Tibetan Gazelle

Appearance

The goa is a relatively small antelope, with slender and graceful bodies. Both males and females stand 54 to 65 centimetres tall at the shoulder, measure 91 to 105 cm in head-body length and weigh 13 to 16 kg. Males have long, tapering, ridged horns, reaching lengths of 26 to 32 cm. The horns are positioned close together on the forehead, and rise more or less vertically until they suddenly diverge towards the tips. Females have no horns, and neither sex has distinct facial markings.

The goa is grayish brown over most of its body, with its summer coat being noticeably greyer in colour than its winter one. It has a short, black-tipped tail in the center of its heart-shaped white rump patches. Its fur lacks an undercoat, consisting of long guard hairs only, and is notably thicker in winter. It appears to have excellent senses, including keen eyesight and hearing. Its thin and long legs enhance its running skills, which are required to escape from predators.

Distribution

The goa is native to the Tibetan plateau, and is widespread throughout the region, inhabiting terrain between 3,000 and 5,750 m in elevation. It is almost restricted to the Chinese provinces of Gansu, Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, and Sichuan, with tiny populations in the Ladakh and Sikkim regions of India. No distinct subspecies of goa have been reported.

Behavior

Unlike some other ungulates, goas do not form large herds, and are typically found in small family groups. Although they occasionally gather into larger aggregations, most goa groups contain no more than 10 individuals, and many are solitary. They have been noted to give short cries and calls to alert the herd on approach of a predator or other perceived threat.

Goas feed on a range of local vegetation, primarily forbs and legumes, supplemented by relatively small amounts of grasses and sedges. Their main local predators are the Himalayan wolf and the snow leopard.

Habitat

Alpine meadow and high elevation steppe are the primary habitats of the goa. It is scattered widely across its range, being present in numerous small herds spread wide apart; estimates of population density vary from 2.8 individuals per sq km to less than 0.1, depending on the local environment.

Reproduction

For much of the year, the sexes remain separate, with the females grazing in higher altitude terrain than the males. The females descend from their high pastures around September, prior to the mating season in December. During the rut, the males are largely solitary, scent marking their territories and sometimes butting or wrestling rival males with their horns.

Gestation lasts around six months, with the single young being born between July and August. The infants remain hidden with their mother for the first two weeks of life, before rejoining the herd. The age of sexual maturity in goas is unknown, but is probably around 18 months. Goas have lived for up to five years and seven months in captivity.

Food

Goas feed on a range of local vegetation, primarily forbs and legumes, supplemented by relatively small amounts of grasses and sedges. Their main local predators are the Himalayan wolf and the snow leopard.