Budorcas whitei
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Bovidae
Budorcas
Budorcas whitei

description: 170.
Bhutan Takin
Budorcas whitei
French: Takin du Bhoutan / German: Bhutan-Takin / Spanish: Takin de Bhutan
Other common names: White's Takin
Taxonomy. Budorcas taxicolor whitei Lydekker, 1907,
Bhutan.
Usually classified as a subspecies of B. taxicolor. The four takin species are differentiated on the basis of body color and mtDNA analysis of Chinese populations. Based on a phylogenetic study, takins are related to caprines and in particular to Ammotragus and Ovis. Monotypic.
Distribution. N Bhutan, NE India (Sikkim & Arunachal Pradesh), China (Xizang).
Descriptive notes. Head—body c.170-220 cm,tail ¢.10-20 cm, shoulder height ¢.107-140 cm; weight ¢.150-350 kg. Horns grow slightly upward, then turn outward and backward, with the horn tips upward. Horns less widely spread, with tips less turned inward, than in the Sichuan Takin (B. tibetana). Males are significantly larger than females in horn and body measurements. Takins have large, bovine-like bodies, shaggy coats, including long hair on the jaws and chin, stout legs, prominent dew claws, and a greater height at the shoulder than at the hip. General body color of the Bhutan Takin is dark brown with paler back and a mid-dorsalstripe.
Habitat. Bhutan Takins occur at elevations from 3500 m to 1200 m in a variety of vegetative communities, from above timberline to subalpine and subtropical forests. Habitats, especially at lower elevations, have been modified by humans.
Food and Feeding. Takins are opportunistic herbivores, but are primarily browsers feeding on shrubs and trees. Forbs can be an important food component in spring. They frequentsalt licks. They rear up on their hindlegs to reach higher vegetation.
Breeding. The mating season is probably in August-September and births occur in March-April after a gestation period of ¢.210 days. They are sexually mature by 3-5 years of age, but males probably do not participate in mating until they are several years older than that. Only singleton births have been recorded in the wild.
Activity patterns. Bhutan Takins are probably similar to other takins, feeding in early morning and late afternoon. In winter, they feed intermittently throughout the day.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Detailed ecological studies have not been conducted. Takins make seasonal movements to higher elevations in summer and lower elevations in winter. Large mixed herds form in spring and split into smaller herds by autumn. Mature males are solitary or form groups of twos. Mortality factors, including predation, home ranges, and other population parameters, have not been studied.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II (under B. taxicolor). Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List (under B. taxicolor) and Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of India. Many populations have a disjunct distribution and are vulnerable to extirpation due to poaching and habitat loss. Population status and numbers are unknown. Domestic Yaks may compete for summer forage at higher elevations. Unmanaged timber extraction may cause habitat loss in winter habitat.
Bibliography. Ellerman & Morrison-Scott (1966), Fox & Johnsingh (1997), Groves & Grubb (2011), Grubb (2005), Neas & Hoffmann (1987), Schaller (1977), Song Yanling et al. (2008), Wang Sung et al. (1997), Wangchuk et al. (2004), Wollenhaupt et al. (1997), Wu Chunhua et al. (2010).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2011, Bovidae, pp. 444-779 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 669, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6512484