Bear-clawed Nomad Bee vs Chiru

Nomada baccata compared with Pantholops hodgsonii

Key Differences

• Bear-clawed Nomad Bee is Critically Endangered while Chiru is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bear-clawed Nomad Bee	Chiru
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)
Family	Apidae (Bees)	Bovidae (Bovids)
Genus	Nomada	Pantholops
Species	Nomada baccata	Pantholops hodgsonii

Evolutionary Relationship

Bear-clawed Nomad Bee and Chiru share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Bear-clawed Nomad Bee

CR — Critically Endangered

Chiru

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bear-clawed Nomad Bee	Chiru
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bear-clawed Nomad Bee

Habitat

Inhabits temperate broadleaf and mixed forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Chiru

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Bear-clawed Nomad Bee

The Bear-clawed Nomad Bee (Nomada baccata) is a species in the genus Nomada. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits temperate broadleaf and mixed forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

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.