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981 Featured Specimen
Chiru

Details

Chiru

Pantholops hodgsonii

Size
1.2–1.4 m · 25–40 kg
Diet
Herbivore
Activity
Diurnal
Sociality
Herd
Lifespan

Chiru is a mammal associated with grasslands and mountains. It is herbivorous and herd-forming. Decline or fragmentation makes continued monitoring important.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

Its range is represented here by the Palearctic, where it uses grasslands and mountains. Mobile species may shift habitat use with season, breeding sites, or food availability.

Appearance

Typical length 120-140 cm, weight 25 kg-40 kg. It has a hoofed ungulate body plan, with proportions shaped by its habitat and mode of movement.

Behavior

It is mostly active by day and herd-forming. Spacing, group size, and visibility can change with season, feeding conditions, and breeding activity.

Feeding

It is herbivorous. Food choice and foraging style are tied to life in grasslands and mountains, so movements often follow available food resources.

Reproduction

As a mammal, it gives birth to live young, and the mother nurses them in cover or within the social group.

Notes

Recorded scientifically as Pantholops hodgsonii. Decline or fragmentation makes continued monitoring important. In this guide, size, habitat, and activity pattern are useful first clues for recognition.