TAKIN

Budorcas taxicolor

Physical Description

The hefty Takin, also known as the Cattle Chamois or the Gnu Goat, belongs to the genus Budorcas, which means “oxlike gazelle” in Greek. The closest cousin of the Takin is the Musk Ox. All four of the Takin’s recognized sub-species occur in Tibet. The Takin sub-species are B. t. bedfordi, the Shensi or Golden Takin (Pusser Bamen, in Tibetan), B. t. taxicolor, the Mishmi Takin (Himalaya Bamen), B. t. tibetana, the Sichuan Takin (Gyalmo Tsawa Rong gi Bamen), and B. t. whitei, the Bhutan Takin (Druk gi Bamen).

The Takin has thick, shaggy fur, with a dark stripe down its back. The Takin’s short, bushy tail, which measures approximately 15 centimetres (6 inches) long, is mostly hidden beneath the Takin’s fur. The Takin secretes an oily, strong-smelling substance that protects its coat from moisture in the form of fog and rain.

The color of the Takin’s coat varies among sub-species. The Golden Takin is golden yellow, with a black muzzle. The Mishmi and Bhutan takins are dark brown. The Sichuan Takin is straw-colored, with splotches of dark gray on its back, legs, and rump. The face of male takins tends to be dark, whereas females and young takins tend to just have a dark muzzle.

The Takin has a large head, with an arched muzzle and a broad, naked nose. Both male and female takins have horns. The Takin’s horns, ridged at the base, grow outwards and upwards from the middle of the top of the Takin’s head. The Takin’s horns measure about 50 to 60 centimetres (20 to 24 inches) in length and 26 to 33 centimetres (10 to 13 inches) in diameter.

The Takin has short legs and strong, two-toed hooves with highly developed spurs. Male takins stand an average of 120 centimetres (3.9 feet) tall at the shoulder, while females reach an average height of 105 centimetres (3.4 feet). The body length of adult male takins ranges from 210 to 220 centimetres (6.9 to 7.2 feet). The body length of female takins averages 170 centimetres (5.6 feet). Male takins are heavy, weighing as much as 400 kilograms (880 pounds). Female takins may weigh up to 250 kilograms (550 pounds).

 

Habitat

The Takin inhabits forested slopes from about 1,500 to 4,250 metres (5,000 to 14,000 feet) in elevation. In the summer, the Takin frequents rocky, grass-covered alpine zones. In the winter, the Takin migrates to forested valleys at lower elevations.

The Takin’s habitat range includes the Himalayas and mountain ranges in west and northwest China. The Golden Takin occurs in the Qin Lin (Qinling) Mountains in China’s Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces. The Sichuan Takin is found in China’s Sichuan and Gansu Provinces, including the Qionglai Mountains in Sichuan, and in Northeast Tibet, or Amdo. In Northeast Tibet, the Sichuan Takin is found in the deep valleys of Ngawa and Katse and the eastern part of Drukchu.

The Mishmi Takin occurs in northern Burma (Myanmar), Bhutan, India’s Assam and Sikkim States, and in Southeast Tibet (or the northern region of China’s Yunnan Province). The Mishmi Takin’s range in Tibet includes the Metok and Gyalthang regions, as well as parts of Drukchu and Ngawa. The Bhutan Takin is found in India, Bhutan, and the Lhoka border region between Tibet and Bhutan.

Eating Habits

The Takin is a generalist herbivore. The Takin eats deciduous leaves from trees and shrubs, grasses, herbs, and bark. In the winter, the Takin also eats twigs and evergreen leaves. The Takin uses various methods to gain access to vegetation that would otherwise be out of its reach, including snapping off branches, bending saplings and shrubs, toppling saplings (as thick as 8 to 10 centimetres, or 3 to 4 inches), and standing on its hind legs. A takin standing on its hind legs may reach leaves as high as 2.4 metres (7.9 feet) above the ground. The Takin also requires a large mineral intake. Sometimes the Takin travels great distances to reach salt deposits, where it may remain for several days.

 

Behaviour and Reproduction

The Takin browses for food in the early morning and late afternoon. The Takin spends the middle of the day resting in thick vegetation, unless it is overcast, in which case the Takin is active all day. The Takin makes narrow trails through thickets and uses these to travel from its resting places to its eating places. The Takin generally moves slowly. However, the Takin is remarkably coordinated for an animal of its size and will leap nimbly from rock to rock up steep, rugged slopes to escape from predators.

The Takin lives in mixed herds, consisting of females, kids, young takins, and a few adult males. Older males are mostly solitary, joining the herds only during the mating months. In the summer, large herds of over 100 takins may form, but in the winter, smaller herds of up to 20 takins are more common. Herds sometimes congregate around salt licks and watering holes. Male takins lead the herds. Young calves remain in the middle of the herd, and females bring up the rear. A takin uses a cough-like sound to warn other members of the herd of potential danger.

The Takin reaches sexual maturity at 2.5 years of age. The Takin mates in the summer, but the exact timing of the mating season varying among sub-species. Male takins emit a low bellow as a warning or a challenge to competitors during this season. Some males are injured seriously or killed as a result of fighting with each other. The Takin’s gestation period lasts seven to eight months. In the spring, each takin mother gives birth to a single calf.

Calves weigh between five and seven kilograms (11 to 15 pounds) at birth. Calves stand immediately after being born and are able to walk two or three steps. By the time the calves are three days old, they can walk well enough to travel through most types of terrain with their mothers. Calves start eating solid food one to two months after birth, and are weaned at about nine months of age.

The Takin’s life span is 12 to 15 years, for takins in the wild. Takins in captivity have lived as long as 16 years. The Takin’s natural predators include bears, wolves, wild dogs, leopards, and tigers. The Takin responds to predators by making its alarm call, fleeing, and hiding, often laying down in thickets. The Takin’s coat provides camouflage.

 

Present Status

The Takin is categorized as Vulnerable in the 2003 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is listed under Appendix II of CITES. The Takin is under first class protection in China and is included in Schedule I, Part I of the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972. The IUCN has also categorized each of the Takin’s subspecies. The Golden Takin, of which about 1,200 remain, and the Mishmi Takin, of which fewer than 10,000 remain, are categorized as Endangered. The Sichuan Takin, of which there are less than 5,000 left, and the Bhutan Takin, are categorized as Vulnerable.

 

Threats to Survival

The Takin is primarily threatened by hunting and habitat destruction. The Takin is hunted for its hide and its “highly prized” meat. The Takin’s habitat has been lost and degraded due to deforestation. Deforestation in the Takin’s habitat range has occurred as a result of logging, infrastructure development, the expansion of human settlements, agricultural expansion, and fires. The Takin is also threatened by competitors and disease.

 

References

Caprinae Specialist Group, 1996: Budorcas taxicolor. In: IUCN, 2003: 2003 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, http://www.redlist.org,

Aug 2004.

Huffman, Brent, Takin, http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Budorcas_taxicolor.html, Sept 2004.

Marceau, J., 2000: Budorcas taxicolor, Animal Diversity Web, http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/

Budorcas_taxicolor.html, Sept 2004.

Schaller, G.B., Qitao, Deng, Wenshi, Pan, Zisheng, Qin, Xiaoming, Wang, Jinchu, Hu, Liming, Shen, “Feeding behavior of Sichuan takin

(Budorcas taxicolor),” http://natureproducts.net/Ecology/Takin.html, Sept 2004.

Woodland Park Zoo, Animal Fact Sheets, http://www.zoo.org/educate/fact_sheets/takin/takin.htm, Sept 2004.

By: Environment and Development Desk, DIIR, CTA.