saiga margach or Kalmyk antelope - cloven-hoofed mammal, a representative of the subfamily of these antelopes.Since 2002, the International Committee for Conservation of Nature species is listed as endangered and is listed on the Red List.In the 17-18 centuries the saiga, being the most abundant species of hoofed animals in Eurasia, all populated steppe and semi-desert area of the Carpathian Mountains to western China and Mongolia.Today the situation has changed dramatically.Uncontrolled hunting is barbaric was the result of the catastrophic decline of livestock numbers of these animals.The sharp decrease of its kind put on the brink of extinction.
Kalmyk antelope: who is she?
Saigas - the only wild hoofed mammals living on the steppes of Russia.These amazing animals known since ancient times.They were contemporaries of extinct mammoths and saber-toothed tigers and occupy vast areas, inhabiting the whole of Eurasia until the coast of Alaska.Due to its excellent adaptability to any conditions and high fertility, antelopes have survived.They do not suffer the fate of prehistoric mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses, but human activity tagging of these animals to the endangered species.
Features kind
saiga - the animal is not particularly large, the length of the body to 1-1.4 m and a height at the withers of 0.6 - 0.8 m, wherein the characteristic hooked nose, proboscis and having a dim color: reddish summerand the light gray winter.Body weight antelopes varies from 20 to 40 kg.There are individuals weighing up to 60 kg, but it is extremely rare sight.The imprint of the hoof looks like a heart with a forked end of the size of 6-8 cm and is very similar to the following domestic sheep.In various non-standard or dangerous situations, antelopes fed voice - a kind of bleating.
Saiga, photos are presented in the survey, has a pretty original and unforgettable appearance due to the increased muzzle proboscis.This is an important, if somewhat disfiguring its face animal body is needed.Increasing gaps nose, it warms the cold air in the winter, allowing saiga easier to endure the hardships of winter cold.A summer enhanced the nasal passages are used as a filter, cleaning the air of dust steppe and preventing it from entering the lungs.In the harsh conditions of life of a proboscis often saves the life of his master.
Moves the steppe Saiga surprisingly smooth amble.He seemed to rolling, his head bowed.From any danger arising antelope runs, top speed of 60-70 km / h.However, running at a pace capable of saiga no more than 10-12 km.On the run from time to time he jumps up.
male heads decorated with smoothly curved light translucent horns begin to grow almost immediately after birth.At six-month specimens horns darker.By the age of one year antlers color changes from dark to light.They get excellent translucent similar to the waxy structure.The adult males are the length of horns up to 40 cm.
saiga horns, their extraordinary beauty and healing properties have played a fateful role in his life.Highly touted on the black market, they have led to the barbaric destruction of a huge number of animals.
Habitat
In ancient times saiga lived throughout Eurasia, but after the Ice Age are preserved only in the steppe regions of the continent.Even 200 years ago, extends to the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, the area of their habitat has shrunk dramatically in the 20th century and today occupies a small area of the steppe regions of Russia.Steppe antelope inhabits only open spaces with smooth, hard or stony clay soils, avoiding even small groves and preferring short grass boundless steppes and semi-deserts.For her, it is important to feel safe and not subject to sudden attacks of natural enemies.
Today saiga inhabits the steppe in five different states - Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.On the Russian expanses saiga population are deployed mainly in the Republic of Kalmykia, which gives reason to call antelope Kalmyk.The saiga feeds?
Living in lowland dry areas, the saiga used to eat prairie grasses and grasses in summer, thistles - in winter.It is quite shy and prefers to stay away from the settlements, bypasses the gardens and fields.Water for life support is needed only in the summer.
Where does the saiga?
Saigas keep herds of different sizes - sometimes 10-50 heads, and sometimes 100 or more.They constantly wander - in the winter with little snow turn into semi-desert in the summer - in the steppe.
Saiga, natural area of residence which - steppe, perfectly adapted to survive in the northern semi-desert, it is able to tolerate summer heat and winter cold, may eat more than sparse vegetation and rarely drink.Herds margachey migrate to the endless quest for unpretentious food without causing any harm to agriculture.Saigas perfectly coexist with pets, grazing on pastures and some not at all eating around them.We can say that cattle do not eat what is fed saiga.His stomach digests weeds and poisonous plants that other herbivores sidestep.
Migration saiga
Saigas - nomads.They live constantly moving, never stay long.They are always on the go, looking for the main food - grass vegetation.
Throughout the summer a small number of saiga herds graze on the steppes, eating on the run shoots of various plains grasses, getting food and water necessary for the body.By winter they gather in flocks of thousands and sticking little snow areas migrate southwards.The onset of winter cold, snow, etc. Make antelopes migrate to a more convenient location to stay.Excellent and endurance runners, antelopes able to overcome more than two hundred kilometers per day.But, of course, it is the intense movement is not without casualties.Herd, driven leader, seeking as quickly as possible to get away from the heavy snow conditions of captivity in more comfortable areas moves at a speed most hardy males, without stopping to rest.Weak and sick individuals often can not withstand such tests.Afraid to be left behind by relatives, they run, knocking out power, and often drop dead while driving.
compounds in huge herds of antelopes and their active migration - a fascinating phenomenon, spectacular and grandiose.Each stage strictly follow the leader at some distance, repeating all his movements, even the most subtle.Sometimes nomadic herds of saiga route can be seen within a few days.
Hong
With the onset of winter begins the rut.During this period, the males lose their appetite and very excited.They are particularly aggressive, occurring between fierce fight, during which often cause serious injuries, sometimes leading to the death of one of the participants poedinka.Kazhdy male marks its own territory, leaving litter and builds its own "harem" of the conquered in battle with the tribe of females,the amount of which may vary from 5 to 50 goals.Their number depends on the strength and activity of the male.In addition, he is forced to reassert its right to possession of a harem.Another male may qualify for "wives" and then re-tied the fight.If you lose the owner of the harem, who won margach takes several females.
Reproduction and life expectancy
Kalmyk antelope living long, life expectancy for males and females are different.Males live 4-5 years longer metered females - 8-9 years.But reproductive function antelope incredible: they quickly multiply.Already in the age of seven months females reach sexual maturity and participate in a rut, bringing the first offspring at age one.Males reach maturity only to 2.5 years.
annual calving takes place in May.Pregnant females, grouped in a pack, leave the herd for calving choosing the most remote areas of the steppes with low or very sparse vegetation and the lack of reservoirs, t. E. Such places where predators do not look.Do not arranging any special nooks, they give birth on the ground.
females heifers usually brings a calf, in older individuals born baby 2-3.The first few days they are absolutely helpless, lying on the ground, and almost do not move, by merging its own background color with a total area.Nature took care of them, giving the opportunity to the most vulnerable moments of life to be inconspicuous, often saving them from the attacks of natural enemies - ferrets, foxes, eagles and other predators, the approach that the baby dies, merging with the ground so that it is very difficult to see.Calves are probably the most obedient kids in the world.Without moving, they are lying on the ground and wait for the mother to come and feed them.Females at this time grazing, babies visiting several times a day.
A week later, the baby saiga, a photo of which is presented above have already pursues his mother, two can run, accelerating the adult, and a month later begins to graze.
Molting
summer wool saiga has reddish sand color, as close as possible to the natural colors of dry steppes.On the back is more dark tones and much lighter on the sides.Twice a year - in spring and autumn - at margacha passes molt.Winter coat - a long, thick fur, grow for winter and protects the animal from snowstorms.It is much lighter than the summer and often is all shades of light gray tones.In addition, for the winter at the saiga appear on the face hair, like reindeer.They protect the nose from hypothermia.Throughout the winter winter coat regularly serves Saiga, and with the coming of spring in its place comes again lightened sandy-reddish summer coat.
Natural enemies of saiga
Saigas - animals leading daily life.The most dangerous enemy for adults is Steppenwolf, strong and smart, to escape from that antelope can only escape.He is able to destroy more than a quarter of livestock herds.Steppenwolf, tangled in the pack overtake and destroy the weakened after rutting males, pregnant females, sick animals.Less dangerous for other predators of antelope.Attacks jackals, foxes and stray dogs are often exposed to even a fledgling grown Calves.A newborn baby may become prey of ferrets, foxes and eagles.But the high level of reproduction of the species is able to balance natural natural disasters.
large number of animals killed by pasteurellosis.In 2010 alone, the epidemic of the disease reduced the number margacha 12 thousand.
Hunting and poaching
One hundred and fifty years ago the saiga populated steppes of Ukraine to the lake, but by the early 20th century they remained in Russia only in the Volga region and Kazakhstan.It was so monstrous extermination of species that Lenin issued a special decree prohibiting the hunting of antelope, which is bound to affect the sharp rise in the number of nomadic herds.
By the mid-20th century, the saiga population has grown to two million.Obviously, he said the ban on hunting of antelope, and the extinction of a dangerous animal parasite - saiga gadfly.During this golden period of huge herds margachey constantly roamed all their migration routes.In the mid-fifties to the saiga was again allowed commercial hunting.
changed the situation in the 70s when the active development of large areas of the former saiga, significantly reduced their habitat.Device pipelines, roads, land reclamation, mining violated the habitual way of nomadic life, interfering with the natural migration routes of cloven-hoofed and saiga antelope population had decreased, so that hunting them was banned again.Antelope mastered Kalmyk expanses.
collapse of the Soviet Union, the rebound hit the populations of these animals.If before the species is found in the territory of one state, and it is guarded, the saiga antelope
today - is an animal that lives in several countries that have not signed any document of international conventions on the protection of endangered species.Uncontrolled poaching and killing of animals - that's trouble, which can not match the best huge pack of wolves.The extermination of the population of saiga for meat first, and then the horns of males, smuggled exporting to China, led to a catastrophic decline in the number of antelope, which amounted to a total of 35 thousand.It is very small, given that the vast majority of survivors of antelope - female.
Security measures
Taking into account the plight of that is created Saiga, the government had taken the necessary measures for the protection type in the Aral Sea, Kazakhstan and Astrakhan steppes.Today at the Center, where he studied wild animals in Kalmykia, contains a small part of a group of domesticated as a provision for the restoration of the species, if the wild saiga occur unforeseen misfortune.Around 20,000 saiga antelopes live in a limited space in the territory of Kalmykia created Biosphere Reserve.Lives Kalmyk and antelope in the reserve "Rostov" at Lake Manych-Gudilo.
engaged in restoration of saiga helps Wildlife Fund - created to maintain the system of protection in Kalmykia margachey allocated grants.
