Tibetan Gazelle
| Tibetan Gazelle | ||||||||||||
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Tibetan Gazelle ( Procapra picticaudata ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Procapra picticaudata | ||||||||||||
| Hodgson , 1846 |
The Tibetan gazelle ( Procapra picticaudata ), also known as Goa , is the smallest of three species of short-tailed gazelle . It is widespread in the highlands of Tibet and, as a mountain specialist, lives mainly on alpine meadows and steppes at heights of up to 5750 meters. Throughout the year it lives in small and gender-separated groups that only come together at the mating season in winter. Its diet consists of different plants, although it lives on selected herbs, especially in summer, and does not concentrate on grasses as the main source of food like other grazers.
Due to illegal hunting and competition from grazing cattle and the fencing of pasture areas, the population of the Tibetan gazelle is declining sharply. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classifies the species as “potentially endangered” and justifies this with the sharp decline in populations of around 20% in the last three generations.
features
general characteristics
The adult Tibetan gazelle reaches a shoulder height of about 54 to 65 centimeters and a head-trunk length of 91 to 105 centimeters and a weight of 13 to 16 kilograms. The tail is 8 to 10 inches long. It is thus slightly smaller than the Mongolian gazelle ( Procapra gutturosa ) and the Przewalski gazelle ( Procapra przewalskii ). She is described as relatively small and slender with long and slender legs and a compact body. Like the other two species of the genus, only the males of the Tibetan gazelle have horns, but the sexes do not differ in size or color.
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The Tibetan gazelle has a brown-gray and thick back fur with a silvery mottling, which is created by the light hair tips. In contrast to other cold-adapted species such as the yak ( Bos mutus ) , it has no undercoat , it consists of up to 38 millimeters long outer hairs . In summer the coat color is rather light sand-brown, in winter gray to slate gray. In the abdominal area and on the abdomen, the fur is characteristically white and forms a light and heart-shaped rump, on the front edge of which the fur is colored red-brown. The short tail is black and shaggy and is raised as an alarm signal when excited; its underside is bare. The species has no characteristic color features or markings on the sides of the body or face. The claws are flat on the front and wide and rounded on the back, the dorsal claws large and blunt.
The muzzle is equipped with elongated hairs that form the same tufts on the sides that extend backwards to the eyes. The eyes are large and the ears are long, narrow, and pointed. The horns start on the forehead between the eyes and run parallel, with a curve to the rear first forming an upward curve and then a curve pointing downward. In contrast to the other species of the genus, the horns are relatively straight and only slightly apart at the tips. They are comparatively slim and fluted from the base to the last quarter.
In the area of distribution, the Tibetan gazelle can be confused with the other two species of short-tailed gazelle as well as with the crop gazelle ( Gazella subgutturosa ) in overlapping zones . In comparison to the crop gazelle, only the males have horns in the short-tailed gazelles, while these can also occur in female crop gazelles. Within the short-tailed gazelle, the Tibetan gazelle is the smallest species, although the Mongolian gazelle in particular, with a shoulder height of up to 84 centimeters, can be significantly larger than the Tibetan gazelle with a maximum shoulder height of 65 and the Przewalski gazelle with a maximum shoulder height of 70 centimeters and is also significantly heavier. In general, the Tibetan gazelle also has the narrowest and smallest skull as well as the thinnest and longest horns of the genus, while the Mongolian gazelle has the largest skull and the shortest horns.
Skull and skeletal features
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The skull is very light and has clearly highlighted eye sockets. It has a basal length of 177 to 185 millimeters for the females and 180 to 188 millimeters for the males and a maximum width of about 84 to 88 millimeters for the females and 91 to 95 millimeters for the males. The cranium is 99 to 102 millimeters long in the males and 94 to 98 millimeters in the females, the nasal bones in the males about 59 to 63 millimeters and in the females 55 to 62 millimeters. This means that the skull of the males is usually significantly larger than that of the females, but there is also an area of overlapping size. The horns, which are only developed in the males, have a total length of 26 to 32 centimeters in the adult animals with a height of 9.7 to 16.8 centimeters and a maximum width between the horns of 12 to 15 centimeters. The horn dimensions vary regionally.
The row of teeth in the upper jaw is about 41 millimeters and in the lower jaw about 45 millimeters long. The gazelle has only two in the upper jaw per half Vorbackenzähne (Praemolares) and three molars (molars), incisors (incisors) and canines (Canini) are not present. In the lower jaw it has three incisors in each half, one canine, two premolar teeth and three molars, whereby it loses one premolar tooth as an adult. The animals have a total of 30 teeth. Species-specific tooth features are above all the fully developed premolar P2 in the lower jaw as well as well-developed tooth folds on the P3.
distribution and habitat
The Tibetan gazelle was originally widespread across the highlands of Tibet . The distribution area includes the Tibet Autonomous Region (Xizang) and parts of the Chinese provinces of Qinghai and Xinjiang . The People's Republic of China is home to over 99% of the world 's population . The only sedentary population outside of China lives in the Indian Union Territory of Ladakh and is estimated to be around 50-100 animals. In neighboring Sikkim , also in India, the animals only migrate temporarily from the neighboring Tibet to the north.
The species mainly lives at altitudes between 3000 and 3700 meters, but occasionally rises up to 5750 meters. Their typical habitat are the cold and dry, treeless deserts, semi-deserts and high mountain steppes as well as the montane scrubland. Within these habitats it occurs on flat plateaus as well as in mountainous regions, but is absent in terrain that is too steep. The habitat is also characterized by strong solar radiation and reduced oxygen availability. In the northern part of the distribution area the distribution area overlaps with that of the Przewalski gazelle , whereby the Tibetan gazelle uses the higher regions and montane habitats.
Way of life
The Tibetan gazelle is usually twilight-active with two activity maxima at the beginning and at the end of the day when it searches for food; however, it can also be active during the day and it usually rests at lunchtime. Unlike the sympatric living Tibetan antelope ( Pantholops hodgsonii ) or goiter Gazelle it forms only small family groups or flocks of two to about ten animals that join together only in the summertime hike in the higher pastures to bigger and temporary herds of up to 50 individuals. Outside the rutting season , the males and females each form their own groups with young animals, which come together to form mixed herds during the mating season from December to February. In addition, males can also be found individually. In the overlapping distribution area with the Przewalski gazelle, there are also mixed groups of both species, which are composed of about the same number of individuals of the two species. In winter, however, mixed groups generally only contain males of one of the two species.
nutrition
There are only a few scientific studies on the diet of the Tibetan gazelle, which are mainly based on observation and examination of the faeces . It differs significantly from most of the other grazers of the Tibetan highlands, who usually feed on grass and sedges to a large extent. These play only a subordinate role in the food composition of the Tibetan gazelle in summer and are only used as the main source of food in winter when no other plants are available.
As a selector, the Tibetan gazelle feeds primarily on legumes such as tragacanth ( Astragalus ) and pointed quills ( Oxytropis ), which made up between 33.2% and 47.5% in investigations on Buh He in Qinghai. In addition, there are herbs such as heteropappus species with 13.5% to 17.1% as well as fescue ( Festuca ) and feather grass ( Stipa ) with 13.1% to 26.1% and scale sedge ( Kobresia ) with 8.5% to 13, 2%. These data were collected in June-September and October-May, with legumes and herbs making up the greater part in summer and grasses and sedges in winter. In Sichuan, 80% of the diet consisted of scaled sedge, edelweiss ( leontopodium ) and pointed quills from August to October and faeces examinations in the Chang Tang Reserve from June to December showed proportions of the dwarf shrubs Ajania up to 89.1% and Ceratoides up to 2.5% as well as the herbs Potentilla up to 94.2% and Oxytropis and Astragalus with up to 39.6% shares.
Particularly in winter when there is little food, there is correspondingly greater competition between the gazelles and, above all, domestic sheep that overwinter on the high plateau, with the overlap of food plants increasing from 43% to 57% in summer to 76% in winter. Due to the food composition, the food available is also very poor in proteins, which make up less than 6% of the amount of food, and in minerals.
Reproduction and development
The sexual maturity of the female Tibetan gazelles probably occurs after 1.5 years, as is the case with related species; no information is available for the males. Mating occurs during the rut in winter, especially in December. Outside of the rutting season, the males mark rutting territories in the later mating areas with urine and feces as well as by releasing secretions from the inter- toe glands with scents contained therein. In winter, the groups of males break up and the individual animals defend their respective rutting areas aggressively against rivals, whereby the horn can be used. The dominant males wait for the females' herds in their rutting areas. The mating behavior itself has not been described, but is probably similar to that of the Przewalski gazelle, in which a special mating dance is described. The young are born after a gestation period of 5.5 to 6 months in the following June to early August. These are usually single births, more rarely twin litters, with no information about the physical characteristics of the young animals. At birth, the female separates from the other animals in the herd and looks for a sheltered place. For about two weeks she stays alone with the young animals and hides with them, which means that the number of females in the herds decreases sharply in summer.
The ratio of newborns to sexually mature females was determined in various studies in order to determine the reproductive rate. A ratio of 40 to 70 newborns to 100 reproductive females was found in the Chang Tang Nature Reserve and in the southwest of Qinghai . In Sêrxü County in the province of Sichuan , the ratio was total (males and females) in a sample in 44 neonates 100 reproductive females and 16 newborn to 100 animals.
The maximum lifespan of the Tibetan gazelle in the wild is unknown, a female born in the wilderness from the Beijing Zoo lived to be five years and seven months old. A captive Mongolian gazelle lived seven years and this is believed to be the maximum life expectancy of the related species.
Predators, Parasites and Mortality
There is only limited data on the food webs in the highlands of Tibet and due to the reduction in both prey and predators, the current situation is strongly distorted compared to the original predator-prey relationships. The main carnivores in the Tibetan gazelle are wolves ( Canis lupus ), brown bears ( Ursus arctos pruinosus ), the Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ) and the snow leopard ( Panthera uncia ). In the Chang Tang Nature Reserve , the remains of Tibetan gazelles were found in faeces samples from wolves at 4.6 to 5.2% and in Qinghai at 9.5%. It is also known that wolves prey on and prey on the Mongolian gazelle and the Przewalski's gazelle. According to individual statements, the Tibetan gazelle was also an important prey animal of the snow leopard in the region, although these statements are not quantitatively proven.
Species-specific diseases and parasites of the Tibetan gazelle are unknown, but it is assumed that diseases are transmitted from wild animals as well as from farm animals. The Mongolian gazelles on the northern edge of the range of the Tibetan gazelle are frequent carriers of foot and mouth disease , which spreads in large herds and causes high death rates; as the Tibetan gazelle does not form large herds, no epidemics are known from it.
In addition to predators and parasites, extreme weather situations in particular can lead to increased mortality . Cold and snow, in particular, can cause increased mortality in young animals, adolescents and females of the related Tschiru, and similar effects are also expected in the Tibetan gazelle. For the period from January to March 2008, the death of at least 5,500 Tibetan gazelles after an extreme cold and snow fall in the Sêrxü district in the northwest of the Chinese province of Sichuan has been documented.
Evolution and systematics
Due to the way of life in the high mountain plateau and the climatic conditions there, only very few fossil records are available for the Tibetan gazelle and also for other species of short-tailed gazelle. Species of the genus Procapra are recorded in the Pliocene or early Pleistocene at the earliest 2 to 3 million years ago, while antelope-like species are documented for the Miocene 13 to 15 million years ago. The origin of the short-tailed gazelle was suspected to be in other gazelle-like antelopes, with Gazella sinensis from the late Pliocene and Gazella paragutturosa from the early Pleistocene assumed as potential ancestors . Using isotope studies in fossils and in comparison with animals living in the Tibetan highlands today, it was found that the climate and weather conditions in this area 2 to 3 million years ago were significantly milder and the diversity of the habitats at the same time more diverse than is currently the case, which means a speciation among other things with the short-tailed gazelles was made possible.
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Phylogenetic system of the genus Procapra according to Lei et al. 2003
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The first scientific description of the Tibetan gazelle and the genus Procapra comes from Hodgson from 1846, who already described them with the name Procapra picticaudata , which is still valid today . It took place on the basis of an individual from Tibet who was captured north of Sikkim . The name of the genus Procapra is derived from the Greek - Latin prefix “pro” (προ) for “before” and the term “capra” for goats , meaning “before goat”, while the species name picticaudata comes from the Latin and Means "colored tail" and probably refers to the white patch on the torso.
In addition to the nominate form , no further subspecies are distinguished, but three separate populations have been identified: one in northwestern Tibet, one in southern Tibet and one in Sichuan province. At times the Przewalski gazelle was assigned to it as a subspecies.
Today, the Tibetan gazelle, together with the Przewalski gazelle and the Mongolian gazelle, belong to the genus of the short-tailed gazelle ( Procapra ), but was often combined with other gazelles in the genus Gazella . Molecular biological investigations confirmed the monophyly of the genus Procapra and compared it with the other genera of the antilopini defined as a tribe. The Przewalski gazelle and the Mongolian gazelle were recognized as closely related to each other and compared to the Tibetan gazelle as a sister group. In another study, the genus Procapra , represented by the Mongolian gazelle, was classified as one of the most basal groups of gazelle-like (Antilopini).
Threat and protection
Originally, the Tibetan gazelle was very common and found in the entire Tibetan highlands. Due to the small herds and groups that live individually, as well as the good camouflage of the animals, it is difficult to give information about population densities of the Tibetan gazelle in the highlands of Tibet. According to statements made before 1950, the species used to be common and widespread, but less common than other grazers. Today, however, the species is very rare or completely absent in some regions. In regions where the Tibetan gazelle occurs, the density is usually less than 0.5 animals per square kilometer and often even less than 0.1 animals per square kilometer. However, it can be higher in very limited areas, such as Yeniugou, Qinghai, where 0.77 animals per square kilometer have been estimated.
There are no systematic surveys of the population; according to estimates, the population in the 1980s and early 1990s comprised between 20,000 and 180,000 animals. Most of the animals live in the Chang Tang Nature Reserve and to the east and south of it, although the animals are largely absent in the desert areas in the north of the nature reserve. Due to increased protective measures, the population could have increased slightly compared to the population sizes at the beginning of the 1990s. Other important protected areas that form a coherent system with the 300,000 square kilometer Chang Tang Nature Reserve are the Arjin Shan Reserve , the West Kunlun , the Mid Kunlun and the Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve .
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classifies the species as " Near threatened " and justifies this with the sharp decline in populations of around 20% in the last three generations (since 1992). This is mainly due to the uncontrolled and illegal hunting, the increasing competition with grazing cattle and the increase in fenced pasture land. Today the Tibetan gazelle lives mainly in regions where people and grazing cattle are rare.
Hunting of the Tibetan gazelle by humans probably took place as early as the Epipalaeolithic and early Neolithic times, as evidenced by tooth finds in early human settlements near Jiangxigou near Qinghai Lake in Qinghai Province.
supporting documents
- ^ A b c d e John McKinnon: Tibetan Gazelle. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , p. 470.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x David M. Leslie Jr .: Procapra picticaudata (Artiodactyla: Bovidae) . In: Mammalian Species . tape 42 , no. 861 , 2010, p. 138-148 , doi : 10.1644 / 861.1 .
- ↑ a b c David M. Leslie Jr., Colin P. Groves, Alexei V. Abramov: Procapra przewalskii (Artiodactyla: Bovidae) . In: Mammalian Species . tape 42 , no. 860 , 2010, p. 124-137 , doi : 10.1644 / 860.1 .
- ↑ a b Procapra picticaudata in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: DP Mallon, YV Bhatnagar, 2008. Accessed April 14, 2013.
- ↑ a b c d Groves, C., P., Leslie Jr, D., M. (2011). Family Bovidae (Hollow-horned Ruminants): Tibetan Gazelle (660 f.). In: Wilson, DE, Mittermeier, RA, (Eds.). Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 2: Hooved Mammals. Lynx Edicions, 2009, ISBN 978-84-96553-77-4 .
- ↑ Zhongqiu Li, Zhigang Jiang, Guy Beauchamp: Nonrandom mixing between groups of Przewalski's gazelle and Tibetan gazelle. Journal of Mammalogy 91 (3), 2010; Pp. 674-680 ( doi: 10.1644 / 09-MAMM-A-203.1 ).
- ↑ a b c Zhongqiu Li, Zhigang Jiang1, Chunwang Li: Dietary Overlap of Przewalski's Gazelle, Tibetan Gazelle, and Tibetan Sheep on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Journal of Wildlife Management 72 (4), 2008; Pp. 944-948, ( doi: 10.2193 / 2007-233 ).
- ↑ Snow disaster kills 5,500 Tibetan gazelles. china.org.cn, March 15, 2008. Accessed May 10, 2013.
- ↑ a b c Runhua Lei, Zhigang Jiang, Zhiang Hu, Wenlong Yang: Phylogenetic relationships of Chinese antelopes (subfamily Antilopinae) based on mitochondrial ribosomal RNA gene sequences. Journal of Zoology, London 261, 2003; Pp. 227-237, doi: 10.1017 / S0952836903004163 .
- ↑ a b Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Procapra picticaudata in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
- ↑ Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Procapra przewalskii in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
- ^ Maria V. Kuznetsova, Marina V. Kholodova: Molecular Support for the Placement of Saiga and Procapra in Antilopinae (Artiodactyla, Bovidae). Journal of Mammalian Evolution 9 (4), 2002; Pp. 271-280 ( doi: 10.1023 / A: 1023973929597 ).
- ↑ David Rhode, Zhang Haiying, David B. Madsen, Gao Xing, P. Jeffrey Brantingham, Ma Haizhou, John W. Olsen: Epipaleolithic / early Neolithic settlements at Qinghai Lake, western China. Journal of Archaeological Science 34, 2007; Pp. 600-612. ( Full text ; PDF; 2.5 MB)
literature
- David M. Leslie Jr .: Procapra picticaudata (Artiodactyla: Bovidae) . In: Mammalian Species . tape 42 , no. 861 , 2010, p. 138-148 , doi : 10.1644 / 861.1 .
- CP Groves, David M. Leslie Jr .: Family Bovidae (Hollow-horned Ruminants): Tibetan Gazelle (660 f.). In: DE Wilson, RA Mittermeier (ed.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 2: Hooved Mammals. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2009, ISBN 978-84-96553-77-4 .
- John McKinnon: Tibetan Gazelle. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , p. 470.
- RM Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World , Sixth Edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore / London 1999.
Web links
- Tibetan gazelle, buck
- Procapra picticaudata in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: DP Mallon, YV Bhatnagar, of 2008.
