Species Spotlight: Saiga Antelope
Species spotlight:
Evolutionary master piece or their biggest curse? Read on to learn about the trials and tribulations of the Saiga antelope’s nose.
Names & Nicknames: Saiga antelope, saiga, gaobi antelope
Size: Similar to a goat, if a goat had an enormous bulbous nose. They stand around 63-90cm tall at the shoulder and weigh around 23-40kg.
Communication: Saiga antelopes mainly communicate through calls, produced by their mouths and impressive noses! These calls have a range of uses, such as keeping mothers and calves together, and also for some serious flirting (see love language section).
Favourite Hangout: Saiga’s like plenty of space – no crowded London flats for them. Specifically, wide open, dry areas on steppes and in semi-desert grasslands in Central Asia. They prefer areas without much vegetation so they can spot predators easily, giving them plenty of time to escape.
Favourite Snack: A Saiga's absolute favourite munch is some juicy, tasty… grass? Okay, it may not be as appetising to us, but Saigas just love it. They may also happily munch away on herbs, lichen, and shrubs when grass is scarce.
Eating Habits: Many plants that a Saiga will feed on are poisonous to other animals.
Toilet Humour: Saiga antelopes release the standard little black poop balls similar to many other antelopes. These balls might not look like much, but as they get trampled into the earth by the wandering Saigas, they release and distribute nutrients back into the ground, waste not want not!
Love Language: That giant schnozz doesn't just look sexy, it also helps them woo females. Males can use their impressive attachment to produce loud nasal roars, advertising their body size and condition to female Saigas. Males will then begin to form harems, groups of usually 5-10 but maybe as many as 50 (for especially sexy Saigas) females that he will exclusively mate with, and he will aggressively defend his females if any other male tries their luck.
If you see them: One of their biggest threats is poaching for their horns to be used in traditional medicine and for their meat. Poaching was a major factor that almost drove this species to extinction of male saigas (they are the ones with the horns!) in the 1990s. Luckily, numbers have since bounced back, but don’t be offended if they act a bit skittish around humans!
Red Flags: Saiga antelopes have had a tough time over the last few decades; up until 2023, they were critically endangered. They have several threats, such as poaching (see if you see them section), habitat loss, and climate change. Another major threat that reared its head dramatically in 2015 is disease (sprinkled with a bit of climate change). In just three weeks, entire herds of tens of thousands of Saigas died of a disease called haemorrhagic septicaemia. A disease can always be a threat, but why the sudden onslaught? Scientists think this disease, which was likely living harmlessly in the saiga's tonsils, was triggered by increased humidity and temperature caused by climate change and led to this deadly outbreak.
Epic Journeys: Saigas live in some pretty barren areas, so they often travel around to get the freshest food and avoid harsh winters. Saigas are no slouches; these migrations between summer and winter grounds can be hundreds of kilometres!
Glow-up: Saigas are very social creatures, living together in large herds. When it becomes time to give birth, they form even larger herds, potentially over a thousand individuals, so they have safety in numbers. The young saigas are no easy targets, however. They are pretty agile as soon as they are born and learn to run quickly. Furthermore, about two-thirds of Saiga mothers give birth to twins! This is part of the reason population numbers have bounced back so successfully.
Facts: We know their schnozz is iconic, but what is it used for? Apart from looking great, their large noses help filter out dust from their barren homes, and also help warm up winter air before it gets to their lungs. It is even pretty helpful for making a sound, and perhaps unsurprisingly, they also have a pretty good sense of smell.
Who are they in the friendship group: Social, hardy,... and they have a big schnozz.
Name:
Saiga Antelope
Habitat:
Open dry steppe grasslands and semi-arid deserts in Central Asia
Diet:
Mostly on grasses, but also herbs, lichen and shrubs
Size:
63-90cm in shoulder height and 23-40kg in weight
Behaviour:
Diurnal (active during the day) and highly social
Predators:
Wolves. Young saigas may be preyed on by foxes, and birds of prey such as steppe and golden eagles
Lifespan:
6-12 years
Threats:
Poaching, disease, climate change, habitat loss, and urbanisation
Conservation status:
Near Threatened
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Where to from here?
Need more? Listen to the Animal Sensemaker Podcast
Episode 29 highlights our hero, the saiga. Listen here.
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