FINAL APPENDIX «ON T HE BUDOR C A S , NE M ORHAEDU S AND CA P RI C ORNI S » By Paulino Fandos and José Madrazo Introduction his Biological Appendix will provide you with biological references to the spe- cies mentioned in this book, though its main aim is to supply the hunting com- munity –particularly those attracted to mountain-dwelling animals– with infor- Tmation. In this way, it should complement the bibliography that already exists about mountain ungulates, much of which is devoted to goats and sheep, and do something for the paucity of publications about other species such as the Budorcas, Nemorhaedus and Capricornis. These three species –the Takin, Ghoral and Serow– form the least-known group of hunting trophies. Even the most extensive hunting archives that exist –those of the Safari Club International– acknowledge the existence of the Red Ghoral (Nemorhaedus baileyi) and the Chinese Serow (Capricornis sumatrensis milneedwardsi), yet do not register any trophy for either of these animals. This procedural difficulty has led to those previously unlisted trophies pertaining to the subspecies collected on my expedition, and were incorrectly entered in the «Record Book» as the Himalayan Ghoral (Nemorhaedus goral) and the Himalayan Serow (Capricornis sumatrensis thar). These species –albeit very few– had already been recorded. Hence, we are attempting to open a new section to include the wrongly classified subspecies, so that they may be properly understood. There have been relatively few expeditions to collect these animals, and even fewer that have been recorded in writing, which is why an effort is necessary to round out this account of hunting in China. When you hear the term, «exotic animals», you hardly ever think of this group of caprines, since there are few specimens, and these are little known and roam faraway places. However, it seems fairly clear that the takins –that is, the ghorals and serows– are the most 163 tripa_china.indd 163 2/12/08 12:57:56 FINAL A pp ENDIX ON T HE BUDOR C A S , NEMORHAEDU S AND CA P RI C ORNI S primitive species among the rupicaprines and their relatives. A primitive variety 50 percent bigger than the modern ghoral, the cock goral, which was found in various parts of Europe until the beginning of the Pleistocene period, is most probably the ancestor of the different forms of both rupicaprines (chamois and white goats) and caprines (goats and sheep) that later branched off from each other. However, they are all included in a group of mammals such as the Artiodactyls, a su- perorder that embraces all mammals with limbs whose extremities consist of a pair of toes that rest on the ground and support the animal. The most important feature of the group as a whole is that, since its members are grass eaters (i.e. phytophages), they gradually lose their canine teeth, including the bottom ones as in the case of the ghoral. Bony structures eventually rise in their places, used for defense and mating battles. Other unusual features are that they chew a cud (with the exception of the Suidae) and are sexually dimorphic, with the males being bigger than the females and having more highly developed defenses. Superorder of paraxoniay or artiodactyls Suborder of rumiantia (rumiants): (pilandoks [mouse deer], african mouse deer; antilocaprines; bulls, antelopes, goats; deer; giraffes, okapis): Tragulidae family (Tragulines): Pilandoks [Mouse Deer] and African Mouse Deer. Giraffidae family (Giraffes): Giraffes and Okapis. Cervidae family (Deer). Antilocapridae family (Antilocaprines or Pronghorns). Bovidae family (Bovids): Duikers Antelopes Dwarf Antelopes Horse Antelopes Goats Suborder of tylopods (camelids): (camels and llamas): Camelidae family: Camelids. Tribe: Lamini (South American Camelids); Genus: Lama. Guanaco, Llama and Alpaca. Tribe: Camelini. Suborder of suina (swine or suiformes): 4 toes. Suidae family: Pigs. Hippopotamide family: Hippopotami. Tayassuidae family: Peccaries. 164 tripa_china.indd 164 2/12/08 12:57:57 SA F ARI EN CHINA “THE MO st ELU S IVE MOUN T AIN GAME ” Takins hile «Takin» is the name used by lay- men and in the captions of paintings Kingdom: Animalia and photos, the generic Latin name, Budorcas, is a compound of the two Phylum: Chordata WGreek words, «bous» (i.e. cow or ox) Class: Mammalia and «dorkas» (i.e. gazelle). The species name, «taxi- Order: Cetartiodactyla color», comes from a compound of the Latin words «taxus» (i.e. yew tree) and «color», in reference to the Suborder: Ruminantia species’ dull yellow color. There are also numerous Family: Bovidae local vernacular names - such as «tunu yea», «niu Subfamily: Caprinae Joao ling», «bei yang»- that refer to the subject’s re- semblance to the cow and the gazelle, the shape of Tribe: Ovibovini its horns, or even its color. Genus Budorcas The Takins are closely related to the Rupic- aprines (the Chamois, the Goral, the Serow, and the American White Goat). 1.1. Species The following three species have been identified, though some authors consider them a subspecies of B. taxicolor: • Budorcas taxicolor Hodgson, 1850. Typically found in: the Mishmi Hills, Arunachal Pradesh, India. • Budorcas tibetanus Lydekker, 1909. Typically found in: Moupin, Szechuan, China. • Budorcas bedfordi Thomas, 1911. Typically found in: Tai-pei Shan, 3,048 m, Southern Shaanxi, China. 1.2. Distribution Takins can be found only in Asia, and mainly in The People’s Republic of China, where they are nowadays restricted to three zones in the center and west of the country, and to the east in the foothills of the Himalayas, though the exact limits of these areas are not very clear, 165 tripa_china.indd 165 2/12/08 12:57:57 FINAL A pp ENDIX ON T HE BUDOR C A S , NEMORHAEDU S AND CA P RI C ORNI S few studies being available. Takins have been reported in Bhutan, in some of the valleys of Tibet as well as in Southern Lhasa, Burma and Nepal. All the references in the hunting literature are to China, except for the B. taxicolor B. bedfordi episodes related by Bert Klineburger and Theodore and Kermit Roosevelt. B. tibetana On p. 299 of his book, «International Hunter», Klineburger describes a hunt where a Budorcas tibetanus Lydekker was collected, illustrating his ac- count with photographs. However, the Roosevelts don’t mention looking for the species in Burma, Szechuan and Yunnan, though in the account Map showing Takin distribution: (1) B. t. taxicolor y B. of their three-month trip in «Trailing t. whitei, (2) B. t. tibetana, y (3) B. t. bedfordi the Giant Panda», the only specimens they managed to spot were found in Szechuan. The habitat of the Gray or Regular Takin extends from Southern Szechuan to the South- eastern part of Gansu Province, while the Golden Takin is found only in the central part of Shaanxi. 1.3. Habitat Takins are mountain animals, with the exception of their seasonal migrations, and are mainly found between 2,950 and 12,140 feet. In winter they stay below the snow line, in the tropical rhododendron and bamboo forests that grow on steep slopes that enjoy heavy rainfall. Though they move slowly, they can climb precipitous mountain sides very effectively as well as jump from rock to rock. Walking, they lower their heads, swinging them from side to side. 1.4. Description Both sexes have dark-colored, crescent-shaped, striated horns with ovoid triangular bases near which there are various irregular-shaped rings. 166 tripa_china.indd 166 2/12/08 12:57:58 SA F ARI EN CHINA “THE MO st ELU S IVE MOUN T AIN GAME ” The extant species with horns similar to those of the takins are the musk ox, found in mountain habitats, and the African gnu, which roams the savannahs in large herds. In these specimens the horns emerge above the flat part of the skull, near the eye sockets and the frontal bone, first growing horizontally, forward and outwards, and then bending backwards and upwards. This growth pattern is common to all the species and may be due to sexual cycles. Takins have a characteristic, sunken-chest- ed form, being taller at the withers than at the hips, and having sturdy legs, especially the front ones. They have a snub muzzle that looks like a Roman nose. The horns, hooves, nostrils and hairless areas are glossy black. The ears are short, narrow and pointed, as is the tail, which is triangular in cross-section and totally hairless. The eyes, located in the upper part of the head, are more bulging than those of other simi- lar species, thus commanding a wider field of vision. The sublacrimal gland isn’t as well devel- oped as that of the serow. Musk ox, from the author’s collection The overall color of the coat varies greatly, ranging from dark or reddish brown to yellowish grey, depending on the subspecies and the place. The most characteristic is the Golden Takin –thus called because of its yellowish- gold or creamy white coat, with dark patches at the knees, insteps, muzzle and tail; it is found in the Province of Shaanxi. The coarse, tough outer coat, which is from 2¾" to 4¾" long, may serve to project the animal from thorny vegetation, while the hairless muzzle is used to root for fodder. There is obvious sexual dimorphism with regard to color, with the females being darker than the males. The males have bigger –and, indeed, thicker, more open– horns than the females. Like all the rupicaprines, the females have four nipples, though there is disagreement as to whether each nipple pertains to a corresponding mammary gland, or whether there are two nipples for each of two mammary glands. 167 tripa_china.indd 167 2/12/08 12:58:00 FINAL A pp ENDIX ON T HE BUDOR C A S , NEMORHAEDU S AND CA P RI C ORNI S The inguinal glands excrete an oily sub- stance onto the animal’s skin that makes it smell like a billy goat.