오호스공간

Northern Steppe

시베리아 서부, 투르키스탄, 몽골지역의 넓은 초지의 전경과 이 지역(초원)에 사는 사이가 산양이 무리를 지어 이동하는 모습은 실로 장관이다. 겨울에는 큰 무리를 이루지만 여름에는 1∼3마리의 수컷을 중심으로 20∼30마리의 무리를 이룬다.

The Saiga typically stands 0.6-0.8 meters at the shoulder and weighs between 36 and 63 kg. Their lifespan ranges from 6 to 10 years. Males are bigger than females and are the only sex to carry horns. The horns have some value as Chinese traditional medicine and for that reason Saiga are now endangered by poaching. The Saiga is recognizable by an extremely unusual, over-sized, and flexible, nose structure. The nose is supposed to warm up the air in winter and filters out the dust in summer.

Saigas form very large herds that graze in semi-desert steppes eating several species of plants, including some that are poisonous to other animals. They can cover considerable distances and swim across rivers, but they avoid steep or rugged areas. The mating season starts in November, when stags fight for the possession of females. The winner leads a herd of 5-50 females. In springtime the mother gives birth to, in two thirds of all cases two, or in one third, one single foal.

[관련사이트] http://www.theworldwonders.com/asia/northern-steppe.html
[관련사이트] http://www.arkive.org/saiga-antelope/sa ··· 651.html
[관련사이트] http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/cpb/workshop ··· ynthesis
[관련사이트] http://en.wikivisual.com/index.php/Steppes
[관련사이트] http://www.wild-wonders.com/blog/?p=3769#