takin

takin
/tah"kin, -keen/, n.
a mountain-dwelling bovid, Budorcas taxicolor, native to the eastern Himalayas, China, and northern Burma, that resembles a cross between a goat and a musk ox.
[1840-50; alleged to be < Mishmi (Tibeto-Burman language of a tribal people of Arunachal Pradesh, NE India)]

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mammal
      heavily built, hoofed mammal of Southeast Asia, belonging to the family Bovidae (bovid) (order Artiodactyla (artiodactyl)). The takin lives singly or in small herds in the mountains, usually below the timberline. Robust and short-legged, it can move about quickly and easily over difficult slopes. It stands up to about 107 cm (42 inches) at the shoulder, weighs up to 350 kg (770 pounds), and has a shaggy yellowish to blackish brown coat, according to subspecies. In profile, it has a convex nose; both sexes have heavy horns that turn outward from the centre of the forehead and then curve up and backward.

      Four subspecies are recognized. The golden takin (B. t. bedfordi) inhabits the Qin Mountains in south Shaanxi (Shensi) province, China; its coat is golden in colour, and it may have been the “golden fleece” of Greek mythology. The Mishmi takin (B. t. taxicolor) lives in the border area between Tibet, Myanmar, Bhutan, and India. The Sichuan takin (B. t. tibetana) lives in eastern Tibet and in the Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan provinces of China. White's, or Bhutan, takin (B. t. whitei) inhabits Bhutan, China, and India. The golden takin and the Mishmi takin are endangered (endangered species), and the Sichuan takin and White's takin are vulnerable. The takin was formerly thought to be close to the musk ox because of the two animals' similarity in appearance, but recent DNA studies have placed the takin closer to sheep.

Sandro Lovari
 

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Takin — (Budorcas taxicolor) Systematik Ordnung: Paarhufer (Artiodactyla) Unterordnung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Takin —   [tibetisch] der, s/ e, Rindergämse, Gnuziege, Budọrcas taxicolor, Art der Horntiere, deren systematische Stellung umstritten ist. Der Takin lebt in kleinen Herden in den Bergen des östlichen Zentralasien in Höhen von 2 000 bis 4 500 m über dem …   Universal-Lexikon

  • takin — [tä′kin, tā′kin] n. [< native name in Tibet] a goatlike bovid ruminant (Budorcas taxicolor) of the Himalayan forests …   English World dictionary

  • Takin — Taxobox name = Takin status = VU trend = unknown status system = iucn2.3 image width = 250px regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Artiodactyla familia = Bovidae subfamilia = Caprinae genus = Budorcas species = B.… …   Wikipedia

  • Takin — Budorcas taxicol …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Takin — takinas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Budorcas taxicolor angl. golden takin; takin vok. Takin rus. такин pranc. takin ryšiai: platesnis terminas – takinai …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • takin — takinas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Budorcas taxicolor angl. golden takin; takin vok. Takin rus. такин pranc. takin ryšiai: platesnis terminas – takinai …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

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