Tibetan red deer
Encyclopedia
The Tibetan red deer also known as shou is a subspecies of Wapiti
that is native to the southern Tibetan
highlands and Bhutan
.
. The shou is relatively massive built with short legs and a large, square muzzle. The winter fur is light sandy-brown, except the grayish face. The summer coat is slate-gray. The large, white rump patch, which includes the short tail, has no dark rim as it is seen in the Sichuan deer
for example. Those from the eastern part of the range have a dark dorsal line and represent probably the affinis type, which is now usually included in the shou.
and Kansu red deer
forms the southern group of Wapiti
.
It lives in northern Bhutan
and southern Tibet
, where it is recorded from the Chumbi Valley
close to Sikkim
and from Lake Mansarovar. It was believed to be completely extinct until a small population was rediscovered in 1988 in Bhutan and southeastern Tibet. The original range probably covered many smaller valleys of the Brahmaputra River
to the north of the Himalaya (Yarlung Zangbo River
).
A survey in 1995 brought the exciting finding, that a population of about 200 Tibetan red deer still persists to the north of the Yarlung Tsangpo River close to the village of Zhenqi. As this is the only known viable population of this deer, it is planned to establish a reserve for protection here. Evidence for some other relict
populations has been found around the Subansiri River
.
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
that is native to the southern Tibetan
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
highlands and Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
.
Description
Only a few stags, and no female are known to science. Some of them have been kept at the beginning of the 20th century in London and in a small zoo south of LhasaLhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
. The shou is relatively massive built with short legs and a large, square muzzle. The winter fur is light sandy-brown, except the grayish face. The summer coat is slate-gray. The large, white rump patch, which includes the short tail, has no dark rim as it is seen in the Sichuan deer
Sichuan deer
The Sichuan deer also known as MacNeill's deer is a subspecies of Wapiti native to Western China.-Description:...
for example. Those from the eastern part of the range have a dark dorsal line and represent probably the affinis type, which is now usually included in the shou.
Relationships and range
Tibetan red deer, along with Sichuan deerSichuan deer
The Sichuan deer also known as MacNeill's deer is a subspecies of Wapiti native to Western China.-Description:...
and Kansu red deer
Kansu red deer
The Kansu Red Deer is a subspecies of wapiti found in the Gansu province of China. This subspecies forms, along with the closely related Sichuan deer, and Tibetan red deer, the southernmost wapiti group ....
forms the southern group of Wapiti
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
.
It lives in northern Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
and southern Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, where it is recorded from the Chumbi Valley
Chumbi Valley
Chumbi Valley is a valley in Tibet at the intersection of India , Bhutan and China in the Himalayas. Two main passes between India and China open up here: the Nathu La Pass and Jelep La Pass....
close to Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
and from Lake Mansarovar. It was believed to be completely extinct until a small population was rediscovered in 1988 in Bhutan and southeastern Tibet. The original range probably covered many smaller valleys of the Brahmaputra River
Brahmaputra River
The Brahmaputra , also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, is a trans-boundary river and one of the major rivers of Asia. It is the only Indian river that is attributed the masculine gender and thus referred to as a in Indo-Aryan languages and languages with Indo-Aryan influence...
to the north of the Himalaya (Yarlung Zangbo River
Yarlung Zangbo River
Yarlung River is a watercourse that originates upstream from the South Tibet Valley and Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, in Tibet. It then passes through the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India, where it is known as the Dihang....
).
A survey in 1995 brought the exciting finding, that a population of about 200 Tibetan red deer still persists to the north of the Yarlung Tsangpo River close to the village of Zhenqi. As this is the only known viable population of this deer, it is planned to establish a reserve for protection here. Evidence for some other relict
Relict
A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon.* In biology a relict is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas....
populations has been found around the Subansiri River
Subansiri River
The Subansiri River is a tributary of the Brahmaputra River in the Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The Subansiri is long, with a drainage basin large. The Subansiri is the largest tributary of the Brahmaputra. Its maximum observed discharge...
.