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Home > Coniferous Forest Animals > Takin

Takin

Takin (Pronunciation: Tockin’) are ungulates found in the Eastern Himalayas. Classified as goat-antelopes, they are divided into four subspecies based on their coat color.

Takin Images

Scientific Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
CladeSynapsida
ClassMammalia
OrderArtiodactyla
FamilyBovidae
SubfamilyCaprinae
TribeOvibovini
GenusBudorcas
Scientific NameBudorcas taxicolor

Quick Information

Other NamesCattle chamois, gnu goat
Size Length: Male – 6’9’’-7’2’’ (210-220 cm), Female – 5’6’’ (170 cm)

Height: Male – 3’9’’ (120 cm), Female – 3’4’’ (105 cm)

Horns: Up to 2’2’’ (64 cm)

WeightMales – 660-770 lbs (300-350 kg)
Females – 550-660 lbs (250-300 kg)
ColorReddish brown to golden yellow to yellowish white, with a dark stripe running along the back
Distribution & Subspecies
  • Golden or Shaanxi Takin (B. t. bedfordi) – China
  • Sichuan or Tibetan Takin (B. t. tibetana) – Tibet and China
  • Mishmi Takin (B. t. taxicolor) – India, Myanmar, and China
  • Bhutan Takin (B. t. whitei) – Bhutan, India, and China
HabitatGrass-covered rocky Alpine zones and forested valleys at 3,280-13,940 feet (1,000-4250 meters)
LifespanAround 16 years
DietHerbivorous; leaves, twigs, grass, herbs; Travels long distances to get to salt licks
Sounds & CommunicationMostly quite; makes snorts, loud whistles, guttural burps, whoops, and bugle-like sounds;

Mothers may call their offspring with a high ‘rrrrrr’ sound, , a cough like sound is used to alarm others of danger; males make loud bellows during fights

Adaptations
  • A thick, secondary pelage is grown by takins during the severely cold winters which they shed before the ensuing summer.
  • Split hooves make moving around in their habitat easier.
  • Skin secretes a bitter, oily substance which protects them from rain and fog.
  • Large snout warms up the cold air they breathe; otherwise, they can lose considerable body heat through breathing
PredatorsSnow leopards are their only confirmed predator; theoretically, Asiatic black bears, leopards, tigers, and dholes can prey on the takin as their habitats overlap
IUCN Conservation StatusVulnerable

Golden Takin

Takin Pictures

Behavior

Takins live in groups of around 20, especially during winter. During summer they gather in groups consisting of up to 300 individuals to browse vegetation. Older individuals mostly spend their time alone, congregating only during the mating season.  Rather slow moving, they spend most of the day in dense vegetation, coming out only to feed. Takins migrate to lower elevations during winter from higher altitudes where they spend summer. Males often engage in horn-fights to assert dominance. Urine scents are used to gauge each others’ status and pedigree. Males spray their chest, forelegs, and face with their urine while females urinate on their tails.

Mating & Reproduction

Takins observe their mating season in July and August. After a gestation period of around 7-8 months, a single baby is born with a weight of around 15 lbs.

Baby Takin

Takin

Life-cycle

The calves start following their mothers within 3 days of birth. Within a month or two of their birth, they start to follow their mother.

They eventually reach sexual maturity when they are 2½ years old.

Interesting Facts

  • Much the giant pandas, the Chinese consider takins as national treasures.
  • They are Bhutan’s national animal.
  • One of the greatest threats to the takin population is humans, who hunt them regularly for meat and fur.

Takin Horns

Yellow Takin

References:

  1. https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/takin
  2. https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/takin
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takin
  4. http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Budorcas_taxicolor/

Published on February 9th 2017 by Sudipto Chakrabarti under Coniferous Forest Animals.
Article was last reviewed on 5th December 2024.

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