The saiga ( Saiga tatarica ) is a medium-sized, critically endangered mammal belonging to the Bovidae family. They live in herds in the treeless steppe country. Once common from Poland to western Mongolia, they now exist in southwestern Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. A notable feature is its swollen snout with downward-directed nostrils, which warms inhaled air and may relate to its sense of smell and rutting calls. Adult saigas stand about 76 cm at the shoulder and weigh 31 to 43 kg. They have short, pale brown coats in summer and thick, whitish coats in winter. Males bear ridged amber-yellow horns, which are valued in Chinese medicine, and attempt to control groups of 5 to 10 females during rut.

Where does the saiga live?

The saiga ( Saiga tatarica ) is a medium-sized, hoofed mammal that lives in herds in treeless steppe country. They once populated an area from Poland to western Mongolia, but their numbers have been greatly reduced due to hunting and habitat destruction. Today, they can be found in southwestern Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. Saigas are known for their swollen snouts with downward-directed nostrils, which warm and moisten inhaled air and may enhance their sense of smell and rutting calls. Adult saigas stand about 76 cm (30 inches) tall at the shoulder and weigh 31 to 43 kg (68 to 95 pounds). Their coat is pale brown in summer and thick and whitish in winter.

What does a saiga look like?

The saiga ( Saiga tatarica ) is a medium-sized, critically endangered hoofed mammal that belongs to the Bovidae family. A saiga's most distinctive feature is its swollen snout with downward-directed nostrils, which warms inhaled air and may enhance its sense of smell. Adult saigas stand about 76 cm (30 inches) tall at the shoulder and weigh 31 to 43 kg (68 to 95 pounds). Females are about three-quarters the size of males. In the summer, their coat is short and pale brown, but in the winter, it becomes thick and whitish. Male saigas have ridged, amber-yellow horns.

Why is the saiga population endangered?

The saiga population is endangered due to hunting and habitat destruction. Poaching for their horns, which are valued in Chinese medicine, significantly reduced their numbers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although the Soviet Union prohibited hunting in 1921, and saiga numbers increased, the dissolution of the Soviet Union led to renewed overhunting and a plummet in population size. Additionally, harsh winters and outbreaks of diseases, such as pasteurellosis, have caused catastrophic declines in various saiga populations.

What efforts are being made to protect the saiga?

The saiga ( Saiga tatarica ) is a critically endangered mammal that has been greatly reduced by hunting and habitat destruction and now exists in locations in southwestern Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. Several efforts are underway to protect the saiga antelope. Conservation programs and game management have been instituted to counteract the effects of poaching and other threats to wildlife. The saiga has adapted to crises by migrating great distances in a short time away from snowstorms or from areas where fodder is short.

saiga

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Male saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) with distinctive curved horns stands in shallow water on a steppe landscape.

The saiga antelope's struggle for survival

Illustration showing seven different male antelope species, including gerenuk, impala, Thomson's gazelle, common eland, saiga, suni, and blackbuck, each labeled with their scientific names and depicted in natural poses on grass.

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saiga

mammal

Also known as: Saiga tatarica

Written by

Sandro Lovari

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Top Questions

What is a saiga?
The saiga (Saiga tatarica) is a medium-sized, critically endangered mammal belonging to the Bovidae family. They live in herds in the treeless steppe country. Once common from Poland to western Mongolia, they now exist in southwestern Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.

A notable feature is its swollen snout with downward-directed nostrils, which warms inhaled air and may relate to its sense of smell and rutting calls. Adult saigas stand about 76 cm at the shoulder and weigh 31 to 43 kg. They have short, pale brown coats in summer and thick, whitish coats in winter. Males bear ridged amber-yellow horns, which are valued in Chinese medicine, and attempt to control groups of 5 to 10 females during rut.
3 Britannica Sources
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Where does the saiga live?
The saiga (Saiga tatarica) is a medium-sized, hoofed mammal that lives in herds in treeless steppe country. They once populated an area from Poland to western Mongolia, but their numbers have been greatly reduced due to hunting and habitat destruction. Today, they can be found in southwestern Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.

Saigas are known for their swollen snouts with downward-directed nostrils, which warm and moisten inhaled air and may enhance their sense of smell and rutting calls. Adult saigas stand about 76 cm (30 inches) tall at the shoulder and weigh 31 to 43 kg (68 to 95 pounds). Their coat is pale brown in summer and thick and whitish in winter.
2 Britannica Sources
1. saiga
2. Definition of saiga
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What does a saiga look like?
The saiga (Saiga tatarica) is a medium-sized, critically endangered hoofed mammal that belongs to the Bovidae family. A saiga's most distinctive feature is its swollen snout with downward-directed nostrils, which warms inhaled air and may enhance its sense of smell.

Adult saigas stand about 76 cm (30 inches) tall at the shoulder and weigh 31 to 43 kg (68 to 95 pounds). Females are about three-quarters the size of males. In the summer, their coat is short and pale brown, but in the winter, it becomes thick and whitish. Male saigas have ridged, amber-yellow horns.
2 Britannica Sources
1. saiga
2. Definition of saiga
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Why is the saiga population endangered?
The saiga population is endangered due to hunting and habitat destruction. Poaching for their horns, which are valued in Chinese medicine, significantly reduced their numbers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although the Soviet Union prohibited hunting in 1921, and saiga numbers increased, the dissolution of the Soviet Union led to renewed overhunting and a plummet in population size. Additionally, harsh winters and outbreaks of diseases, such as pasteurellosis, have caused catastrophic declines in various saiga populations.
1 Britannica Source
1. saiga
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What efforts are being made to protect the saiga?
The saiga (Saiga tatarica) is a critically endangered mammal that has been greatly reduced by hunting and habitat destruction and now exists in locations in southwestern Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.

Several efforts are underway to protect the saiga antelope. Conservation programs and game management have been instituted to counteract the effects of poaching and other threats to wildlife. The saiga has adapted to crises by migrating great distances in a short time away from snowstorms or from areas where fodder is short.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

saiga, (Saiga tatarica), medium-sized hoofed mammal of the family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla) that lives in herds in treeless steppe country. Once common from Poland to western Mongolia, it has been greatly reduced by hunting and habitat destruction and now exists in locations in southwestern Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. Since 2002 the saiga has been considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature to be critically endangered.

The most outstanding feature of the saiga is its swollen snout with downward-directed nostrils. The snout serves to warm and moisten inhaled air; it may be related to the animal’s keen sense of smell, and it may also work as a sounding chamber for rutting calls. The adult saiga stands about 76 cm (30 inches) at the shoulder and weighs 31 to 43 kg (68 to 95 pounds). Females are roughly three-quarters the size of males. The saiga’s coat is short and pale brown in summer and thick and whitish in winter. During rut, an adult male attempts to control a group of 5 to 10 females, preventing females from leaving and attacking any intruding male. After a gestation of five months, females give birth to one or two young, which remain crouched and hidden in the grass for four to eight days.

The male saiga bears ridged amber-yellow horns that are somewhat lyre-shaped. These horns are highly valued in Chinese medicine and are the main reason the saiga has been so widely hunted. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, western saigas were killed so indiscriminately for horns, meat, and hides that they were reduced to a few small, scattered populations. The Soviet Union prohibited hunting in 1921, and saigas soon increased and expanded their range. Commercial hunting was resumed in 1951, but state-controlled agencies guarded and sustainably managed the animals, with professional culling teams making a conservative harvest each year. Thus, saiga numbers steadily increased. Population size has recently plummeted again because of overhunting that has followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Some poachers are known to drive motorcycles after fleeing groups, bringing down saigas with the help of a steel rope held in tension between the vehicles.

Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)

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In 2010 three of the four populations of Saiga tatarica tatarica, the largest and most endangered of the two subspecies of the saiga antelope, suffered separate catastrophes. The hard winter of 2009–10 caused decline in the Pre-Caspian population in Russia, and the Ural population in western Kazakhstan was hit by pasteurellosis, a disease caused by Pasteurella bacteria, in May 2010, during which roughly 12,000 animals died within a few days. The Ustyurt population shared between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan also declined 47 percent between 2009 and 2010 owing to poaching. In May 2015 more than 120,000 saiga died in Kazakhstan from what may have been a sudden outbreak of pasteurellosis.

Sandro Lovari

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