Saiga
They were once hunted to near extinction

Order: Artiodactyla    Family: Bovidae   Genus & Species: Saiga tatarice

Native to the steppes of central Asia, it now ranges from the republics of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to the western regions of Mongolia.  They were once hunted to near extinction but have made a remarkable recovery over the past 70 years.

Habitat
The saiga once ranged from western Europe across northern Eurasia and into Alaska, but now most of the population is concentrated on the grassy steppes of central Asia.  Here the vegetation varies from lush, fertile river valleys to near-desert scrub, and the temperatures range from a scorching 40oC in summer to minus 30o C or lower in winter.		     Before winter, saiga migrate south to warmer grassy valleys
Just before winter closes in on the steppes, herds of saiga migrate south to warmer grassy valleys where food is more plentiful.  Spring, in turn, brings a profusion of plant life to the steppes, so the saiga journeys north again to feed on the new flush of succulent grasses and low growing shrubs.

A lost individual can quickly find its way back to its group by sniffing the ground		 Behaviour
Living in a herd gives an individual saiga relative protection on the open steppes, where wolves are common and foxes and eagles often attack young calves.   Summer herds number only about 20 animals, but during the great seasonal migrations groups of up to 2000 males are followed by as many as 200,000 females and their young calves.
Sometimes a saiga may become accidentally separated from the herd particularly when wandering in the forested areas that border the steppes.  A lost individual, however, can quickly find its way back to its group by sniffing the ground, and following the characteristic scent left by secretions from the hoof glands of other members of the herd.
Feeding
The saiga is constantly on the move in search of the tough steppe grasses, low shrubs and herbs on which it feeds, often covering more than 30 kilometres a day in areas where the grazing is poor.  The saiga obtains most of the water it needs from the grasses it eats, but during periods of summer drought, herds tend to remain in an area with a reliable water supply and drink twice daily.
In summer, the saiga feeds mainly at dusk and dawn, spending the remainder of the day resting and digesting its food.  Like many other grazers, it regurgitates food and chews it a second time, a process known as rumination, which helps the saiga extract maximum goodness from poor quality grasses and tough leaves.  During the winter, however, good grazing is even harder to find and the saiga spends almost every daylight hour searching for food.
Each calf weighs about 3.5kg at birth. Breeding
During the winter the male saiga marks out a breeding territory that he defends against other males while attempting to gather a harem of 5-15 females.  Some two thirds of females give birth to twins, around five months after mating, each calf weighing about 3.5kg.
Although the newborn calves are able to graze within days of being born, they continue to suckle for the first four months of  life.
Females reach sexual maturity before males and often mate when they are only seven months old.  Males mature more slowly, however, and only mate from the second breeding season onwards.

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