Alpine Fur vs Chiru

Abies lasiocarpa compared with Pantholops hodgsonii

Key Differences

• Alpine Fur is Not Evaluated while Chiru is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Fur	Chiru
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Coniferophyta (Conifers)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Pinopsida (Conifers)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Pinales (Pines & Allies)	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)
Family	Pinaceae (Pine Family)	Bovidae (Bovids)
Genus	Abies	Pantholops
Species	Abies lasiocarpa	Pantholops hodgsonii

Conservation Status

Alpine Fur

NE — Not Evaluated

Chiru

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpine Fur	Chiru
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Fur

Habitat

Typically found in temperate and boreal forests, often at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (8 countries) and North America (Canada).

Chiru

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Alpine Fur

The Alpine Fur (Abies lasiocarpa) is a species in the genus Abies. Typically found in temperate and boreal forests, often at higher elevations. Found across Europe (8 countries) and North America (Canada).

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.