Budorcas taxicolor

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Takin pictured in Tibet
Species name: Budorcas taxicolor
The Takin (Budorcas taxicolor) is a goat-antelope found in the Eastern Himalayas. Mitochondrial research shows that takin are related to sheep, its similarity to the muskox being an example of convergent evolution. The takin is the national animal of Bhutan. (Source:Wikipedia)


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Parameter Value(s) References
See complete references in the References section at the end
Names of users who have contributed to this species page gauravm
Date on which this page was first created 2011/03/29
This page was last modified on: 30 March 2011 00:42:50
Name of the species Budorcas taxicolor Link to page on Wikipedia
ID on Encyclopedia of Life 1038793 Link to page on EoL
Synonyms Please check Binomial Classification section for synonyms.
Common English Names Takin
Common Hindi Names
Common Indian names
Origins/Meanings of the common names Bhutan selected the takin as the national animal based on both its uniqueness and its strong association with the country's religious history and mythology. According to legend, when Lama Drukpa Kunley (called "the divine madman") visited Bhutan in the 15th century, a large congregation of devotees gathered around the country to witness his magical powers. The people urged the lama to perform a miracle. However, the saint, in his usual unorthodox and outrageous way, demanded that he first be served a whole cow and a goat for lunch. He devoured these with relish and left only bones. After letting out a large and satisfied burp, he took the goat's head and stuck it onto the bones of the cow. And then with a snap of his fingers, he commanded the strange beast to rise up and graze on the mountainside. To the astonishment of the people the animal arose and ran up to the meadows to graze. This animal came to be known as the dong gyem tsey (takin). Wikipedia

Taxonomy from Encyclopedia of Life

{{#EoLOnlyHierarchy:1038793}} 

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Taxonomy filled in form

Taxon Value
Regnum (Kingdom) Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Artiodactyla
Family Bovidae
Genus Budorcas
Source of data Catalogue of Life Species checklist 2010

Other closely related species

SpeciesDivision/PhylumCommon nameCommon Hindi name
Moschus chrysogasterChordataAlpine Musk Deer
Crocidura andamanensisChordataAndaman shrew
Crocidura hispidaChordataAndaman spiny shrew
… further results
DivisionTaxon detailsTaxon morphology details
ChordataThe phylum Chordata consists of three subphyla: Urochordata, represented by tunicates; Cephalochordata, represented by lancelets; and Craniata, which includes Vertebrata. Chordates are monophyletic, meaning that Chordata contains all and only the descendants of a single common ancestor which is itself a chordate, and that craniates' nearest relatives are cephalochordates. The Chordates arose from a more general superphylum Deuterostomia, which consists of Chordata, Hemichordata,Echinodermata and Xenoturbellida. The Deuterostomes split from Protostomes ~550 mya in the Cambrian era. It is supposed that Chordates arose in the Mid-Cambrian period, however there is controversy regarding that. The controversy arises mainly due to the fact that fossils of early chordates are very rare.Chordates form a phylum of creatures that are based on a bilateral body plan, and is defined by having at some stage in their lives all of the following: 1) A notochord, 2) A dorsal neural tube 3) Pharyngeal slits 4) A muscular tail that extends backwards behind the anus and 5) An endostyle
SpeciesClassCommon nameCommon Hindi name
Moschus chrysogasterMammaliaAlpine Musk Deer
Crocidura andamanensisMammaliaAndaman shrew
Crocidura hispidaMammaliaAndaman spiny shrew
… further results
ClassTaxon detailsTaxon morphology details
MammaliaDepending on classification scheme, there are approximately 5,500 species (5,490, according to the IUCN Red List) of mammals, distributed in about 1,200 genera, 153 families, 29 orders The early synapsid mammalian ancestors, a group which included pelycosaurs such as Dimetrodon, diverged from the amniote line that would lead to reptiles at the end of the Carboniferous period. Although they were preceded by many diverse groups of non-mammalian synapsids (sometimes misleadingly referred to as mammal-like reptiles), the first true mammals appeared 220 million years ago in the Triassic period.Mammals are a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterized by the (1) possession of hair, (2) three middle ear bones -malleus, incus and stapes, (3) a neocortex, and (4) mammary glands functional in mothers with young. Mammalian fossils, however, are identified by the presence of the incus and malleus bones in the middle ear. Most mammals also possess sweat glands and specialized teeth, and the largest group of mammals, the placentals, have a placenta which feeds the offspring during gestation. The mammalian brain regulates endothermic and circulatory systems, including a four-chambered heart. Mammals range in size from the 30–40 millimeter (1- to 1.5-inch) Bumblebee Bat to the 33-meter (108-foot) Blue Whale. (Source:Wikipedia)
SpeciesOrderCommon nameCommon Hindi name
Moschus chrysogasterArtiodactylaAlpine Musk Deer
Ovis ammonArtiodactylaArgali, Mountain sheep, Marco Polo sheep
Muntiacus muntjakArtiodactylaBarking deer,Common Muntjac, Indian Muntjac
… further results
SpeciesFamilyCommon nameCommon Hindi name
Ovis ammonBovidaeArgali, Mountain sheep, Marco Polo sheep
Pseudois nayaurBovidaeBharal, Himalayan blue sheep, Naurभराल Bharal
Antilope cervicapraBovidaeBlackbuck
… further results
FamilyTaxon detailsTaxon morphology details
BovidaeAlmost 140 species of cloven-hoofed mammals belonging to the family Bovidae are called bovids. The family is widespread, being native to Asia, Africa, Europe and North America, and diverse: members include bison, African buffalo, water buffalo, antelopes, gazelles, sheep, goats, muskoxen, and domestic cattle. The largest number of modern bovids is found in Africa The bovid family is known through fossils from the early Miocene, around 20 million years ago. The earliest bovids, such as Eotragus, were small animals, somewhat similar to modern gazelles, and probably lived in woodland environments. The bovids rapidly diversified, and by the late Miocene had moved onto grassland habitats.The largest bovid, the gaur, weighs well over a ton and stands 2.2 metres high at the shoulder; the smallest, the royal antelope, weighs about 3 kg and stands no taller than a large domestic cat. They occupy, and are adapted to, a wide variety of habitat types, from desert to tundra and from thick tropical forest to high mountains. Most members of the family are herbivorous. Many bovids have a solid, stocky build, complex digestive systems (four chambered stomach) and four toes on each foot. Additionally, males of most species have horns, which have been linked to sexual selection.
SpeciesGenusCommon nameCommon Hindi name
Budorcas taxicolorBudorcasTakin

Based on classification

FamilyTaxon detailsTaxon morphology details
BovidaeAlmost 140 species of cloven-hoofed mammals belonging to the family Bovidae are called bovids. The family is widespread, being native to Asia, Africa, Europe and North America, and diverse: members include bison, African buffalo, water buffalo, antelopes, gazelles, sheep, goats, muskoxen, and domestic cattle. The largest number of modern bovids is found in Africa The bovid family is known through fossils from the early Miocene, around 20 million years ago. The earliest bovids, such as Eotragus, were small animals, somewhat similar to modern gazelles, and probably lived in woodland environments. The bovids rapidly diversified, and by the late Miocene had moved onto grassland habitats.The largest bovid, the gaur, weighs well over a ton and stands 2.2 metres high at the shoulder; the smallest, the royal antelope, weighs about 3 kg and stands no taller than a large domestic cat. They occupy, and are adapted to, a wide variety of habitat types, from desert to tundra and from thick tropical forest to high mountains. Most members of the family are herbivorous. Many bovids have a solid, stocky build, complex digestive systems (four chambered stomach) and four toes on each foot. Additionally, males of most species have horns, which have been linked to sexual selection.

More details can be found in the Binomial Classification section.

Information from Encyclopedia of Life

{{#EoLOnlyEcology:1038793|Physical description~Description}} If nothing is displayed above in this section, it means the EoL ID has not been defined OR the EoL API service is down. If former, please click on Edit with form button on top and follow the instructions for filling in the EoL ID

General morphology

Parameter Value(s) References
See complete references in the References section at the end
General morphological features of the animal

Parameter Value(s) References
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IUCN Conservation Status Vulnerable
(See section External Links to find link to the page on IUCN website)
IUCN 3.1
Indian States in which the species has been documented
Locations at which the species has been documented
Biotic zones inhabited
Details about the habitat
Is this species native to India?
Is the species indigenous/endemic to Sub-Himalayan regions?
Is the species indigenous/endemic to Western Ghats?
Is the species indigenous/endemic to Eastern Ghats?

Animal is not native or native status not filled in

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Information from Encyclopedia of Life

{{#EoLOnlyEcology:1038793|Reproduction~Lifespan, longevity, and ageing~Food Habits~Functional adaptation~Behavior}}

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Details filled in form

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Life cycle
Life expectancy
Food habits and feeding strategies
Functional adaptations
Behavior
Pests and Diseases

Information from Encyclopedia of Life 500px-Status iucn3.1.png

{{#EoLOnlyEcology:1038793|Conservation Status~Threats~Conservation}}

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Parameter Value(s) References
See complete references in the References section at the end
IUCN Status Vulnerable
(See section External Links to find link to the page on IUCN website)
Conservation sanctuaries in India
Details of threats to conservation of this species
Means of management of conservation, national and international laws

Parameter Value(s) References
See complete references in the References section at the end
Does this species have any cultural significance? Yes User-reported
Religions which mention/give significance to this species Buddhism
Cultural and religious occasions when this species is used
Details of historical, cultural and mythological use Bhutan selected the takin as the national animal based on both its uniqueness and its strong association with the country's religious history and mythology. According to legend, when Lama Drukpa Kunley (called "the divine madman") visited Bhutan in the 15th century, a large congregation of devotees gathered around the country to witness his magical powers. The people urged the lama to perform a miracle. However, the saint, in his usual unorthodox and outrageous way, demanded that he first be served a whole cow and a goat for lunch. He devoured these with relish and left only bones. After letting out a large and satisfied burp, he took the goat's head and stuck it onto the bones of the cow. And then with a snap of his fingers, he commanded the strange beast to rise up and graze on the mountainside. To the astonishment of the people the animal arose and ran up to the meadows to graze. This animal came to be known as the dong gyem tsey (takin) and to this day, these animals can be seen grazing in alpine meadows of the high eastern Himalaya. Legend also claims that the Takin exists only in Bhutan. Wikipedia

Pubmed Word cloud

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{{#queryDB:taxonomy |Budorcas taxicolor }}

  • If there is an error message above, it means that there is no retrievable information available on NCBI
  • If the number of nucleotide sequences is less than 100, very little genomic work has been done on this species. A respectable number of nucleotide sequences is above 500.
  • Most of the nucleotide sequences may come from three sources:
  1. Studies on single genes, where people try to sequence genes such as some specific dehydrogenases important,say, for tannin production
  2. Sequences of Ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer, whose sequence is used for generating molecular phylogenetic trees to establish species relationships
  3. Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) which can tell about which genes are present and expressed in the species at a particular time in the given tissue


References

Wikipedia (Web): Wikipedia entry on Takin, Accessdate=2011-March-29

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