---
title: "What the sources say about the Saiga Antelope | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "55 claims from the Saiga Antelope profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Saiga Antelope (*Saiga tatarica*)

> 55 claims from the Saiga Antelope profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Saiga Antelope](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/saiga-antelope/)

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

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Saiga_tatarica/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| More than 100 plant species, including grasses, saltworts and sagebrush, plus steppe lichens | They 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) |
| has a huge, flexible nose that hangs down over its mouth | its large head with a huge mobile nose that hangs over its mouth |
| Saigas stand about 0.6 to 0.8 meters at the shoulder, measure 1 to 1.5 meters long | Saiga 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) |
| weigh 30 to 45 kilograms | Range mass 30 to 45 kg (note: AnAge's adult weight 37,500 g sits inside this range) |
| Females usually give birth to two young after a five-month pregnancy | A female is pregnant for 5 months and usually gives birth to two young. (note: AnAge gestation 152 days agrees) |
| calves begin to graze at 4 to 8 days old | Young begin to graze at 4-8 days old. |
| Saigas live on dry steppes and semi-deserts | Saiga tatarica inhabit dry steppes and semi deserts. |
| They graze on more than 100 plant species, including grasses, saltworts and sagebrush | They graze on over one hundred different plant species; the most important being grasses, prostrate summer cypress, saltworts, fobs, sagebrush, and steppe lichens. |
| Older studies describe herds of 30 to 40 after the breeding season | When 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) |
| Wolves are their main natural predator, and foxes and stray dogs prey on newborn calves | Wolves are the principle natural predator of adult and new born saiga. Foxes and stray dogs prey on newborn saigas. |
| During the rut, one male guards a group of 5 to 10 females, and violent fights often break out between males | During 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. |
| Older studies summarised by Animal Diversity Web report that males stop grazing entirely, and that male mortality often reached 80 to 90 percent | They 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) |

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

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Saiga_tatarica

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| they have been estimated to live up to 10 to 12 years in the wild | They have been estimated to live up to 10-12 years in the wild |
| their maximum lifespan is not yet established | Maximum longevity Not yet established |
| It puts the average age of female sexual maturity at 331 days | Female sexual maturity 331 days (note: AnAge's life history traits are averages ('Life history traits (averages)'); replaces ADW's older 7 to 8 months) |
| weightKg: 37.5 | Adult weight 37,500 g (note: task #489; inside ADW's 30 to 45 kg, and Medium either way, so no matchup moves) |

## What is a Saiga? Saiga Conservation Alliance.

https://www.saiga-conservation.org/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| An inflatable nose, loud nasal roars, and an Ice Age survivor of the Eurasian steppe | The saiga antelope ranged across the Eurasian steppe since the ice age. Its extremely unusual oversized nose inflates (note: tagline; the roars are Frey 2007 'Rutting male saigas produce loud nasal roars', claimed in the body) |
| Dry steppes and semi-deserts in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan | works across the saiga’s range in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan (note: 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) |
| An oversized, inflatable nose that helps it breathe warm air in frosty winters and filter dust in summer | Its extremely unusual oversized nose inflates to breathe warm air in the frosty winters and filter dust in the summers. (note: stats.superpower) |
| that oversized nose inflates to help the saiga breathe warm air in frosty winters and to filter dust in summer | Its 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 Saiga Conservation Alliance works across their range in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan | works across the saiga’s range in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan |
| the oversized nose inflates to help the saiga breathe warm air in frosty winters and to filter dust in summer | Its extremely unusual oversized nose inflates to breathe warm air in the frosty winters and filter dust in the summers. (note: FAQ 1) |

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

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7580.2007.00818.x

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| During the mating season, or rut, males produce loud nasal roars | Rutting male saigas produce loud nasal roars. |
| A 2007 study in the Journal of Anatomy found that they pull the flexible front of the nose forward | Saiga males attain a similar effect by pulling their flexible nasal vestibulum rostrally (note: 2007 and Journal of Anatomy are the reference's own year and journal) |
| they pull the flexible front of the nose forward, temporarily lengthening the nasal vocal tract by about 20 percent | 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: nasal vestibulum = front of the nose; rostrally = forward. 2007 is the reference's year) |
| That lowers the roar's resonant frequencies, called formants | Decrease of formant frequencies and formant dispersion, as acoustic effects of an increase of vtl (note: formants are resonances, not pitch: the earlier 'lower pitch' wording was cut) |
| These are thought to tell other saigas about a male's body size and fighting ability | are assumed to convey important information on the quality of a dominant male to conspecifics, e.g. on body size and fighting ability. |
| the roar may also warn off rivals and attract females | Nasal roaring in saiga may equally serve to deter rival males and to attract females. |
| In 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 | Adult 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) |
| In saigas, the nose curves inward for this face, the reverse of its shape when roaring | The 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. |
| Before roaring, a rutting male pulls the flexible front of his nose forward, temporarily lengthening his nasal vocal tract by about 20 percent | Prior 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) |
| That lowers the roar's resonant frequencies, called formants, which are thought to tell other saigas about his body size and fighting ability | Decrease 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 roar may also warn off rival males and attract females | Nasal roaring in saiga may equally serve to deter rival males and to attract females. (note: FAQ 2) |
| a rutting male who stretches his nasal vocal tract by about 20 percent | 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: vibe.reason (task #489); replaces 'majesty, and unstoppable nomadic charge') |
| to drop the formants of his roar | Decrease of formant frequencies and formant dispersion, as acoustic effects of an increase of vtl (note: vibe.reason (task #489)) |

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

https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aao2314

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Heavy poaching since the 1990s has depleted herds | high levels of poaching since the 1990s have depleted populations |
| In May 2015, a bacterial disease swept through calving herds in central Kazakhstan | In 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 |
| More than 200,000 saigas died in three weeks, about 62 percent of the global population at the time | In 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) |
| about 62 percent of the global population at the time | representing a loss of around 62% of the global population of this critically endangered species |
| Researchers confirmed the cause as hemorrhagic septicemia, caused by the bacterium | The proximate cause of death is confirmed as hemorrhagic septicemia caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida type B |
| which can live harmlessly in healthy saigas | The existence of P. multocida as a commensal organism in healthy saigas (note: commensal = lives without harming its host) |
| Statistical modelling suggests the days before were unusually hot and humid, which fits known drivers of the disease | Statistical 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 saiga was Critically Endangered then | representing a loss of around 62% of the global population of this critically endangered species (note: Kock et al. was published 2018 and describes the 2015 event) |
| In May 2015, a bacterial disease swept through calving herds in central Kazakhstan, and more than 200,000 saigas died in three weeks | In 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) |
| That was about 62 percent of the global population at the time | representing a loss of around 62% of the global population of this critically endangered species (note: FAQ 3) |
| Researchers confirmed the cause as hemorrhagic septicemia from the bacterium Pasteurella multocida, which can live harmlessly in healthy saigas | The proximate cause of death is confirmed as hemorrhagic septicemia caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida type B (note: FAQ 3; commensal quote claimed in the body) |
| Statistical modelling suggests the days before were unusually hot and humid, which fits known drivers of the disease | The 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) |
| tags: migratory | enabling large-scale seasonal migrations tracking greenery across thousands of kilometers (note: task #489; the tag's definition asks for seasonal journeys of thousands of kilometers) |

## 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.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294x.2010.04826.x

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| the saiga ranged from France to Canada's Northwest Territories | Prior 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) |
| Its range later shrank to the steppes of Central Asia | Although its distribution subsequently contracted to the steppes of Central Asia |
| saigas stayed extremely abundant until the Soviet Union ended, and then their numbers fell by more than 95 percent | historical 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) |
| According to historical records cited in a 2010 ancient DNA study, saigas stayed extremely abundant until the Soviet Union ended | historical records indicate that it remained extremely abundant until the end of the Soviet Union (note: 2010 is the reference's year; 'ancient DNA' from its title) |

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

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2007.09.024

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A 2008 study of Ice Age Eurasian megafauna lists the saiga among the large animals favoured by human hunters that survived into the Holocene | Other 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') |

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

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2025-1.rlts.t19832a233985067.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The IUCN Red List now rates it Near Threatened | IUCN 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) |
| No. The IUCN Red List now rates the saiga as Near Threatened | IUCN Red List category: Near Threatened (NT). (note: FAQ 4) |