Chiru vs Baqara Samrâ'

Pantholops hodgsonii compared with Raja undulata

Key Differences

• Chiru is Near Threatened while Baqara Samrâ' is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chiru	Baqara Samrâ'
Kingdom same	Animalia (حيوانات)	Animalia (حيوانات)
Phylum same	Chordata (حبليات)	Chordata (حبليات)
Class	Mammalia (ثدييات)	Elasmobranchii
Order	Artiodactyla (مزدوجات الأصابع)	Rajiformes (ورنكيات الشكل)
Family	Bovidae (Bovids)	Rajidae
Genus	Pantholops	Raja
Species	Pantholops hodgsonii	Raja undulata

Evolutionary Relationship

Chiru and Baqara Samrâ' share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (حبليات)

Conservation Status

Chiru

NT — Near Threatened

Baqara Samrâ'

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chiru	Baqara Samrâ'
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chiru

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Baqara Samrâ'

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Belgium. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Chiru

The Chiru (Pantholops hodgsonii), also known as the Tibetan Antelope, is a bovid endemic to the Tibetan Plateau and adjacent high-altitude grasslands of China, with small populations in India. Males bear long, slender, nearly vertical horns that can exceed 70 centimetres in length, while females are hornless. The species is highly adapted to life at elevations of 3,700–5,500 metres, possessing a dense, fine underfur known as shahtoosh — one of the finest animal fibres in the world — which provided insulation against extreme cold but also made chiru a prime target for illegal poaching. Massive hunting pressure during the late twentieth century for shahtoosh shawl production devastated populations, which fell to as few as 75,000 individuals. Following intensified conservation efforts, trade bans, and anti-poaching patrols in China, numbers have partially recovered, though the species remains Near Threatened. Chiru are highly migratory; females undertake remarkable annual migrations of up to 300 kilometres to reach calving grounds in the Chang Tang plateau. Males typically remain at lower elevations year-round. They graze on grasses, sedges, and forbs, and face ongoing threats from climate change affecting high-altitude pasture productivity and from infrastructure development fragmenting migration corridors.