Misplaced Pages

#730269

95-601: The saiga antelope ( / ˈ s aɪ ɡ ə / , Saiga tatarica ), or saiga , is a species of antelope which during antiquity inhabited a vast area of the Eurasian steppe , spanning the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in the northwest and Caucasus in the southwest into Mongolia in the northeast and Dzungaria in the southeast. During the Pleistocene , it ranged across the mammoth steppe from

190-491: A lion until it is closer than 200 m (650 ft)—lions hunt as a pride or by surprise, usually by stalking; one that can be seen clearly is unlikely to attack. However, sprint-dependent cheetahs will cause gazelles to flee at a range of over 800 metres ( 1 ⁄ 2 mile). If escape is not an option, antelope are capable of fighting back. Oryxes in particular have been known to stand sideways like many unrelated bovids to appear larger than they are, and may charge at

285-551: A 1999 model, a severe population bottleneck, or more specifically a full-fledged speciation , occurred among a group of Australopithecina as they transitioned into the species known as Homo erectus two million years ago. It is believed that additional bottlenecks must have occurred since Homo erectus started walking the Earth, but current archaeological, paleontological, and genetic data are inadequate to give much reliable information about such conjectured bottlenecks. Nonetheless,

380-469: A 2023 genetic analysis discerned such a human ancestor population bottleneck of a possible 100,000 to 1000 individuals "around 930,000 and 813,000 years ago [which] lasted for about 117,000 years and brought human ancestors close to extinction." A 2005 study from Rutgers University theorized that the pre-1492 native populations of the Americas are the descendants of only 70 individuals who crossed

475-745: A base diameter of 25–33 mm (0.98–1.30 in), the horns of the Russian saiga measure 28–38 cm (11–15 in) in length; the horns of the Mongolian saiga, however, reach a maximum length of 22 cm (8.7 in). Saigas form very large herds that graze in semideserts , steppes , grasslands, and possibly open woodlands, eating several species of plants, including some that are poisonous to other animals. They can cover long distances and swim across rivers, but they avoid steep or rugged areas. The mating season starts in November, when stags fight for

570-500: A bottleneck around this time. An unknown environmental event is suspected to have caused the bottlenecks observed in both of these species. The bottlenecks likely caused the low genetic diversity observed in both species. Other facts can sometimes be inferred from an observed population bottleneck. Among the Galápagos Islands giant tortoises —themselves a prime example of a bottleneck—the comparatively large population on

665-459: A colony's offspring descended from just one dominant male, genetic diversity is limited, making the species more vulnerable to diseases and genetic mutations. The golden hamster is a similarly bottlenecked species, with the vast majority of domesticated hamsters descended from a single litter found in the Syrian desert around 1930, and very few wild golden hamsters remain. An extreme example of

760-514: A drastic decrease in the percentage of males with reproductive success. The controversial Toba catastrophe theory, presented in the late 1990s to early 2000s, suggested that a bottleneck of the human population occurred approximately 75,000 years ago, proposing that the human population was reduced to perhaps 10,000–30,000 individuals when the Toba supervolcano in Indonesia erupted and triggered

855-575: A fear response to perceived predators, such as humans, making them very difficult to herd or handle. Although antelope have diets and rapid growth rates highly suitable for domestication, this tendency to panic and their non hierarchical social structure explains why farm-raised antelope are uncommon. Ancient Egyptians kept herds of gazelles and addax for meat, and occasionally pets. It is unknown whether they were truly domesticated, but it seems unlikely, as no domesticated gazelles exist today. However, humans have had success taming certain species, such as

950-535: A forest environment with patchy resources, and a male is unable to monopolize more than one female due to this sparse distribution. Larger forest species often form very small herds of two to four females and one male. Some species, such as lechwes , pursue a lek breeding system, where the males gather on a lekking ground and compete for a small territory, while the females appraise males and choose one with which to mate. Large grazing antelope, such as impala or wildebeest , form large herds made up of many females and

1045-651: A hint of brown on the belly and the neck. The ventral parts are generally white. The hairs, that measure 18–30 mm (0.71–1.18 in) long in summer, can grow as long as 40–70 mm (1.6–2.8 in) in winter. This forms a 12 to 15 cm (4.7 to 5.9 in) long mane on the neck. Two distinct moults can be observed in a year, one in spring from April to May and another in autumn from late September or early October to late November or early December. The tail measures 6–12 cm (2.4–4.7 in). Only males possess horns. These horns, thick and slightly translucent, are wax-coloured and show 12 to 20 pronounced rings. With

SECTION 10

#1732773318731

1140-458: A major environmental change. Parallel bottlenecks were proposed to exist among chimpanzees , gorillas , rhesus macaques , orangutans and tigers . The hypothesis was based on geological evidence of sudden climate change and on coalescence evidence of some genes (including mitochondrial DNA , Y-chromosome DNA and some nuclear genes ) and the relatively low level of genetic variation in humans. However, subsequent research, especially in

1235-498: A major threat of population bottleneck. The remaining two populations are now geographically isolated and the populations face an unstable future with limited remaining opportunity for gene flow. Genetic bottlenecks exist in cheetahs . Bottlenecks also exist among pure-bred animals (e.g., dogs and cats : pugs , Persian ) because breeders limit their gene pools by a few (show-winning) individuals for their looks and behaviors. The extensive use of desirable individual animals at

1330-520: A mysterious epizootic illness suspected to be pasteurellosis . Herd fatality is 100% once infected, with an estimated 40% of the species' total population already dead. More than 120,000 carcasses had been found by late May 2015, while the estimated total population was only 250,000. Biologist Murat Nurushev suggested that the cause might be acute ruminal tympany , whose symptoms (bloating, mouth foaming, and diarrhea) had been observed in dead saiga antelopes. According to Nurushev, this disease occurred as

1425-511: A population bottleneck is the New Zealand black robin , of which every specimen today is a descendant of a single female, called Old Blue. The Black Robin population is still recovering from its low point of only five individuals in 1980. The genome of the giant panda shows evidence of a severe bottleneck about 43,000 years ago. There is also evidence of at least one primate species, the golden snub-nosed monkey , that also suffered from

1520-449: A predator as a last resort. About 25 species are rated by the IUCN as endangered , such as the dama gazelle and mountain nyala . A number of subspecies are also endangered, including the giant sable antelope and the mhorr gazelle . The main causes for concern for these species are habitat loss, competition with cattle for grazing, and trophy hunting. The chiru or Tibetan antelope

1615-551: A result of foraging on a large amount of easily fermenting plants ( alfalfa , clover , sainfoins , and mixed wet, green grass). In May 2015, the United Nations agency which is involved in saiga conservation efforts issued a statement that the mass die-off had ended. By June 2015, no definitive cause for the epizootic had been found. At a scientific meeting in November 2015 in Tashkent , Uzbekistan, Dr. Richard A. Kock (of

1710-481: A severe population bottleneck. A population bottleneck was created in the 1970s through the conservation efforts of the endangered Mauna Kea silversword ( Argyroxiphium sandwicense ssp. sandwicense ). The small natural population of silversword was augmented through the 1970s with outplanted individuals. All of the outplanted silversword plants were found to be first or subsequent generation offspring of just two maternal founders. The low amount of polymorphic loci in

1805-699: A shift in available resources. Alternatively, if survivors of the bottleneck are the individuals with the greatest genetic fitness , the frequency of the fitter genes within the gene pool is increased, while the pool itself is reduced. The genetic drift caused by a population bottleneck can change the proportional random distribution of alleles and even lead to loss of alleles . The chances of inbreeding and genetic homogeneity can increase, possibly leading to inbreeding depression . Smaller population size can also cause deleterious mutations to accumulate. Population bottlenecks play an important role in conservation biology (see minimum viable population size) and in

1900-622: A single breeding male, which excludes all other males, often by combat. Antelope pursue a number of defense strategies, often dictated by their morphology. Large antelope that gather in large herds, such as wildebeest, rely on numbers and running speed for protection. In some species, adults will encircle the offspring, protecting them from predators when threatened. Many forest antelope rely on cryptic coloring and good hearing to avoid predators. Forest antelope often have very large ears and dark or striped colorations. Small antelope, especially duikers , evade predation by jumping into dense bush where

1995-425: A small group becomes reproductively (e.g., geographically) separated from the main population, such as through a founder event, e.g., if a few members of a species successfully colonize a new isolated island, or from small captive breeding programs such as animals at a zoo. Alternatively, invasive species can undergo population bottlenecks through founder events when introduced into their invaded range. According to

SECTION 20

#1732773318731

2090-434: A target of hunting since prehistoric ages, when hunting was an essential means to acquire food. Saigas' horns, meat, and skin have commercial value and are exported from Kazakhstan. Saiga horn, known as Cornu Antelopis , is one of the main ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine that is used as an extract or powder additive to the elixirs, ointments, and drinks. Saiga horn's value is equal to rhinoceros horn , whose trade

2185-438: A thick, persistent sheath of horny material , both of which distinguish them from antlers. Antelope horns are efficient weapons, and tend to be better developed in those species where males fight over females (large herd antelope) than in solitary or lekking species. With male-male competition for mates, horns are clashed in combat. Males more commonly use their horns against each other than against another species. The boss of

2280-510: A wide range of habitats. Most live in the African savannahs . However, many species are more secluded, such as the forest antelope, as well as the extreme cold-living saiga , the desert-adapted Arabian oryx , the rocky koppie -living klipspringer , and semiaquatic sitatunga . Species living in forests, woodland, or bush tend to be sedentary, but many of the plains species undertake long migrations. These enable grass-eating species to follow

2375-555: Is sister to the clade formed by the springbok ( Antidorcas marsupialis ) and the gerenuk ( Litocranius walleri ). The study noted that the saiga and the springbok could be considerably different from the rest of the antilopines; a 2007 phylogenetic study suggested that the two form a clade sister to the gerenuk. The cladogram below is based on the 2013 study. Gazella Blackbuck Nanger Eudorcas Springbok Gerenuk Saiga Fossils of saiga, concentrated mainly in central and northern Eurasia, date to as early as

2470-487: Is estimated to number 922,600–988,500 mature individuals. In May 2010, an estimated 12,000 of the 26,000 saiga population in the Ural region of Kazakhstan were found dead. Although the deaths are currently being ascribed to pasteurellosis , an infectious disease that strikes the lungs and intestines, the underlying trigger remains to be identified. In May 2015, what may be the same disease broke out in three northern regions of

2565-425: Is hunted for its pelt, which is used in making shahtoosh wool, used in shawls. Since the fur can only be removed from dead animals, and each animal yields very little of the downy fur, several antelope must be killed to make a single shawl. This unsustainable demand has led to enormous declines in the chiru population. The saiga is hunted for its horns, which are considered an aphrodisiac by some cultures. Only

2660-513: Is incredibly low, nearly undetectable amounts of genetic diversity in the genome of the Wollemi pine ( Wollemia nobilis ). The IUCN found a population count of 80 mature individuals and about 300 seedlings and juveniles in 2011, and previously, the Wollemi pine had fewer than 50 individuals in the wild. The low population size and low genetic diversity indicates that the Wollemi pine went through

2755-612: Is prized for supposed medicinal and magical powers in many places. The horn of the male saiga, in Eastern practice, is ground as an aphrodisiac, for which it has been hunted nearly to extinction. In the Congo , it is thought to confine spirits. The antelope's ability to run swiftly has also led to their association with the wind , such as in the Rig Veda , as the steeds of the Maruts and

2850-417: Is some variation of a brown colour (or several shades of brown), often with white or pale underbodies. Exceptions include the zebra-marked zebra duiker , the grey, black, and white Jentink's duiker , and the black lechwe . Most of the "spiral-horned" antelope have pale, vertical stripes on their backs. Many desert and semidesert species are particularly pale, some almost silvery or whitish (e.g. Arabian oryx);

2945-459: Is still a matter of debate, with several alternative systems proposed. Antelope are not a cladistic or taxonomically defined group. The term is used to describe all members of the family Bovidae that do not fall under the category of sheep , cattle , or goats . Usually, all species of the Antilopinae , Hippotraginae , Reduncinae , Cephalophinae , many Bovinae , the grey rhebok , and

Saiga antelope - Misplaced Pages Continue

3040-485: The Almaty Zoo and Askania-Nova keep saigas. Antelope A better definition, also known as the "true antelopes", includes only the genera Gazella , Nanger , Eudorcas , and Antilope . One North American mammal, the pronghorn or "pronghorn antelope", is colloquially referred to as the "American antelope", despite the fact that it belongs to a completely different family ( Antilocapridae ) than

3135-529: The Americas , though the nominate saiga subspecies occurred in North America during the Pleistocene. North America is currently home to the native pronghorn , which taxonomists do not consider a member of the antelope group, but which is often locally referred to as such (e.g., "American antelope"). In Europe , several extinct species occur in the fossil record, and the saiga was found widely during

3230-589: The Byzantine Greek word ἀνθόλοψ, anthólops , first attested in Eustathius of Antioch ( c.  336 ), according to whom it was a fabulous animal "haunting the banks of the Euphrates, very savage, hard to catch and having long, saw-like horns capable of cutting down trees". It perhaps derives from Greek ἀνθος, anthos (flower) and ώψ, ops (eye), perhaps meaning "beautiful eye" or alluding to

3325-485: The Late Stone Age . European bison , also called wisent (Bison bonasus), faced extinction in the early 20th century. The animals living today are all descended from 12 individuals and they have extremely low genetic variation, which may be beginning to affect the reproductive ability of bulls. The population of American bison (Bison bison) fell due to overhunting, nearly leading to extinction around

3420-794: The Pleistocene but did not persist into the later Holocene , except in Russian Kalmykia and Astrakhan Oblast . Many species of antelope have been imported to other parts of the world, especially the United States, for exotic game hunting. With some species possessing spectacular leaping and evasive skills, individuals may escape. Texas in particular has many game ranches, as well as habitats and climates that are very hospitable to African and Asian plains antelope species. Accordingly, wild populations of blackbuck antelope, gemsbok , and nilgai may be found in Texas. Antelope live in

3515-535: The Royal Veterinary College in London) reported that his colleagues and he had narrowed down the possible culprits. Climate change and stormy spring weather, they said, may have transformed harmless bacteria, carried by the saigas, into lethal pathogens. Pasteurella multocida , a bacterium , was determined to be the cause of death. The bacterium occurs in the antelopes and is normally harmless;

3610-399: The beisa and southern oryxes have gray and black pelages with vivid black-and-white faces. Common features of various gazelles are white rumps, which flash a warning to others when they run from danger, and dark stripes midbody (the latter feature is also shared by the springbok and beira). The springbok also has a pouch of white, brushlike hairs running along its back, which opens up when

3705-428: The elands . These antelope sometimes jump over each other's backs when alarmed, but this incongruous talent seems to be exploited only by wild members of the species; tame elands do not take advantage of it and can be enclosed within a very low fence. Their meat, milk, and hides are all of excellent quality, and experimental eland husbandry has been going on for some years in both Ukraine and Zimbabwe. In both locations,

3800-503: The impala are called antelope. More species of antelope are native to Africa than to any other continent, almost exclusively in savannahs , with 25-40 species co-occurring over much of East Africa. Because savannah habitat in Africa has expanded and contracted five times over the last three million years, and the fossil record indicates this is when most extant species evolved, it is believed that isolation in refugia during contractions

3895-412: The land bridge between Asia and North America. The Neolithic Y-chromosome bottleneck refers to a period around 5000 BC where the diversity in the male y-chromosome dropped precipitously, to a level equivalent to reproduction occurring with a ratio between men and women of 1:17. Discovered in 2015 the research suggests that the reason for the bottleneck was not a reduction in the number of males, but

Saiga antelope - Misplaced Pages Continue

3990-596: The last glacial period , it ranged from the British Isles through Central Asia and the Bering Strait into Alaska and Canada's Yukon and Northwest Territories . By the classical age, they were apparently considered a characteristic animal of Scythia , judging from the historian Strabo 's description of an animal called the kolos that was "between the deer and ram in size" and was wrongly believed to drink through its nose. Considerable evidence shows

4085-597: The 18th century. After a rapid decline, they were nearly completely exterminated in the 1920s, but they were able to recover. By 1950, two million of them were found in the steppes of the USSR. Their population fell drastically following the collapse of the USSR due to uncontrolled hunting and demand for horns in Chinese medicine. At one point, some conservation groups, such as the World Wildlife Fund , encouraged

4180-460: The 1980s, several saiga die-offs occurred, and between 2010 and 2014, one occurred every year. The deaths could be linked to calving aggregation, which is when they are most vulnerable. More recent research involving a mass die-off in 2015 indicates warmer weather and attendant humidity led bacteria common in saiga antelopes to move into the bloodstream and cause hemorrhagic septicemia . In May 2015, uncommonly large numbers of saigas began to die from

4275-600: The 2010s, appeared to refute both the climate argument and the genetic argument. Recent research shows the extent of climate change was much smaller than believed by proponents of the theory. In 2000, a Molecular Biology and Evolution paper suggested a transplanting model or a 'long bottleneck' to account for the limited genetic variation, rather than a catastrophic environmental change. This would be consistent with suggestions that in sub-Saharan Africa numbers could have dropped at times as low as 2,000, for perhaps as long as 100,000 years, before numbers began to expand again in

4370-424: The 20th century. In Illinois alone, the number of greater prairie chickens plummeted from over 100 million in 1900 to about 46 in 1998. These declines in population were the result of hunting and habitat destruction , but the random consequences have also caused a great loss in species diversity. DNA analysis comparing the birds from 1990 and mid-century shows a steep genetic decline in recent decades. Management of

4465-754: The British Isles to Beringia . Today, the dominant subspecies ( S. t. tatarica ) only occurs in Kalmykia and Astrakhan Oblast of Russia and in the Ural , Ustyurt and Betpak-Dala regions of Kazakhstan. A portion of the Ustyurt population migrates south to Uzbekistan and occasionally to Turkmenistan in winter. It is regionally extinct in Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, China and southwestern Mongolia. The Mongolian subspecies ( S. t. mongolica ) occurs only in western Mongolia. The scientific name Capra tatarica

4560-521: The Buran Kaya III site ( Crimea ) date back to the transition from Pleistocene to Holocene . The morphology of saiga does not seem to have changed significantly since prehistoric times. Before the Holocene, the saiga ranged across the mammoth steppe from as far west as modern-day England and France to as far east as northern Siberia, Alaska, and probably Canada. The antelope gradually entered

4655-501: The Urals, though it did not colonise southern Europe. A 2010 study revealed that a steep decline has occurred in the genetic variability of the saiga since the late Pleistocene-Holocene, probably due to a population bottleneck . The saiga stands 61–81 cm (24–32 in) at the shoulder, and weighs 26–69 kg (57–152 lb). The head-and-body length is typically between 100 and 140 cm (39 and 55 in). A prominent feature of

4750-572: The acceptance of females. The winner leads a herd of five to ten females (occasionally up to 50). In springtime, mothers come together in mass to give birth. Two-thirds of births are twins; the remaining third of births are single calves. Saigas, like the Mongolian gazelles , are known for their extensive migrations across the steppes that allow them to escape natural calamities. Saigas are highly vulnerable to wolves . Juveniles are targeted by foxes , steppe eagles , golden eagles , and ravens . In

4845-476: The animal has proved wholly amenable to domestication. Similarly, European visitors to Arabia reported "tame gazelles are very common in the Asiatic countries of which the species is a native; and the poetry of these countries abounds in allusions both to the beauty and the gentleness of the gazelle." Other antelope that have been tamed successfully include the gemsbok , the kudu , and the springbok . Nor are

SECTION 50

#1732773318731

4940-503: The animal senses danger, causing the dorsal hairs to stand on end. Many antelope are sexually dimorphic. In most species, both sexes have horns, but those of males tend to be larger. Males tend to be larger than the females, but exceptions in which the females tend to be heavier than the males include the bush duiker , dwarf antelope , Cape grysbok , and oribi , all rather small species. A number of species have hornless females (e.g., sitatunga , red lechwe , and suni ). In some species,

5035-421: The animal that antelope do not typically display. Most species are difficult to contain in any density, due to the territoriality of the males, or in the case of oryxes (which have a relatively hierarchical social structure), an aggressive disposition; they can easily kill a human. Because many have extremely good jumping abilities, providing adequate fencing is a challenge. Also, antelope will consistently display

5130-505: The animals' long eyelashes. This, however, may be a folk etymology in Greek based on some earlier root. The word talopus and calopus , from Latin, came to be used in heraldry . In 1607, it was first used for living, cervine animals . There are 91 antelope species, most of which are native to Africa, occur in about 30 genera. The classification of tribes or subfamilies within Bovoidea

5225-706: The antelope's meat can be found. Both meat and byproducts are sold in the country and outside of it. About 45–80 dm of skin can be harvested from one individual depending on its age and sex. Agricultural advancement and human settlements have been shrinking habitat areas of the saigas since the 20th century. Occupants limited saiga's passage to water resources and the winter and summer habitats. The ever-changing face of steppe requires saigas to search for new routes to their habitual lands. Currently, saiga populations' migratory routes pass five countries and different human-made constructions, such as railways, trenches, mining sites, and pipelines. These physical barriers limit movement of

5320-456: The antelopes. Cases of saiga herds being trapped within fenced areas and starving to death have been reported. Saigas are dependent on weather and affected by climate fluctuations to a great extent due to their migratory nature. Harsh winters with strong winds or high snow coverage prevent them from feeding on the underlying grass. Population size usually dramatically decreases after severe cold months. Recent trends in climate change have increased

5415-436: The aridity of the steppe region, leading an estimated 14% or more of available pastureland to be considered degraded and useless. Concurrently, small steppe rivers dry faster, limiting water resources to large lakes and rivers, which are usually populated by human settlements; high temperatures in the steppe region lead to springtime floods, in which saiga calves can drown. For ungulates , mass mortalities are not uncommon. In

5510-540: The characteristics described above necessarily barriers to domestication; for further information, see animal domestication . A wide variety of antelope hybrids have been recorded in zoos, game parks, and wildlife ranches, due to either a lack of more appropriate mates in enclosures shared with other species or a misidentification of species. The ease of hybridization shows how closely related some antelope species are. With few exceptions, most hybrid antelope occur only in captivity. Most hybrids occur between species within

5605-455: The context of agriculture (biological and pest control ). In conservation biology , minimum viable population (MVP) size helps to determine the effective population size when a population is at risk for extinction . The effects of a population bottleneck often depend on the number of individuals remaining after the bottleneck and how that compares to the minimum viable population size. A slightly different form of bottleneck can occur if

5700-524: The country's area, especially the region between the Volga and Ural Rivers was heavily populated. The population's size remained high until the second half of the 19th century, when excessive horn export began. The high price and demand for horns drove radical hunting. The number of animals decreased in all regions and the migratory routes shifted southward. Populations in Ukraine were driven to extirpation in

5795-648: The country. As of 28 May 2015, more than 120,000 saigas have been confirmed dead in the Betpak-Dala population in central Kazakhstan, representing more than a third of the global population. By April 2016, the saigas appear to be making a comeback, with an increase of population from 31,000 to 36,000 in the Betpak-Dala area. In April 2021 a survey in Kazakhstan found that the saiga population had risen from an estimated 334,000 to 842,000. The population increase

SECTION 60

#1732773318731

5890-448: The duikers and dwarf antelope tend to be simple "spikes", but differ in the angle to the head from backward curved and backward pointing (e.g. yellow-backed duiker ) to straight and upright (e.g. steenbok ). Other groups have twisted (e.g. common eland ), spiral (e.g. greater kudu ), "recurved" (e.g. the reedbucks ), lyrate (e.g. impala ), or long, curved (e.g. the oryxes ) horns. Horns are not shed and their bony cores are covered with

5985-519: The end of its snout. This bizarre and inaccurate form was invented by European heralds in the Middle Ages, who knew little of foreign animals and made up the rest. The antelope was mistakenly imagined to be a monstrous beast of prey; the 16th century poet Edmund Spenser referred to it as being "as fierce and fell as a wolf ." Antelope can all also occur in their natural form, in which case they are termed "natural antelope" to distinguish them from

6080-740: The exclusion of others can result in a popular sire effect . Selective breeding for dog breeds caused constricting breed-specific bottlenecks. These bottlenecks have led to dogs having an average of 2–3% more genetic loading than gray wolves . The strict breeding programs and population bottlenecks have led to the prevalence of diseases such as heart disease, blindness, cancers , hip dysplasia, and cataracts. Selective breeding to produce high-yielding crops has caused genetic bottlenecks in these crops and has led to genetic homogeneity. This reduced genetic diversity in many crops could lead to broader susceptibility to new diseases or pests, which threatens global food security. Research showed that there

6175-481: The greater prairie chickens now includes genetic rescue efforts including the translocation prairie chickens between leks to increase each populations genetic diversity. Population bottlenecking poses a major threat to the stability of species populations as well. Papilio homerus is the largest butterfly in the Americas and is endangered according to the IUCN . The disappearance of a central population poses

6270-465: The horns is typically arranged in such a way that two antelope striking at each other's horns cannot crack each other's skulls, making a fight via horn more ritualized than dangerous. Many species have ridges in their horns for at least two-thirds the length of their horns, but these ridges are not a direct indicator of age. Antelope are often classified by their reproductive behavior. Small antelope, such as dik-diks , tend to be monogamous. They live in

6365-473: The hunting of this species, as its horn was presented as an alternative to that of a rhinoceros . The Mongolian saiga ( S. t. mongolica ) is found in a small area in western Mongolia around the Sharga and Mankhan Nature Reserves . The horn of the saiga antelope is used in traditional Chinese medicine and can sell for as much as US$ 150. Demand for the horns drives poaching and smuggling, which has wiped out

6460-456: The importance of the antelope to Andronovo culture settlements. Illustrations of saiga antelopes can be found among the cave paintings that were dated back to seventh to fifth century BC. Moreover, saiga bones were found among the remains of other wild animals near the human settlements. The fragmented information shows an abundance of saigas on the territory of modern Kazakhstan in the 14th-16th centuries. The migratory routes ranged throughout

6555-404: The late Pleistocene (nearly 0.1 Mya ). Several species of extinct Saiga from the Pleistocene of Eurasia and Alaska have been named, including S. borealis , S. prisca , S. binagadensis and S. ricei , although more recent studies suggest that these prehistoric representatives were merely geographical variants of the extant species that was formerly much more widespread. Fossils excavated from

6650-486: The males and females have differently coloured pelages (e.g. blackbuck and nyala ). Antelope are ruminants , so they have well-developed molar teeth , which grind cud (food balls stored in the stomach) into a pulp for further digestion. They have no upper incisors, but rather a hard upper gum pad, against which their lower incisors bite to tear grass stems and leaves. Like many other herbivores , antelope rely on keen senses to avoid predators. Their eyes are placed on

6745-542: The males have horns, and have been so heavily hunted that some herds contain up to 800 females to one male. The species has shown a steep decline and is critically endangered. It is difficult to determine how long antelope live in the wild. With the preference of predators towards old and infirm individuals, which can no longer sustain peak speeds, few wild prey-animals live as long as their biological potential. In captivity, wildebeest have lived beyond 20 years old, and impalas have reached their late teens. The antelope's horn

6840-493: The males sport elaborate head antlers that are shed and regrown annually, antelope horns are bone and grow steadily, never falling off. If a horn is broken, it will either remain broken or take years to partially regenerate, depending on the species. The English word "antelope" first appeared in 1417 and is derived from the Old French antelop , itself derived from Medieval Latin ant(h)alopus , which in turn comes from

6935-468: The mid-2010s, the populations declined enormously – as much as 95% in 15 years. This led the saiga to be classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List . In more recent years, the saiga has experienced massive regrowth. As of 2022, there is an estimated number of 1.38 million saiga surviving in Kazakhstan, per an April aerial count. As of December 2023, the global saiga antelope population

7030-550: The more usual heraldic antelope. The arms previously used by the Republic of South Africa featured a natural antelope, along with an oryx . Population bottleneck A population bottleneck or genetic bottleneck is a sharp reduction in the size of a population due to environmental events such as famines, earthquakes, floods, fires, disease , and droughts ; or human activities such as genocide, speciocide, widespread violence or intentional culling. Such events can reduce

7125-689: The most deaths, increased from 31,000 after the epidemic to 36,000 by April 2016. In late 2016, a large loss of the population happened in Mongolia. The etiology was confirmed to be goat plague in early 2017. Under the auspices of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals , the Saiga Antelope Memorandum of Understanding was concluded and came into effect on 24 September 2006. Currently, only

7220-540: The population in China, where the saiga antelope is a class I protected species . In June 2014, Chinese customs at the Kazakh border uncovered 66 cases containing 2,351 saiga antelope horns, estimated to be worth over Y70.5 million (US$ 11 million). In June 2015, E. J. Milner-Gulland (chair of Saiga Conservation Alliance ) said: "Antipoaching needs to be a top priority for the Russian and Kazakh governments." Saigas have been

7315-476: The predator cannot pursue. Springboks use a behavior known as stotting to confuse predators. Open grassland species have nowhere to hide from predators, so they tend to be fast runners. They are agile and have good endurance —these are advantages when pursued by sprint-dependent predators such as cheetahs , which are the fastest of land animals, but tire quickly. Reaction distances vary with predator species and behaviour. For example, gazelles may not flee from

7410-431: The rains and thereby their food supply. The gnus and gazelles of East Africa perform some of the most impressive mass migratory circuits of all mammals. Antelope vary greatly in size. For example, a male common eland can measure 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) at the shoulder and weigh almost 950 kg (2,100 lb), whereas an adult royal antelope may stand only 24 cm ( 9 + 1 ⁄ 2  in) at

7505-503: The reason for the change in behavior of the bacterium is unknown. Now, scientists and researchers believe the unusually warm and wet uncontrolled environmental variables caused the bacterium to enter the bloodstream and become septic. Hemorrhagic septicemia is the likely cause of the most recent deaths The change of the bacteria may be attributed to "the response of opportunistic microbes to changing environmental conditions". The Betpak-Dala saiga population in central Kazakhstan, which saw

7600-419: The saiga is the pair of closely spaced, bloated nostrils directed downward. Other facial features include the dark markings on the cheeks and the nose, and the 7–12 cm (2.8–4.7 in) long ears. The coat shows seasonal changes. In summer, the coat appears yellow to red, fading toward the flanks. The Mongolian saiga can develop a sandy colour. The coat develops a pale, grayish-brown colour in winter, with

7695-403: The same genus. All reported examples occur within the same subfamily. As with most mammal hybrids, the less closely related the parents, the more likely the offspring will be sterile. Antelope are a common symbol in heraldry , though they occur in a highly distorted form from nature. The heraldic antelope has the body of a stag and the tail of a lion , with serrated horns, and a small tusk at

7790-415: The shadows rapidly. Gazelle and springbok are known for their speed and leaping abilities. Even larger antelope, such as nilgai, elands , and kudus , are capable of jumping 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) or greater, although their running speed is restricted by their greater mass. Antelope have a wide variety of coverings, though most have a dense coat of short fur. In most species, the coat (pelage)

7885-552: The shoulder and weigh a mere 1.5 kg ( 3 + 1 ⁄ 4  lb). Not surprisingly for animals with long, slender yet powerful legs, many antelope have long strides and can run fast. Some (e.g. klipspringer) are also adapted to inhabiting rock koppies and crags. Both dibatags and gerenuks habitually stand on their two hind legs to reach acacia and other tree foliage. Different antelope have different body types, which can affect movement. Duikers are short, bush-dwelling antelope that can pick through dense foliage and dive into

7980-806: The sides of their heads, giving them a broad radius of vision with minimal binocular vision. Their horizontally elongated pupils also help in this respect. Acute senses of smell and hearing give antelope the ability to perceive danger at night out in the open (when predators are often on the prowl). These same senses play an important role in contact between individuals of the same species; markings on their heads, ears, legs, and rumps are used in such communication. Many species "flash" such markings, as well as their tails; vocal communications include loud barks, whistles, "moos", and trumpeting; many species also use scent marking to define their territories or simply to maintain contact with their relatives and neighbors. The size and shape of antelope horns varies greatly. Those of

8075-477: The slopes of the Alcedo volcano is significantly less diverse than four other tortoise populations on the same island. DNA analyses date the bottleneck to around 88,000 years before present ( YBP ). About 100,000 YBP the volcano erupted violently, deeply burying much of the tortoise habitat in pumice and ash. Another example can be seen in the greater prairie chickens , which were prevalent in North America until

8170-549: The true Old-World antelopes; pronghorn are the sole extant member of an extinct prehistoric lineage that once included many unique species. Although antelope are sometimes referred to, and easily misidentified as, "deer" ( cervids ), true deer are only distantly related to antelope. While antelope are found in abundance in Africa, only one deer species is found on the continent—the Barbary red deer of Northern Africa. By comparison, numerous deer species are usually found in regions of

8265-633: The two, until phylogenetic studies in the 1990s revealed that though morphologically similar, the Tibetan antelope is closer to the Caprinae while the saiga is closer to the Antilopinae. In a revision of the phylogeny of the tribe Antilopini on the basis of nuclear and mitochondrial data in 2013, Eva Verena Bärmann (of the University of Cambridge ) and colleagues showed that the saiga

8360-516: The variation in the gene pool of a population; thereafter, a smaller population, with a smaller genetic diversity , remains to pass on genes to future generations of offspring . Genetic diversity remains lower, increasing only when gene flow from another population occurs or very slowly increasing with time as random mutations occur. This results in a reduction in the robustness of the population and in its ability to adapt to and survive selecting environmental changes, such as climate change or

8455-413: The wind god Vayu . There is, however, no scientific evidence that the horns of any antelope have any change on a human's physiology or characteristics. In Mali, antelope were believed to have brought the skills of agriculture to mankind. Humans have also used the term "Antelope" to refer to a tradition usually found in the sport of track and field. Domestication of animals requires certain traits in

8550-476: The world with fewer or no antelope species present, such as throughout Southeast Asia , Europe and all of the Americas . This is likely due to competition over shared resources, as deer and antelope fill a virtually identical ecological niche in their respective habitats. Countries like India, however, have large populations of endemic deer and antelope, with the different species generally keeping to their own "niches" with minimal overlap. Unlike deer, in which

8645-418: The year 1890, though it has since begun to recover (see table). A classic example of a population bottleneck is that of the northern elephant seal , whose population fell to about 30 in the 1890s. Although it now numbers in the hundreds of thousands, the potential for bottlenecks within colonies remains. Dominant bulls are able to mate with the largest number of females—sometimes as many as 100. With so much of

8740-655: Was a major driver of this diversification. Other species occur in Asia: the Arabian Peninsula is home to the Arabian oryx and Dorcas gazelle . South Asia is home to the nilgai , chinkara , blackbuck , Tibetan antelope , and four-horned antelope , while Russia and Central Asia have the Tibetan antelope and saiga . No antelope species is native to Australasia or Antarctica , nor do any extant species occur in

8835-446: Was banned in 1993. Cornu Antelopis is thought to be a cheaper substitute of rare rhino horn in most TCM recipes. In the period from 1955 to 1989, over 87 thousand tonnes of meat were collected in Kazakhstan by killing more than five million saiga. In 2011, Kazakhstan reaffirmed a ban on hunting saiga and extended this ban until 2021. Saiga meat is compared to lamb , considered to be nutritious and delicious. Numerous recipes for cooking

8930-412: Was coined by Carl Linnaeus in 1766 in the 12th edition of Systema Naturae . It was reclassified as Saiga tatarica and is the sole living member of the genus Saiga . Two subspecies are recognised: In 1945, American paleontologist George Gaylord Simpson classified both in the tribe Saigini under the same subfamily, Caprinae . Subsequent authors were not certain about the relationship between

9025-591: Was partially attributed to the government crackdown on poaching and the establishment of conservation areas. UK charity RSPB reported in 2022 that, partly due to their conservation efforts, as well as the designation of the Bokey Orda-Ashiozek protected area by the Kazakhstan government, the population had now risen to a peak of 1.32 million. The saiga was not present in Europe during the Eemian . During

#730269