With the alias of Longhorn Antelope, it belongs to the Bovidae family of Artiodactyla order. Its scientific name is Pantholops hodgsoni (Latin), or Tibetan Antelope (English).
Its body length is about 135 centimeters, with a shoulder height of about 80 centimeters. Weighing up to 45 to 60 kilograms, it has sturdy body, with wide and long head and stout mouth. Its nasal part is wide and slightly ridgy. Its tail is short, and the four limbs are sturdy and symmetrical. Except for the cheek, underparts of the four limbs and tail, it is covered with bushy, soft and dense hair, making the body wholly hazel. It holds its head high when walking. Male antelope has a long, straight and shiny fuliginous horn, commonly 60 centimeters in length. The female antelope is hornless.
It usually inhabits on tablelands at an elevation of 3,400 to 5,500 meters, mostly moving on grasslands near water sources in the morning and dusk. Male and female antelopes usually live in different groups of 2 to 6, or even tens or hundreds. It is born coward but alert, with sensitive hearing and vision ability, and usually appears in remote and unapproachable places. It migrates for long distances seasonally, feeding mainly on grass plants and sedge plants. The oestrous period is in late winter and early spring, when male antelopes fight fiercely for females. A family is usually composed of one male antelope and several female ones. It usually delivers from June to August, only one baby per propagation.
Endemic to China, it is mainly distributed in Sichuan, Qinghai Provinces, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Tibet Autonomous Region. It has been listed in Appendix I ofInternational Trade Convention on Endangered Wild Animal and Plant Species.
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