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SICHUAN TAKIN
 
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Genus species: Budorcas taxicolor tibetiana
DESCRIPTION
Large head with arched muzzle and broad, naked nose.
Horns are found on both males and females and grow up to 20 inches long.
Long, shaggy hair; color, depending on subspecies, from whitish yellow to golden yellow to brown. There is is a dark stripe along the back. Males are 7 to 7.3 feet long and weigh 1000 pounds. Females are 5 to 6 feet long and weigh around 550 pounds
HABITAT
Found in mountains at elevations of 6,400 to 16,000 feet in the grassy rocky high Alpine zone, mingling in clumps of bushes, bamboo or rhododendron jungles and mountain forests
DIET
Grasses, herbs, leaves, buds and shoots
BEHAVIOR
Live in small troops, sometimes large herds, old males are often solitary. Takin are slow and deliberate but can leap nimbly from rock to rock on rough slopes.
REPRODUCTION
Mating season is August through September.
Gestation period is around 7 to 8 months.
Give birth to a single calf, rarely two
Wean after 1 month
Sexually mature at 2.5 years
Lifespan is 12 to 15 years
PREDATORS
Bear, wolf and human
CONSERVATION
Are threatened by habitat loss and poaching
PERSONAL TIDBITS
The Red River Zoo has two takin on loan from the San Diego Zoo. Yuexi and Lailin were born in 1998
For more information on the Sichuan Takin at the RRZ check out the Takin Ridge Blog.
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