Chiru vs

Pantholops hodgsonii compared with Leproplaca cirrochroa

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chiru
Kingdom	Animalia (動物)	Fungi (菌界)
Phylum	Chordata (脊索動物)	Ascomycota (子嚢菌門)
Class	Mammalia (哺乳類)	Lecanoromycetes (チャシブゴケ菌綱)
Order	Artiodactyla (偶蹄目)	Teloschistales (Teloschistales)
Family	Bovidae (Bovids)	Teloschistaceae
Genus	Pantholops	Leproplaca
Species	Pantholops hodgsonii	Leproplaca cirrochroa

Conservation Status

Chiru

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chiru

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway, Sweden, and United States. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

Leproplaca cirrochroa はTeloschistaceae科に属する固着地衣類で、準絶滅危惧（NT）と評価されています。栄養分に富んだ岩石表面や樹皮に生育し、沿岸や保護された生息地でしばしば見られます。同属の他の種と同様に、アントラキノン色素により鮮やかなオレンジ黄色の葉状体を形成します。