Takin: Animal with the body of a bull, it looks gentle but is more fierce than a leopard

Guanyin Mountain National Nature Reserve Shaanxi, China, located in Foping County on the southern slopes of the middle part of the Qinling Mountains, is one of the conservation areas with wildlife resources. Wild animals are abundant in China and are a famous reserve, home to famous golden monkeys, giant pandas, oxen and other rare wildlife.

However, in recent times, when the staff of the reserve looked at the pictures taken by the infrared camera, they discovered that under the bridge pit on the Dongliang Expressway, groups of words often appeared. 3 to 5 oxen gather at night.

Judging from the photos taken, this pit has become one of the main activity areas for local takin groups.

Previously, this highway became a boundary dividing the wildlife habitat into two separate areas, if the wildlife in the two areas needed to move to the other side. Otherwise, they are forced to cross the road, and this will be potentially dangerous for them and humans.

In order to better protect the wildlife species, Guanyin Mountain Reserve then restored the vegetation on both sides of the Dongliang Expressway, cleared the original pits and turned them into ecological corridors for the species. Wild animals pass by. In fact, this approach is very correct, the pit later became the main passageway for wild animals to pass through the two areas, avoiding the risk of traffic accidents caused by animals directly crossing the road. .

The greatest function of an eco-corridor is to connect two or more spatially isolated ecological units.

According to the type, it can be divided into natural corridors and artificial corridors. Natural corridors are formed naturally, mostly long and narrow vegetative belts; Man-made corridors, such as the bridge pit in Guanyin Mountain Reserve, are a typical man-made corridor. The most important task of the artificial ecological corridor is to protect life. After the pit was cleaned and used as an ecological corridor, data monitored by infrared cameras showed that the takin became the most frequently used animal in the ecological corridor. this. They usually appear here in groups of three or five, except when walking between the two areas, they often gather in the pit and stand there for long periods of time.

According to the analysis of experts in the reserve, the main cause of this phenomenon is salt precipitation on the side walls of the bridge pit, and under the bridge pit there is a water source, which can meet the needs of licking salt and drinking water. daily of the taurus.

In fact, there are four animals that are considered treasures of the Qinling Mountains: the giant panda, the golden monkey, the ox, and the Nipponia nippon. In which, the taurus is a large herbivore, due to its strange shape, combining the characteristics of many animals, it has the names "divine beast", "immortal green".

It has the body of a bear with the back of an ox, the face of a horse and the tail of a sheep, its horns are like a wildebeest and its hind legs have the characteristics of a hyena.

Taxonomically, the takin belongs to the genus Takino of the Bovid family, and has four subspecies: the Sichuan takin, the Qinling takin, the Bhutanese takin, and the Gongshan takin.

They have a large size, the males can weigh up to 400kg, the shoulder is more than 1m high, especially there are individuals that can even weigh up to a ton.

Different subspecies of takin will have slightly different coat colors due to different habitats.

Among them, takin living in Qin Linh can be considered as one of the most beautiful, with long, light yellow or tan hairs on the body, relatively thick, in the sunlight will appear beams of light. yellow.

Because of their huge size, after the South China tiger disappeared in the wild, the takin became a species without natural enemies. They like to live in groups, often with more than a dozen moving together and they walk with discipline. Adult males will move forward and back of the pack to protect females and their young, so predators such as leopards and jackals are usually unable to harm them.

Taro is a typical alpine species, the forests and grasslands in which they live are often more than 2,500 meters above sea level.

However, in winter, they often migrate to coniferous forests or rocky mountains at lower elevations, in fact, this habit is also found in many different highland animals. like a snow leopard.

Because of their huge size, when taureans walk, they show a hunchback and staggered gait, giving people the impression that they are moving slowly.

But if you really think that this species is bulky and inflexible, you are wrong, in fact, when necessary, this animal also exhibits very good mobility.

They walk between mountains, vertically and horizontally between cliffs, they can walk on multi-terrain, they can even jump over tree branches over 2m high.

When vegetation is scarce in winter, taureans can also use their front legs to lean on tree trunks and "stand up" to feed on tall branches.

Like goats, they are not picky eaters, on average they can eat hundreds of different species of plants. In some regions, plants are abundant, their menu can reach up to 300 species.

Although it is a vegetarian species, the takin has a ferocious personality comparable to that of tigers and leopards. The males often engage in duels, where they establish their rank in the herd through violence, and the losers leave the herd and wander, solitary.

In general, oxen that live in groups do not usually attack humans, but solitary males are different. They tend to be irritable and very short-tempered. Over the past 20 years, hundreds of male taurus have attacked humans, and most perpetrators are lone males.

Taro is a very domineering animal, with its muscular body and strength, they will scare away other herbivores such as chamois, deer, even giant pandas in its territory. they. In 2014, Tangjiahe Reserve once rescued a wild giant panda named "Pingping", on its stomach there were countless wounds caused by the takin.