Saiga belongs to the family of hollow (which have empty horns), subfamily of antelopes, it is an interesting artiodactyl mammal. Males are called "saiga", "margach", females — "saiga" (according to V. I. Dahl's dictionary). In the Turkic language, the animal is called "chagat", this word by the efforts of the Austrian diplomat Sigismund von Herberstein (remembered artiodactyl in the work" Notes on Muscovy "in 1549) has become a common name"saiga".
External appearance
Features of appearance:
- The trunk of the animal is visually elongated, legs are thin and look low.
- The average body length is 130 centimeters (with a tail about 10 centimeters long), the height at the withers is about 70 centimeters.
- The body has a mass of 20 to 40 kilograms. Males can reach a weight of 50 or even 60 kilograms.
- The nose of the saiga has the form of a small proboscis, which ends in two nostrils. The long nose allows the air to warm up before entering the lungs in the cold season. With the help nose animals communicate, issuing various sounds.
- These animals change their color depending on the season — in summer the hairs become sandy brown, in winter the color changes to light gray. Also, depending on weather conditions, the density of wool changes — in winter it becomes thicker, thinning until summer, so that the saiga in the cold season is warm, and in summer it is not too hot. In summer, the fur has a length of about two centimeters, in winter it extends to seven inches. The change of coat takes place after molting, it takes place in autumn and spring.
- Males have horns, females are hornless. The average size of the horns-a third of a meter, they are dark yellow. Horns have uneven the surface - they like made from many rings, which soldered with each other.
Inhabitancy
Saiga-interesting facts about the habitat. Previously, the animal world was more diverse, the animals occupied a slightly larger area than in our days. The saiga is no exception — these animals lived in vast areas of Europe and Asia. But in connection with human activity, their number has decreased significantly, and the territory in which it lives artiodactyl.
The main population lives in Central Asia — they run on uzbekistanskih, Kazakhstan, Mongolian steppes, deserts, semi-deserts, some can be seen in the European part of Russia (mostly steppe regions).
The main enemy of saiga — wolves. But it is quite difficult to catch prey-saiga can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour (at short distances they can run even faster). In steppe regions wolves quite it is difficult to hunt, on the vastness of the, where there is no trees, them it is difficult organize an ambush. So the steppe, despite the fact that they are difficult to hide, give a kind of protection.
These horned artiodactyls migrate twice a year-with the advent of snow they migrate to the South, where it is easier for them to get food. In spring, they return to the North, where there is more rainfall and more succulent grass.
There are two subspecies-saiga tatarica tatarica, they live in the North-Western Caspian sea (Russia), as well as in Kazakhstan, there are about 50 thousand individuals. Another subspecies — saiga tatarica mongolica lives in Mongolia, there are up to one thousand people. The Mongolian subspecies is smaller.
Behavior
The diet consists of various plants-common grass, as well as cypress, steppe lichens and even wormwood.
Females give birth to an average of two young. Up to three days after birth, the child does not move, his mother tries to hide from predators, keeping in a cozy place.
From the fourth day saigatino already gradually spread, gradually grazing, getting used to a vegetable diet. Children up to four months of age eat their mother's milk.
Males live about 5 years, females-twice as long, about 10 years.
The number of saiga is reduced due to the hunting of a person who is interested in fur and meat. This animal often becomes a victim of superstition-it is unreasonably believed that the horns can be used for medicinal purposes. In order to preserve the species, conservation measures are carried out in saiga habitats.