Skip to main content
WCS
Menu
Library
Library Catalog
eJournals & eBooks
WCS Research
Archives
Research Use
Finding Aids
Digital Collections
WCS History
WCS Research
Research Publications
Science Data
Services for WCS Researchers
Archives Shop
Bronx Zoo
Department of Tropical Research
Browse By Product
About Us
FAQs
Intern or Volunteer
Staff
Donate
Search WCS.org
Search
search
Popular Search Terms
WCS History
Library and Archives
Library and Archives Menu
Library
Archives
WCS Research
Archives Shop
About Us
Donate
en
fr
Title
Observations on the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsoni)
Author(s)
Schaller G.B., Ren Junrang, Qiu Mingjiang
Published
1991
Publisher
Applied Animal Behaviour Science
Abstract
Tibetan antelope or chiru (Pantholops hodgsoni) favor flat to rolling terrain at 4000-5000 m, an elevation where vegetation is scant and patchy. The species still ranges over ~800 000 km2 of the Tibetan Plateau, and about half of this area remains devoid of people. Although chiru may aggregate by the hundreds and even thousands, as some populations are migratory, average density is low; in one survey area it was 0.2 animals km-2 and in another it varied from 0.6 to 1.6 km-2 depending on availability of grass which is the chiru's principal forage. In winter, most grasses had a crude protein content of <5%, probably below that needed to maintain body weight. Following a blizzard in October 1985 a disproportionate number of females and young died of malnutrition when forage was snow-covered, and this affected population composition in subsequent years. Herds seldom contained >25 members; sexes tended to segregate outside the rut. The rut began in late November with males displaying to females and each other and exhibiting several distinctive behavior patterns. The chiru's range has contracted in recent decades owing to unrestricted hunting. However, one tract, 400 000 km2 in size, in the northwestern part of the plateau is so far without human pressure, and it should be legally designated as a conservation area for the protection of chiru and other unique wildlife inhabiting the Tibetan Plateau. © 1991.
Keywords
antelope; chiru; conservation; density; feeding; habitat use; reproductive behaviour; Tibetan antelope; China, Tibet; Pantholops hodgsoni
Access Full Text
A full-text copy of this article may be available. Please email the
WCS Library
to request.
Back
PUB13025