The "Tibetan antelope" or "chiru" is a medium-sized bovid native to the Tibetan plateau. Fewer than 75,000 individuals are left in the wild. In recent years,they have become endangered due to poaching. They are hunted for their soft and warm wool which is usually obtained after death. This wool is known as "shahtoosh" and is used to weave shawls . At present. international trade in their products is strictly prohibited. The Tibetan antelope is the sole species in the genus ""Pantholops"", named from the Greek 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. However, this has been disputed, and some authors consider the Tibetan antelope to be a true member of the Caprinae. Although the genus "Pantholops" is currently monotypic, a fossil species, "P. hundesiensis", is known from the Pleistocene of Tibet. It was slightly smaller than the living species, with a narrower skull. In addition, the fossil genus "Qurliqnoria", from the Miocene of China, is thought to be an early member of the Pantholopinae, which diverged from the goat-antelopes around this time. The Tibetan antelope is a medium-sized antelope, with a shoulder height of about 83 cm in males, and 74 cm in females. Males are significantly larger than females, weighing about 39 kg, compared with 26 kg, 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. Wiz Science™ is "the" learning channel for children and all ages. SUBSCRIBE TODAY Disclaimer: This video is for your information only. The author or publisher does not guarantee the accuracy of the content presented in this video. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Background Music: "The Place Inside" by Silent Partner (royalty-free) from YouTube Audio Library. This video uses material/images from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan+antelope, which is released under Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ . This video is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ . To reuse/adapt the content in your own work, you must comply with the license terms.

• published: 04 Sep 2015
• views: 0