Saiga antelope
- Saigas feed on toxic plants, including milkvetch, wormwood, and saltbush. In different seasons, they gather in thousands in steppes and semi-deserts.
- The saiga has a unique trunk-like nose that filters dust in summer and warms air in winter.
- Saigas run with a gallop at speeds up to 80 km/h. They can cross rivers, but avoid steep and rocky slopes.
- Only males have translucent lyre-shaped horns.
- Often gives birth to twins, allowing rapid population recovery.
- Horns are highly valued in traditional medicine.
- Undertakes seasonal migrations.
- Status Near Threatened (after recovery).
Age
Mongolian saigas have a typical lifespan ranging from 19 years and 9 months to 32 years and 10 months, with a maximum lifespan of the same duration and a theoretical lifespan from 18 years and 5 months to 26 years and 3 months. The species reaches sexual maturity between 7 weeks and 1 year of age; the young are born with their eyes open and begin walking immediately. During the embryonic stage, the fetus develops inside the mother for five months and does not feed independently. The newborn young spend a period of one to three months in the infant stage, relying on maternal milk for nourishment and experiencing rapid growth. An adult animal is capable of reproduction and lives in herds, with this adult stage lasting from 2 to 10 years.
Phenotype
The Mongolian saiga antelope has soft, light fur that helps the young retain heat and camouflage in grass; adult fur is thick and changes color and length seasonally to protect against cold and heat. Male Mongolian saigas possess lyre-shaped horns used for competing with rivals during the mating season. The species has long, strong legs that enable fast running across the steppe to escape predators. Adult Mongolian saigas also have a large, flexible nose that cleans air from dust and regulates its temperature.
Physiology
The Mongolian saiga antelope stands from 17.8 centimeters to 4.5 meters tall, with a body length ranging from 0.9 to 1.4 meters; its mass varies from 26.78 to 35.12 kilograms. During the embryo stage, the body mass is between 1 and 400 grams. The young saiga antelope weighs from 3.5 to 20 kilograms and measures 50 to 80 centimeters in body length. Adult Mongolian saigas have a body mass of 30 to 50 kilograms and a body length of 1 to 1.4 meters.
Habitat
The Mongolian saiga antelope inhabits deserts and dry scrubland characterized by intense heat and dryness with infrequent rainfall, as well as temperate steppes abundant in grasses and sparse in trees where rain occurs. This species occupies terrestrial landscapes including highlands and tundra, deserts and semi-deserts, intertidal zones, and shrublands. The climate varies across its range, encompassing cold steppes that are dry with limited tree cover, extremely dry conditions with rare rainfall, cold and nearly dry environments prevalent throughout the year, consistently very wet conditions with frequent rain, and winters with significant snowfall. The altitude of its habitat reaches up to 1 kilometer.
Shelter
The Mongolian saiga antelope inhabits open steppes and does not have a permanent or long-term shelter. The species does not utilize any fixed shelters, and instead uses grasses for resting and protection from the sun.
Geography
The Mongolian saiga antelope inhabits the Palearctic biogeographical region. These antelopes are found in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and the lower Volga region of Russia; their range also extends to Mongolia and Kalmykia, a republic in southern Russia. The species' distribution includes the Irtysh basin and the Ob-Irtysh interfluve.
Feeding
The Mongolian saiga eats various steppe plants and can consume grasses that are harmful to other animals; it obtains food by grazing and its diet includes grasses, wormwood, cereals, saltworts, plants, grass, and grain. The species employs a grazing feeding strategy and consumes between 1.5 kilograms and 4 kilograms of food daily. Young saiga antelopes feed on milk, while the adult animals graze on a variety of vegetation. Wolves hunt the Mongolian saigas.
Reproduction
Mongolian saigas are terrestrial animals that live and develop on land, away from bodies of water, and their young develop in nests built on or near the ground. The species reproduces through live birth, with females giving birth to one or two offspring in the spring. A female’s gestation period is 2 weeks and 5 days, and a litter consists of 1 to 2 young. The interval between reproduction is 1 year, and males gather groups of females in the autumn to protect them. Only the mother exhibits parental care for the young, which are raised in nests located directly on the surface of the ground. Maturity is reached from 1 year 6 months to 3 years, and reproduction always involves fertilization without changes in generations; this is a case of homogamy.