Chiru vs Eurasian beaver

Pantholops hodgsonii compared with Castor fiber

Key Differences

  • Chiru is Near Threatened while Eurasian beaver is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Chiru Eurasian beaver
Kingdom same Animalia (動物) Animalia (動物)
Phylum same Chordata (脊索動物) Chordata (脊索動物)
Class same Mammalia (哺乳類) Mammalia (哺乳類)
Order Artiodactyla (偶蹄目) Rodentia (ネズミ目)
Family Bovidae (Bovids) Castoridae (Beavers)
Genus Pantholops Castor (Beavers)
Species Pantholops hodgsonii Castor fiber

Evolutionary Relationship

Chiru and Eurasian beaver share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (哺乳類)

Conservation Status

Chiru

NT — Near Threatened

Eurasian beaver

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Chiru Eurasian beaver
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chiru

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Eurasian beaver

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable 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.

Eurasian beaver

ユーラシアビーバー(Castor fiber)はIUCNレッドリストで絶滅危惧II類(VU)に分類されています。個体群の減少と生息地への圧力の増大により、野生での絶滅危険度が高い状況に直面しています。

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