Animalia

Tibetan Antelope
Pantholops hodgsonii
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Genus:	Pantholops Hodgson, 1834
Species:	P. hodgsonii
Binomial name
Pantholops hodgsonii (Abel, 1826)

The Tibetan antelope or chiru (Pantholops hodgsonii) (Tibetan: གཙོད་, Wylie: gtsod, pronounced [tsǿ]; Chinese: 藏羚羊; pinyin: Zàng língyáng) is a medium-sized bovid native to the Tibetan plateau. There are less than 75,000 individuals left in the wild,^[1] down from a million 50 years ago^{[citation needed]}.

Classification[link]

The antelope is the sole species in the genus Pantholops, named from the Latin for "all antelope". It was formerly classified in the Antilopinae subfamily, but morphological and molecular evidence led to it being placed in its own subfamily, Pantholopinae, closely allied to goat-antelopes of the subfamily Caprinae.^[2] However, this has been disputed,^[3] and some authors consider the Tibetan antelope to be a true member of the Caprinae.^[4]

Although the genus Pantholops is currently monotypic, a fossil species, Pantholops hundesiensis, is known from the Pleistocene of Tibet. It was slightly smaller than the living species, with a narrower skull.^[5] In addition, the fossil genus Qurliqnoria, from the Miocene of China, is thought to be an early member of the Pantholopinae,^[6] which diverged from the goat-antelopes around this time.^[7]

Description[link]

The Tibetan antelope is a medium-sized antelope, with a shoulder height of about 83 centimetres (33 in) in males, and 74 centimetres (29 in) in females. Males are significantly larger than females, weighing about 39 kilograms (86 lb), compared with 26 kilograms (57 lb), and can also be readily distinguished by the presence of horns and by black stripes on the legs, both of which the females lack. The coat is pale fawn to reddish-brown, with a whitish belly, and is particularly thick and woolly. The face is almost black in colour, with prominent nasal swellings that have a paler colour in males. In general, the colouration of males becomes more intense during the annual rut, with the coat becoming much paler, almost white, contrasting with the darker patterns on the face and legs.^[7]

The males have long, curved-back horns that typically measure 54 to 60 centimetres (21 to 24 in) in length. The horns are slender, with ring-like ridges on their lower portions and smooth, pointed, tips. Although the horns are relatively uniform in length, there is some variation in their exact shape, so that the distance between the tips can be quite variable, ranging from 19 to 46 centimetres (7.5 to 18 in). Unlike caprines, the horns do not grow throughout life. The ears are short and pointed, and the tail is also relatively short, at around 13 centimetres (5.1 in) in length.^[7]

The fur of Tibetan antelopes is distinctive, and consists of long guard hairs and a silky undercoat of shorter fibres. The individual guard hairs are thicker than those of other goats, with unusually thin walls, and have a unique pattern of cuticular scales, said to resemble the shape of a benzene ring.^[8]

Distribution and habitat[link]

Endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, the Tibetan antelope inhabits open alpine and cold steppe environments between 3,250 and 5,500 metres (10,660 and 18,000 ft) elevation. They prefer flat, open, terrain, with sparse vegetation cover. They are found almost entirely in China, where they inhabit Tibet, southern Xinjiang and western Qinghai; a few are also found across the border in Ladakh, India. Today, the majority are found within the Chang Tang Nature Reserve of northern Tibet. The first specimens to be described, in 1826, were from Nepal; the species has apparently since been extirpated from the region.^[1] There are no recognised subspecies.

Behaviour[link]

Tibetan antelope feed on forbs, grass, and sedges, often digging through the snow to obtain food in winter. Their natural predators include wolves, lynx, and snow leopards, and red foxes are known to prey on young calves.^[7][9]

Tibetan antelope are gregarious, sometimes congregating in herds hundreds strong when moving between summer and winter pastures, although they are more usually found in much smaller groups, with no more than twenty individuals.^[7] The females migrate up to 300 kilometres (190 mi) yearly to calving grounds in the summer where they usually give birth to a single calf, and rejoin the males at the wintering grounds in late autumn.^[10]

Reproduction[link]

The rutting season lasts from November to December. Males form harems of up to twelve females, although one to four is more common, and drive off other males primarily by making displays or chasing them with head down, rather than sparring directly with their horns. Courtship and mating are both brief, without most of the behaviour typically seen in other antelope species, although males do commonly skim the thighs of females with a kick of their fore legs.^[7]

Mothers give birth to a single calf between June and July, after a gestation period of about six months. The calves are precocial, being able to stand within fifteen minutes of birth. They are fully grown within fifteen months, and reach sexual maturity during their second or third year. Although females may remain with their mother until they themselves give birth, males leave within twelve months, by which time their horns are beginning to grow. Males determine status by their relative horn length, with the maximum length being achieved at around three and a half years of age.^[7]

Although the lifespan of Tibetan antelopes is not known with certainty, since so few have been kept in captivity,^[11] it is probably around ten years.^[7]

Conservation[link]

The antelope are killed for their wool, which is woven into the luxury fabric "shahtoosh," threatening the species’ survival.

Tibetan antelope are listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service due to commercial poaching for their underwool, competition with local domesticated herds, and the development of their rangeland for gold mining. The Chiru's wool, known as shahtoosh, is warm, soft and fine. Although the wool can be obtained without killing the animal, poachers simply kill the chiru before taking the wool; the Chiru's numbers have dropped accordingly from nearly a million (estimated) at the turn of the 20th century to less than 75,000 today. The numbers continue to drop yearly. The struggle to stop illegal antelope hunting was portrayed in the 2004 film, Kekexili: Mountain Patrol.

To develop testing for shahtoosh, a Hong Kong chemist and senior forensic specialist Bonnie Yates looked at the material though a microscope. Using this method, they discovered that shahtoosh contains coarser guard hairs unique to the species. By doing this, the duo had found a convenient way to prove that this was poached material.

In July 2006 the Chinese government inaugurated a new railway that bisects the Chiru's feeding grounds on its way to Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. In an effort to avoid harm to the animal, thirty-three special animal migration passages have been built beneath the railway. However, the railway will bring many more people, including potential poachers, closer to the Chiru's breeding grounds and habitat.

On February 22, 2008, The Wall Street Journal Online reported that China's state-run news agency, Xinhua, issued a public apology for publishing a doctored photograph of Tibetan antelope running near the Qinghai-Xizang railway. Liu Weiqing, a 41-year-old photographer, was identified as the author of the work. He had reportedly camped on the Tibetan plateau since March 2007, as part of a series by the Daqing Evening News, to raise awareness regarding the Tibetan bovid. He was also under contract to provide images to Xinhua. He has since resigned from Daqing Evening News.^[12] Despite the impression given by the faked photo, the antelope are getting used to the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, according to a letter to Nature on April 17, 2008, from researchers of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.^[13]

References[link]

• Ginsberg, J. R., G. B. Schaller, and J. Lowe. (1999). "Petition to list the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) as an endangered species pursuant to the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973." Wildlife Conservation Society and Tibetan Plateau Project.

External links[link]

Wikispecies has information related to: Pantholops hodgsonii

Mammals portal

• Slaughtered in the Name of Fashion: UK newspaper article on Shahtoosh
• ARKive - images and movies of the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii)
• Animal Diversity Web
• Wildlife Trust of India |Save The Chiru
• WWF:Wildlife Trade - Tibetan Antelope (Chiru)
• United States Federal Register. (Oct. 6, 2003)
• Antelope leap to safety through rail underpass The Times, 10-Jul-2006

Allu Arjun
Born	(1983-04-08) April 8, 1983 (age 29) Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Residence	Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Other names	Bunny, Stylish Star
Years active	2003–present
Spouse	Sneha Reddy (2011–present)
Parents	Allu Aravind Allu Nirmala
Website
http://www.alluarjunonline.com/

Allu Arjun (Telugu: అల్లు అర్జున్; born 8 April 1983) is an Indian film actor known for his work in Telugu cinema. He has won two Nandi, two Filmfare and a CineMAA Award for his performances in Arya, Parugu and Vedam.

Personal life[link]

Arjun was born on 8 April 1983 to Allu Aravind and Nirmala. He is the grandson of Telugu comedian Allu Ramalingaiah. He has two brothers Allu Venkatesh and Allu Sirish. He is the nephew of actor Chiranjeevi and actor Pawan Kalyan, and cousin of actor Ram Charan Teja. He married Sneha Reddy on 6 March 2011.

Early career[link]

Arjun worked as a child artist in the film Vijetha and made a guest appearance in Daddy. Arjun made his debut as actor in K. Raghavendra Rao's Gangotri (2003).

2003–2006[link]

His first lead role was in Gangotri, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao which did moderate business despite well received music, composed by MM Keeravani.^[1] His second movie Arya, released in 2004, became his first success at the box office. This film was produced by Dil Raju and directed by Sukumar.^[2] It was the role that first made Allu Arjun a common name among the youth, which till date is his major audience.^{[citation needed]} Music composed by Devisri Prasad became highly successful and contributed to the success of the film.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, his third film Bunny was released. His fourth film Happy, was released in 2006 and was directed by Karunakaran.

2007 – present[link]

Desamuduru (2007), directed by Puri Jagannadh, proved to be a box office success^[3] and the first hit^[4] of the year in Tollywood. The movie grossed 12.58 crores in the first week of its release. In the same year, he also made a guest appearance in his uncle Chiranjeevi's film, Shankar Dada Zindabad.

Parugu (2008), his sixth film directed by Bhaskar, won him his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu^[5] In 2009, Arjun had one release, Arya 2. The film was directed by Sukumar who directed his first film. In 2010, Arjun appeared in Varudu directed by Gunasekhar which was released in 2010. He next acted in Vedam, directed by Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi, in which his portrayal of Cable Raju won him the second Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu.

In 2011, Arjun appeared in Badrinath directed by V. V. Vinayak. Produced by his father in his home banner Geetha Arts with budget of 40 crores, the film grossed 6.5 crore on the first day, becoming the biggest opener in Arjun's career.^{[citation needed]}.His next project is julayi with Trivikram Srinivas.The film completed its shoot and audio release would be in june.^[6]

In the media[link]

Arjun was signed as Brand Ambassador for 7Up soft drinks and also Colgate in Andhra Pradesh.^[7]

Filmography[link]