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What the sources say

Saiga AntelopeSaiga tatarica

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Saiga Antelope profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 55 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Saiga tatarica (saiga). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysMore than 100 plant species, including grasses, saltworts and sagebrush, plus steppe lichens
The source saysThey graze on over one hundred different plant species; the most important being grasses, prostrate summer cypress, saltworts, fobs, sagebrush, and steppe lichens.Note: stats.diet; 'one hundred' spelled out in source
The page sayshas a huge, flexible nose that hangs down over its mouth
The source saysits large head with a huge mobile nose that hangs over its mouth
The page saysSaigas stand about 0.6 to 0.8 meters at the shoulder, measure 1 to 1.5 meters long
The source saysSaiga antelopes are approximately .6 m to .8 m tall at shoulder height and are approximately 1 m to 1.5 m long.Note: source omits the leading zero
The page saysweigh 30 to 45 kilograms
The source saysRange mass 30 to 45 kgNote: AnAge's adult weight 37,500 g sits inside this range
The page saysFemales usually give birth to two young after a five-month pregnancy
The source saysA female is pregnant for 5 months and usually gives birth to two young.Note: AnAge gestation 152 days agrees
The page sayscalves begin to graze at 4 to 8 days old
The source saysYoung begin to graze at 4-8 days old.
The page saysSaigas live on dry steppes and semi-deserts
The source saysSaiga tatarica inhabit dry steppes and semi deserts.
The page saysThey graze on more than 100 plant species, including grasses, saltworts and sagebrush
The source saysThey graze on over one hundred different plant species; the most important being grasses, prostrate summer cypress, saltworts, fobs, sagebrush, and steppe lichens.
The page saysOlder studies describe herds of 30 to 40 after the breeding season
The source saysWhen the breeding season is over, S. tatarica form herds consisting of 30-40 individuals.Note: 'Older studies': ADW cites Heptner et al. 1988 for this paragraph
The page saysWolves are their main natural predator, and foxes and stray dogs prey on newborn calves
The source saysWolves are the principle natural predator of adult and new born saiga. Foxes and stray dogs prey on newborn saigas.
The page saysDuring the rut, one male guards a group of 5 to 10 females, and violent fights often break out between males
The source saysDuring the breeding season, saigas congregate into groups consisting of 5 to 10 females and one male. Males are very protective of their harem. Violent fights often break out between two males.
The page saysOlder studies summarised by Animal Diversity Web report that males stop grazing entirely, and that male mortality often reached 80 to 90 percent
The source saysThey do not graze at all during the breeding season and spend most of their stored energy defending their harem. As a result, male mortality often reaches 80 to 90%.Note: past tense: ADW's paragraph rests on Heptner et al. 1988 and older literature

Source
02

AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources

Saiga tatarica. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

The page saysthey have been estimated to live up to 10 to 12 years in the wild
The source saysThey have been estimated to live up to 10-12 years in the wild
The page saystheir maximum lifespan is not yet established
The source saysMaximum longevity Not yet established
The page saysIt puts the average age of female sexual maturity at 331 days
The source saysFemale sexual maturity 331 daysNote: AnAge's life history traits are averages ('Life history traits (averages)'); replaces ADW's older 7 to 8 months
The page saysweightKg: 37.5
The source saysAdult weight 37,500 gNote: task #489; inside ADW's 30 to 45 kg, and Medium either way, so no matchup moves

Source
03

Saiga Conservation Alliance

What is a Saiga? Saiga Conservation Alliance.

The page saysAn inflatable nose, loud nasal roars, and an Ice Age survivor of the Eurasian steppe
The source saysThe saiga antelope ranged across the Eurasian steppe since the ice age. Its extremely unusual oversized nose inflatesNote: tagline; the roars are Frey 2007 'Rutting male saigas produce loud nasal roars', claimed in the body
The page saysDry steppes and semi-deserts in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan
The source saysworks across the saiga’s range in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and UzbekistanNote: stats.habitat; the country list is SCA's current range (ADW's 1994 list omits Uzbekistan); dry steppes and semi-deserts are ADW, claimed in the body
The page saysAn oversized, inflatable nose that helps it breathe warm air in frosty winters and filter dust in summer
The source saysIts extremely unusual oversized nose inflates to breathe warm air in the frosty winters and filter dust in the summers.Note: stats.superpower
The page saysthat oversized nose inflates to help the saiga breathe warm air in frosty winters and to filter dust in summer
The source saysIts extremely unusual oversized nose inflates to breathe warm air in the frosty winters and filter dust in the summers.Note: undated page, used only for the nose's function, never for status
The page saysthe Saiga Conservation Alliance works across their range in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan
The source saysworks across the saiga’s range in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan
The page saysthe oversized nose inflates to help the saiga breathe warm air in frosty winters and to filter dust in summer
The source saysIts extremely unusual oversized nose inflates to breathe warm air in the frosty winters and filter dust in the summers.Note: FAQ 1

Source
04

Frey, Volodin & Volodina 2007

Frey, Volodin & Volodina (2007). A nose that roars: anatomical specializations and behavioural features of rutting male saiga. Journal of Anatomy.

The page saysDuring the mating season, or rut, males produce loud nasal roars
The source saysRutting male saigas produce loud nasal roars.
The page saysA 2007 study in the Journal of Anatomy found that they pull the flexible front of the nose forward
The source saysSaiga males attain a similar effect by pulling their flexible nasal vestibulum rostrallyNote: 2007 and Journal of Anatomy are the reference's own year and journal
The page saysthey pull the flexible front of the nose forward, temporarily lengthening the nasal vocal tract by about 20 percent
The source saysSaiga males attain a similar effect by pulling their flexible nasal vestibulum rostrally, allowing for a temporary elongation of the nasal vocal tract by about 20%.Note: nasal vestibulum = front of the nose; rostrally = forward. 2007 is the reference's year
The page saysThat lowers the roar's resonant frequencies, called formants
The source saysDecrease of formant frequencies and formant dispersion, as acoustic effects of an increase of vtlNote: formants are resonances, not pitch: the earlier 'lower pitch' wording was cut
The page saysThese are thought to tell other saigas about a male's body size and fighting ability
The source saysare assumed to convey important information on the quality of a dominant male to conspecifics, e.g. on body size and fighting ability.
The page saysthe roar may also warn off rivals and attract females
The source saysNasal roaring in saiga may equally serve to deter rival males and to attract females.
The page saysIn many mammals, a male sniffs a female's urine and then pulls back his upper lip in a "flehmen" face, which is thought to help him detect her chemical signals
The source saysAdult males of many mammalian species, after sniffing or licking female urine or genital secretions, raise their head and strongly retract their upper lip and small nasal vestibulum while inhalating orally. This flehmen behaviour is assumed to promote transport of non-volatile substances via the incisive ducts into the vomeronasal organs for pheromone detection.Note: scoped to 'many mammals' as the source is
The page saysIn saigas, the nose curves inward for this face, the reverse of its shape when roaring
The source saysThe flehmen aspect in saiga involves the extensive flexible walls of the greatly enlarged nasal vestibulum and is characterized by a distinctly concave configuration of the nose region, the reverse of that observed in nasal roaring.
The page saysBefore roaring, a rutting male pulls the flexible front of his nose forward, temporarily lengthening his nasal vocal tract by about 20 percent
The source saysPrior to roaring, they tense and extend their noses in a highly stereotypic manner. This change of nose configuration includes dorsal folding and convex curving of the nasal vestibulum and is maintained until the roar ends. Red and fallow deer males that orally roar achieve a temporary increase of vocal tract length (vtl) by larynx retraction. Saiga males attain a similar effect by pulling their flexible nasal vestibulum rostrally, allowing for a temporary elongation of the nasal vocal tract by about 20%.Note: FAQ 2
The page saysThat lowers the roar's resonant frequencies, called formants, which are thought to tell other saigas about his body size and fighting ability
The source saysDecrease of formant frequencies and formant dispersion, as acoustic effects of an increase of vtl, are assumed to convey important information on the quality of a dominant male to conspecifics, e.g. on body size and fighting ability.Note: FAQ 2
The page saysThe roar may also warn off rival males and attract females
The source saysNasal roaring in saiga may equally serve to deter rival males and to attract females.Note: FAQ 2
The page saysa rutting male who stretches his nasal vocal tract by about 20 percent
The source saysSaiga males attain a similar effect by pulling their flexible nasal vestibulum rostrally, allowing for a temporary elongation of the nasal vocal tract by about 20%.Note: vibe.reason (task #489); replaces 'majesty, and unstoppable nomadic charge'
The page saysto drop the formants of his roar
The source saysDecrease of formant frequencies and formant dispersion, as acoustic effects of an increase of vtlNote: vibe.reason (task #489)

Source
05

Kock et al. 2018

Kock et al. (2018). Saigas on the brink: Multidisciplinary analysis of the factors influencing mass mortality events. Science Advances.

The page saysHeavy poaching since the 1990s has depleted herds
The source sayshigh levels of poaching since the 1990s have depleted populations
The page saysIn May 2015, a bacterial disease swept through calving herds in central Kazakhstan
The source saysIn May 2015, researchers witnessed a catastrophic disease event causing the death of some 200,000 saiga antelopes ( Saiga tatarica tatarica ) in calving aggregations, across a landscape stretching for several hundreds of kilometers near the Torgai lowland, central Kazakhstan
The page saysMore than 200,000 saigas died in three weeks, about 62 percent of the global population at the time
The source saysIn 2015, more than 200,000 saiga antelopes died in 3 weeks in central Kazakhstan.Note: 62%: 'representing a loss of around 62% of the global population of this critically endangered species', next claim
The page saysabout 62 percent of the global population at the time
The source saysrepresenting a loss of around 62% of the global population of this critically endangered species
The page saysResearchers confirmed the cause as hemorrhagic septicemia, caused by the bacterium
The source saysThe proximate cause of death is confirmed as hemorrhagic septicemia caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida type B
The page sayswhich can live harmlessly in healthy saigas
The source saysThe existence of P. multocida as a commensal organism in healthy saigasNote: commensal = lives without harming its host
The page saysStatistical modelling suggests the days before were unusually hot and humid, which fits known drivers of the disease
The source saysStatistical modeling suggests that there was unusually high relative humidity and temperature in the days leading up to the mortality event; temperature and humidity anomalies were also observed in two previous similar events in the same region. The modeled influence of environmental covariates is consistent with known drivers of hemorrhagic septicemia.Note: keeps the source's 'suggests'
The page saysThe saiga was Critically Endangered then
The source saysrepresenting a loss of around 62% of the global population of this critically endangered speciesNote: Kock et al. was published 2018 and describes the 2015 event
The page saysIn May 2015, a bacterial disease swept through calving herds in central Kazakhstan, and more than 200,000 saigas died in three weeks
The source saysIn 2015, more than 200,000 saiga antelopes died in 3 weeks in central Kazakhstan.Note: FAQ 3; May and calving aggregations from the introduction, claimed in the body
The page saysThat was about 62 percent of the global population at the time
The source saysrepresenting a loss of around 62% of the global population of this critically endangered speciesNote: FAQ 3
The page saysResearchers confirmed the cause as hemorrhagic septicemia from the bacterium Pasteurella multocida, which can live harmlessly in healthy saigas
The source saysThe proximate cause of death is confirmed as hemorrhagic septicemia caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida type BNote: FAQ 3; commensal quote claimed in the body
The page saysStatistical modelling suggests the days before were unusually hot and humid, which fits known drivers of the disease
The source saysThe modeled influence of environmental covariates is consistent with known drivers of hemorrhagic septicemia.Note: FAQ 3; the humidity and temperature quote is claimed in the body
The page saystags: migratory
The source saysenabling large-scale seasonal migrations tracking greenery across thousands of kilometersNote: task #489; the tag's definition asks for seasonal journeys of thousands of kilometers

Source
06

Campos et al. 2010

Campos et al. (2010). Ancient DNA sequences point to a large loss of mitochondrial genetic diversity in the saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) since the Pleistocene. Molecular Ecology.

The page saysthe saiga ranged from France to Canada's Northwest Territories
The source saysPrior to the Holocene, the range of the saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) spanned from France to the Northwest Territories of Canada.Note: 'our current geological epoch' is a definition of the Holocene
The page saysIts range later shrank to the steppes of Central Asia
The source saysAlthough its distribution subsequently contracted to the steppes of Central Asia
The page sayssaigas stayed extremely abundant until the Soviet Union ended, and then their numbers fell by more than 95 percent
The source sayshistorical records indicate that it remained extremely abundant until the end of the Soviet Union, after which its populations were reduced by over 95%Note: 2010 is the reference's year
The page saysAccording to historical records cited in a 2010 ancient DNA study, saigas stayed extremely abundant until the Soviet Union ended
The source sayshistorical records indicate that it remained extremely abundant until the end of the Soviet UnionNote: 2010 is the reference's year; 'ancient DNA' from its title

Source
07

Pushkina & Raia 2008

Pushkina & Raia (2008). Human influence on distribution and extinctions of the late Pleistocene Eurasian megafauna. Journal of Human Evolution.

The page saysA 2008 study of Ice Age Eurasian megafauna lists the saiga among the large animals favoured by human hunters that survived into the Holocene
The source saysOther human-preferred species survive into the Holocene, including Rangifer tarandus, Equus ferus, Capreolus capreolus, Cervus elaphus, Equus hemionus, Saiga tatarica, and Sus scrofa.Note: 2008 is the reference's year; the study is of the late Pleistocene (Ice Age) megafauna per its title; 'human hunters' from 'humans acted as efficient hunters'

Source
08

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025

Saiga tatarica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T19832A233985067.

The page saysThe IUCN Red List now rates it Near Threatened
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Near Threatened (NT).Note: current category via GBIF's copy of the Red List; no assessment year stated, since the cached text gives none
The page saysNo. The IUCN Red List now rates the saiga as Near Threatened
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Near Threatened (NT).Note: FAQ 4

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.