Zeren
Encyclopedia
The Mongolian gazelle or Zeren, is a medium-sized antelope
native to the semi-arid Central Asian steppe
s of Mongolia
, as well as some parts of Siberia
and China
. The name zeren is Russian
corruption of the Mongolian language
name of zeer.
In the summer its coat is light brown with pinkish tones, becoming longer and paler during the winter. They also have a distinctive heart-shaped white patch on their rump area, divided by a median line of darker color. The males have lyre
-shaped horns which curl backwards from the forehead. They are extremely fast runners and good swimmers.
In the winter they are mostly diurnal, but in the summer they are active shortly after sunrise and before sunset. They tend to travel a lot, and migrations takes place in spring and autumn, but the distance and direction varies depending on the weather and food availability.
The groups usually consists of 20-30 individuals in the summer, and 100 in the winter. However, herds up to 5,000 individuals are not unusual. They still exist in large numbers with a small captive population, the population trend is unknown. In 2007, a mega-herd of a quarter of a million Mongolian gazelles was seen gathering on the country's steppes, one of the world's last great wildernesses.
The mating season is in the late autumn or winter, at this time the males' throat swells in a goiter-like effect. Competition is vigorous, but fights rarely breaks out. The gestation period lasts for about 5 or 6 months. Birth occurs is June and July, when groups of dozens of females separate from the herd to give birth, rejoining the herd afterward. They usually give birth to a single young and occasionally twins. They weigh about 3 kg and can keep up with their mother after a few days. They will be able to mate after 17 - 18 months.
The Mongolian Gazelle is still one of the most numerous large animals in the world, with the total population at about 1.5 million individuals, but approximately 100,000 were killed each year. However it does not seems to be hit particularly hard and the conservation status is at Least Concern. It is unknown whether the population is increasing or decreasing, but it is known that the population is subject to significant fluctuations due to diseases and severe winters.
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
native to the semi-arid Central Asian steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
s of Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, as well as some parts of Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The name zeren is Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
corruption of the Mongolian language
Mongolian language
The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner...
name of zeer.
In the summer its coat is light brown with pinkish tones, becoming longer and paler during the winter. They also have a distinctive heart-shaped white patch on their rump area, divided by a median line of darker color. The males have lyre
Lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...
-shaped horns which curl backwards from the forehead. They are extremely fast runners and good swimmers.
In the winter they are mostly diurnal, but in the summer they are active shortly after sunrise and before sunset. They tend to travel a lot, and migrations takes place in spring and autumn, but the distance and direction varies depending on the weather and food availability.
The groups usually consists of 20-30 individuals in the summer, and 100 in the winter. However, herds up to 5,000 individuals are not unusual. They still exist in large numbers with a small captive population, the population trend is unknown. In 2007, a mega-herd of a quarter of a million Mongolian gazelles was seen gathering on the country's steppes, one of the world's last great wildernesses.
The mating season is in the late autumn or winter, at this time the males' throat swells in a goiter-like effect. Competition is vigorous, but fights rarely breaks out. The gestation period lasts for about 5 or 6 months. Birth occurs is June and July, when groups of dozens of females separate from the herd to give birth, rejoining the herd afterward. They usually give birth to a single young and occasionally twins. They weigh about 3 kg and can keep up with their mother after a few days. They will be able to mate after 17 - 18 months.
The Mongolian Gazelle is still one of the most numerous large animals in the world, with the total population at about 1.5 million individuals, but approximately 100,000 were killed each year. However it does not seems to be hit particularly hard and the conservation status is at Least Concern. It is unknown whether the population is increasing or decreasing, but it is known that the population is subject to significant fluctuations due to diseases and severe winters.