The Golden takin (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi) is a large, stocky mammal native to the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi Province in China.
Physical Characteristics
Appearance: Often called a goat-antelope, it has a shaggy golden-yellow coat, a heavy body, and thick horns that curve outward and backward.
Size: Adults stand up to 42 inches (1.1 meters) tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 770 pounds (350 kilograms).
Cubs: Young calves are born with a dark brown or grey-brown coat for camouflage, which changes to the golden sheen as they grow.
Habitat and Behavior
Location: Confined strictly to high-altitude forested valleys and alpine zones in China's Qinling Mountains
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Migration: They migrate seasonally, climbing to higher mountain areas above 4,300 meters in the spring and moving down to sheltered forests during colder months.
Social Life: They live alone or gather in small herds, forming larger groups during seasonal migrations to access natural salt licks and grazing spots.
Diet and Conservation
Diet: Herbivorous, feeding on grasses, bamboo shoots, leaves from trees and shrubs, and tender twigs.
Status: Considered an endangered or vulnerable subspecies due to habitat loss from deforestation and illegal hunting.
The golden takin (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi) is a threatened subspecies of takin, native to the Qin Mountains in the south of China's Shaanxi province.
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