosa ) Amlabaum ( Phyllanthus emblica ), acacia ( Acacia sp. ) And myrobalan ( Terminalia tomentosa ).
Reproduction
Four-horned antelopes breed year-round, but most mating occurs in June and July. After a gestation period of eight months, one or two young are born. About 60% of the births are twin births, 40% are single births. In most cases, however, no more than one young animal gets through. The shoulder height at birth is 25 cm. The young stay with the mother for about a year, often until the next boy is born.
Life expectancy is less than ten years even in captivity, with the notable exception of one solitary animal that lived to be 17 years and five months old.
Enemies
Besides humans, big cats and dogs are the enemies of the four-horned antelope. For the tiger , the four-horned antelope represents 2–4% of the prey in various national parks. It has also been proven that leopards and red dogs prey on this antelope. In contrast, it could not be established that the Indian wolf and the striped hyena belong to the enemies of the four-horned antelope.
Systematics
Because of the similar horn anatomy, it is assumed that the Nilgau antelope ( Boselaphus tragocamelus ) is the sister species of the four-horned antelope. With a number of fossil genera ( Duboisia , Perimia , Proboselaphus , Selenoportax , Sivaportax ), these two antelopes form the Boselaphini tribe . These antelopes have been recorded from the Mediterranean region to Burma since the Miocene .
Several species of the genus Tetracerus were described during the 1800s , including Tetracerus striaticornis and Tetracerus undicornis . The different coat colors and horn characteristics led to the false assumption that there were several species. Today they are all grouped together as a single species, Tetracerus quadricornis .
Occasionally, three subspecies are distinguished:
- Tetracerus quadricornis quadricornis in central India is the largest of the subspecies; Males almost always have four horns
- Tetracerus quadricornis iodes in northern India and Nepal is almost as large, but has shorter horns; Males usually have four horns
- Tetracerus quadricornis subquadricornis in South India is the smallest subspecies; Males always have two horns, the front horns are missing
Threat and protection
The IUCN classifies the four-horned antelope in the status endangered . The total population is estimated to be less than 10,000 individuals. The main reason for the decline is the destruction of natural habitat. In India as in Nepal, four-horned antelopes are strictly protected by the state.
Surname
The four-horned antelope is the most prominent feature that justifies the name in most languages (English four-horned antelope , French antelope tétracère ). The Indian language Hindi is no exception, the local name is Chowsingha ("four horns").
The original scientific name was Cerophorus quadricornis , coined by Blainville in 1816 . Eight years later it was regrouped into the new genus Tetracerus . Genus and species names mean "four horn" in Greek and Latin.
Sources and further information
Sources cited
Most of the information in this article is taken from the source given under literature; the following sources are also cited:
- ^ Warren D. Thomas: Four-horned Antelope . In: Endangered Wildlife and Plants of the World . Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2001, pp. 66-68. ISBN 9780761471943
- ^ SH Berwick: The community of wild ruminants in the Gir Forest ecosystem, India . Dissertation, Yale University, 1974
- ^ K. Sharma: Distribution, status, ecology, and behavior of the four-horned antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis) . Dissertation, Mumbai University, 2006
- ^ R. Weigl: Longevity of mammals in captivity; from the living collections of the world. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagbuchhandlung, 2005. ISBN 9783510613793
- ^ C. Groves: Taxonomy of ungulates of the Indian subcontinent. In: Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 2003, No. 100, pp. 314-362
- ^ IUCN Species Account , accessed February 15, 2013
literature
David M. Leslie Jr. & Koustubh Sharma: Tetracerus quadricornis . In: Mammalian Species 2009, No. 843, pp. 1-11.
Web links
- Tetracerus quadricornis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: Mallon, 2008. Accessed February 15, 2013.