Mongolian gazelle
Mongolian Gazelle ( Procapra gutturosa )
The Mongolian gazelle or Mongolian Gazelle ( Procapra gutturosa ) is a type of Central Asian short-tailed gazelles ( Procapra ) and belongs to the subgenus Prodorcas. Sometimes it is also called Dseren. The other two species of short-tailed gazelles are the Tibetan Gazelle ( Procapra picticaudata ) and the Przewalski's gazelle ( Procapra przewalski ).
Features
The Mongolian Gazelle resembles the other species of the genus Procapra, but is slightly larger and stockier than this. It reaches a weight of 25 to 45 kg and a shoulder height of 54-84 centimeters. The head-body length is 108-160 cm and tail length from 5 to 12 centimeters.
The coat of this kind is above pale - orange with reddish sides. In winter, the animals are generally paler than in summer. Like the other two types, it has a white underside also. The bucks have a goiter and a special mouth bubble, similar to the Dromedarhengst. The horns, which also have only the bucks are less elongated than in other short-tailed gazelles and not end up swinging upward or inward as in Tibet or Przewalskigazellen with almost 20 cm.
Distribution area
The Mongolian gazelle is a resident of the Central Asian steppes. Its distribution area even extended to the early 20th century from the Irtysh River Valley in Nordostkasachstan eastward across most areas of Mongolia and eight provinces of northern China ( Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Hebei, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Jilin ) to the levels of Beijing. In the area of today's Russia there were originally three occurrences, all the border with Mongolia. One in chuya - steppe of the Kosh- Agach region in the Altai, another in the southern part of the autonomous province south of the Tannu Tuva - ola Mountains and a third in the southeastern Transbaikal steppes between the rivers Onon and Argun. Here they reached 50 degrees north latitude. Today they come in Russia only in the last of the three areas where they were able to proliferate in the area of Daurian Nature Reserve in recent years. Since 1950, the kind south of the Great Wall has died and the last reserves in Kazakhstan are also extinguished. In China, the animals live today only in Inner Mongolia, in a narrow strip on the border with Mongolia. In most of the earlier Mongol distribution area they are also extinct. They are found almost exclusively in the eastern provinces Dornod, Sükhbaatar, Khentii, Gobi Dorno (East Gobi ) and Ömnö Gobi ( South Gobi ); small remnant populations still hold is also in Dand - Gobi (Central Gobi ), Öwörchangai, Bajanchongor, Gobi - Altai and Dsawchan of 42 degrees 30 ' to 50 degrees 20' N and 92 degrees 00 ' to 119 degrees 00'.
Way of life
The Mongolian gazelle typically inhabited levels or slightly hilly terrain in dry Steppenklimaten and semi-deserts. In winter, the animals seem to be primarily diurnal, while they prefer the twilight in the summer. Looking for steppe grasses, the herds move over large distances and only the seasonal grazing areas may include hundreds of square kilometers. Between these pastures the flocks beyond each year undertake long migrations in spring and autumn, which often amount to hundreds of kilometers. The paths are guided by the weather conditions and food supply. Mongolia gazelles form mostly in summer flocks of 20-30 and in the winter flocks of about 100 individuals. During the hikes and favorable wintering but you can also apply to collections, which consist of thousands of animals. The pregnant females but in the summer often in groups of herds and return after a short time with their fawns back in the mixed associations. The mating season falls in late autumn and winter. Then the goats swells the throat and they fight for mating willing females. After a gestation period of 186 days, a single fawn is thrown. The diet consists mainly of grasses and is supplemented by other steppe plants.
Evolution and systematics
By living in the high mountain plateau and the local climatic conditions are very few fossil evidence for the types of short-tailed gazelles. Species of the genus Procapra are detected at the earliest Pliocene or early Pleistocene before 2 to 3 million years ago, during antelope -like species have already been documented for the Miocene million before 13 to 15 years. The origin of the short-tailed gazelles was suspected in other gazelle -like antelope, as potential ancestors were suspected case from the early Pleistocene Gazella sinensis from the late Pliocene and Gazella paragutturosa. About isotope studies in fossils and compared to animals alive today of Tibetan highlands, it was found that the climate and weather conditions million before 2 to 3 years, the diversity of habitats were significantly milder and more in this area at the same time more diverse than is currently the case, which a species formation was made possible, among other things in the short-tailed gazelles.
Other Antilopini
Tibetan Gazelle ( Procapra picticaudata )
Przewalski's gazelle ( Procapra przewalskii )
Mongolian Gazelle ( Procapra gutturosa )
The first scientific description of the Mongolian gazelle Reginald Innes Pocock comes from from 1912, the genus was described by Procapra Hodgson in 1846. The naming of the genus Procapra derived from the Greco-Latin prefix " pro" ( προ ) for " before" and the name " capra " goat. In addition to the nominate no further sub- types can be distinguished.
The Mongolian gazelle is now presented together with the Przewalski's Gazelle and the Tibetan Gazelle to the species of short-tailed gazelles ( Procapra ), but was often combined with other gazelles in the genus Gazella. Molecular biological studies confirmed the monophyly of the genus Procapra and placed them over the other genera of the tribe as defined Antilopini. The Przewalski's gazelle and the Mongolian gazelle were recognized as being closer related to each other and compared the Tibetan Gazelle as a sister group. In another study, the genus Procapra, represented by the Mongolian gazelle, as one of the basalsten groups of gazelle -like ( Antilopinae ) was filed.
Stock
In the 1940s it was estimated to have approximately 1.5 million Mongolian gazelles and a year were 100 000 their meat, horns and her skin imposes due. Through strong hunting they disappeared from most areas of the western and central Mongolia. In Kazakhstan, Tuva and the Chuya Steppe she is now completely extinct. After the Trans-Baikal in southern Siberia migrate in winter occasionally small groups from the neighboring Mongolia in the steppes between the Onon and Arguni. 1993 their population was estimated at 300,000 animals in the eastern Mongolia and somewhat less in the adjacent parts of China. According to other sources to have been estimated at about 2 million animals in 1996 and 2000 alone in Mongolia stocks.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN) classified the species due to the large distribution area and the assumed large stocks as a non- endangered ( Leat concern). Hazards go back mainly by the uncontrolled and illegal hunting in addition to the permitted hunting.