Saiga Antelope

Native to Central Asia, the Saiga is a nomadic herding species that inhabits open dry steppe grasslands and semi-arid deserts. It has a massive head with a large mobile nose that hangs over its mouth. Males have longhorns with ringed ridges. Traveling in large groups at a pace of up to 115 km per day, it spends its summers and winters in different ranges. In more favourable climates, it can increase its population size by up to 60% in a single year.

Additionally, during mating (or rutting) season, males experience severe swelling of their nose, and the hair under their eyes becomes covered in a sticky secretion. This is thought to filter out airborne dust during dry summer migrations and to facilitate the warming of cold, winter air before it reaches the lungs. The Saiga species takes part in intense fights, which often leads to death. During rutting, the male mortality rate can reach around 90%, creating an unbalanced sex ratio among the species. It is a herbivore and eats a large variety of plant species, specifically prostrate summer cypress, saltworts, fobs, sagebrush, and steppe lichens. It plays a vital role in preventing the proliferation of any single plant species.