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Saiga Antelope

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	Topics Saiga Antelope Topic Home The Saiga (Saiga tatarica) is an antelopeAntelope Antelopes are a polyphyletic group of herbivorous African and Asian animals of the family Bovidae, distinguished by a pair o... which originally inhabited a vast area of the EurasiaEurasia Eurasia is the landmass composed of Europe and Asia.... n steppeSteppe In physical geography, a steppe , pronounced in English as step, is a plain without trees ; it is similar to a prairie, ... zone from the foothils of the CarpathiansCarpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains are the eastern wing of the great Central Mountain System of Europe, curving 1500 km along the bo... and CaucasusCaucasus The Caucasus or Caucasia is a region in Eurasia bordered on the south by Turkey and Iran in Asia, on the west by the B... into DzungariaDzungaria Dzungaria is a geographical region covering approximately 777,000 km², within the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwe... and MongoliaMongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country located in East Asia.... . Today they are found only in a few areas in KalmykiaKalmykia The Republic of Kalmykia is a federal subject of the Russian Federation.... (Russia), KazakhstanKazakhstan Kazakhstan, also spelled Kazakstan, , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country that stretches over a ... , and western MongoliaMongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country located in East Asia.... . Physical characteristics The Saiga typically stands 0.6-0.8 meters at the shoulder and weighs between 36 and 63 kg. Their lifespan ranges from 6 to 10 years. Males are bigger than females and are the only sex to carry horns. The horns have some value as Chinese traditional medicine and for that reason Saiga are now endangered by poaching. The Saiga is recognizable by an extremely unusual, over-sized, and flexible, nose structure. The nose is supposed to warm up the air in winter and filters out the dust in summer. Habitat and behavior Saigas form very large herds that graze in semi-desert steppes eating several species of plants, including some that are poisonous to other animals. They can cover considerable distances and swim across rivers, but they avoid steep or rugged areas. The mating season starts in November, when stags fight for the possession of females. The winner leads a herd of 5-50 females. In springtime the mother gives birth to, in two thirds of all cases two, or in one third, one single foal. Distribution During the Ice AgeIce age An ice age is a period of long-term downturn in the temperature of Earth's climate, resulting in an expansion of the contine... the Saiga occurred from the British IslesBritish Isles Great Britain, Ireland and several thousand smaller surrounding islands and islets form an archipelago off the northwest coast of ... through Central AsiaFacts About Central Asia Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia.... and the Bering StraitBering Strait The Bering Strait is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Princ... into AlaskaAlaska Alaska is a U.S. state, located on the northwest tier of North America.... and the YukonYukon The Yukon Territory is one of Canada's northern territories, in the country's extreme northwest.... . At the beginning of the 18th century it was still distributed from the shores of the Black SeaBlack Sea The Black Sea is an inland sea between southeastern Europe and Anatolia that is actually a distant arm of the Atlantic Ocean... , the Carpathian foothillsCarpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains are the eastern wing of the great Central Mountain System of Europe, curving 1500 km along the bo... and the northern edge of the Caucasus into DzungariaFacts About Dzungaria Dzungaria is a geographical region covering approximately 777,000 km², within the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwe... and Mongolia. After a rapid decline they were nearly completely extirpated in the 1920's, but they were able to recover and by 1950 there where again two million of them in the steppes of the USSR. At one point, some conservation groups, such as the World Wildlife Fund, encouraged the hunting of this species as its horn was presented as an alternative to that of a rhinocerosRhinoceros Overview The rhinoceros is any of five surviving species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae.... . Today the populations have again shrunk enormously and the Saiga is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN. There is an estimated total number of 50,000 Saigas today, which live in Kalmykia, three areas of KazakhstanKazakhstan Kazakhstan, also spelled Kazakstan, , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country that stretches over a ... and in two isolated areas of Mongolia. Cherny Zemli Nature Reserve was created in Russia's Kalmykia Republic in 1990s to protect the local saiga population. The populations of Mongolia represent a distinct subspecies, the Mongolian Saiga (Saiga tatarica mongolica), with 750 individuals. All other populations, belong to the nominal subspecies Saiga tatarica tatarica. Currently only the MoscowMoscow Zoo The Moscow Zoo is the largest and oldest zoo in Russia.... and CologneCologne Zoological Garden The Aktiengesellschaft Cologne Zoological Garden is the zoo of Cologne, Germany.... zoos keep saigas. San Diego ZooSan Diego Zoo The world-famous San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California is one of the largest, most progressive zoos in the wor... has had them in the past. External links ARKive -