Amazon Rosewood vs Chiru

Dalbergia spruceana compared with Pantholops hodgsonii

Key Differences

  • Amazon Rosewood is Vulnerable while Chiru is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Amazon Rosewood Chiru
Kingdom Plantae (Plants) Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants) Chordata (Chordates)
Class Magnoliopsida (Dicots) Mammalia (Mammals)
Order Fabales (Legumes & Allies) Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)
Family Fabaceae Bovidae (Bovids)
Genus Dalbergia Pantholops
Species Dalbergia spruceana Pantholops hodgsonii

Conservation Status

Amazon Rosewood

VU — Vulnerable

Chiru

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Amazon Rosewood Chiru
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Amazon Rosewood

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

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

Chiru

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Amazon Rosewood

The Amazon Rosewood (Dalbergia spruceana) is a species in the genus Dalbergia. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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.

Nature FYI Family

Explore more of the natural world across our sister sites.

Part of the Nature FYI family — FYIPedia