Tibetan Gazelle

About this species

Size

Shoulder height 54–65cm; head and body 91–105cm

Weight

13–16kg

Diet

Mainly forbs and legumes, with some grasses and sedges

Habitat

Tibetan Plateau at about 3,000–5,750m

Range

Mostly China, with tiny populations in Ladakh and Sikkim in India

The goa, or Tibetan gazelle, is a small antelope of the Tibetan Plateau, greyish brown with a summer coat noticeably greyer than the winter one. It has a short black-tipped tail in the middle of heart-shaped white rump patches. Both sexes stand 54–65 cm at the shoulder and weigh 13–16 kg, and males have long, tapering, ridged horns of 26–32 cm. The fur has no undercoat and is notably thicker in winter (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is almost restricted to China, with tiny populations in Ladakh and Sikkim in India, at 3,000–5,750 m. It does not form large herds: most groups have no more than ten animals and many are solitary. It feeds mainly on forbs and legumes, with a little grass and sedge. Females come down from high pastures around September before the December mating season. The main predators are the Himalayan wolf and the snow leopard (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)