Mammals Of Pakistan Part 2

Markhor

( Capra Falconeri )

  

Local name: Markhor (Urdu)

4 Subspecies:

Flared horned Markhor:

·         C. f. cashmirensis (Pir Panjal or Kashmir markhor),

·         C. f. falconeri (Astor markhor)

Straight horned Markhor:

·         C. f. jerdoni (Suleiman or straight-horned markhor)

·         C. f. megaceros (Kabul or Kabal markhor)

Description and Biology:

Size:

Body Length: 132-186 cm / 4.4-6.2 ft.

Shoulder Height: 65-115 cm / 2.1-3.8 ft.

Tail Length: 8-20 cm / 3.2-8 in.

Weight: 32-110 kg / 70-242 lb.

Description: The most distinctively-horned member of the genus Capra, the markhor was officially described in 1839 by Wagner. In Pakistan 4 distinct subspecies are found. These are the Kashmir Markhor (C. f. cashmirensis) , Astor Markhor (C. f. falconeri ), The Kabul Markhor ( C. f. megaceros) and The Suleiman Markhor (C. f. jerdoni ). These are differentiated mainly by the shape of their horns. The Kashmir and Astor Markhor have flared spiral horns, while the Suleiman and Kabul Markhor have straight spiral horns. The grizzled light brown to black coat is smooth and short in summer, growing longer and thicker in winter. Males have long hair on the chin, throat, chest, and shanks, while females have smaller fringes. The lower legs have a black and white pattern. The tightly curled, corkscrew-like horns are present in both sexes,starting close together at the head, but spreading towards the tips. In males, they can grow up to 160 cm /64 inches long, and up to 25 cm / 10 inches in females.

Reproduction: Gestation Period: 135-170 days. Young per Birth: 1 or 2, rarely 3. Mating occurs during winter, with the subsequent births occuring from late April to early June. Sexual Maturity: At 18-30 months.

Social Behavior: The markhor is mainly active in the early morning and late afternoon. During the spring and summer months it is a grazer, while in the winter it turns to browse for nourishment. Markhor often stand on their hind legs in order to reach high vegetation. Population densities in Pakistan range from 1-9 animals per square kilometer. During the rut males fight for breeding rights. These competitions involve lunging and locking the horns, followed by the combatants twisting and pushing in an attempt to make the other lose his balance. The markhor's alarm call resembles the nasal "a" populalarized by the common domestic goat. Females and young live in herds of around 9 animals, adult males are usually solitary.

Diet: Grasses, leaves. The name markhor is derived from the Persian mar, a snake, and khor, eating. This is a very peculiar name, as they are vegetarians, though they have been known to kill snakes. (all above information from "The Ultimate Ungulate Page" by Brent Huffman, WWF/WCMC and "Mammals of Pakistan," T.J Roberts).

Habitat and Distribution:

The Markhor mainly inhabits the sparsely wooded mountainous regions in Northern and Western Pakistan, at an elevation of 600-3,600 m / 1,900-11,500 ft. The total world population is mainly found in Pakistan. Today, Markhor are present in around 20 of Pakistan's protected areas. In the northern mountanious regions is found the Kashmir and Astor Markhor. The Kashmir Markhor (C. f. cashmirensis ) is mainly confined to Chitral Gol National Park and presents the biggest population in Pakistan. Poaching has been successfully controlled and now there are over 500 Markhor in Chitral Gol National Park. The Kashmir Markhor is also found in areas of Gilgit and Azad Kashmir. The Astor Markhor (C. f. falconeri) is mainly confined to the higher hill ranges of Gilgit, Hunza and Nanga Parbat. The only good population is in the Kargah Nullah and Naltar, near Gilgit. The Kargah Nullah might have a total population of 50 Markhors. Current population estimates are less than 2,500 to 3,000 for the flared horned markhor in Pakistan (Hess et al. 1997).

Further south in the higher hill ranges of N.W.F.P and Baluchistan are found the Kabul and Sulaiman Markhor. Both these subspecies have straight spiral horns. The Kabul Markhor is critically endangered and is mainly confined to some hills around Peshawar and the border with Afghanistan. The population is mainly in the low 100s. The Sulaiman Markhor is confined to the Sulaiman hill range in Baluchistan. The Torghar Reserve (an area of approximately 1,500 square kilometers (sq. km.)) is privately owned by Sardar Naseer Tareen, and contains the main population of the Sulaiman Markhor. Results of field surveys conducted in 1985, 1994 and 1997 indicate that the Torghar Hills population of straight-horned markhor has increased substantially since the mid-1980s when fewer than 100 animals were thought to be present. In 1994 the markhor population was estimated to be approximately 700 animals (Johnson 1997), and in 1997 the population was estimated to be approximately 1,300 animals (Frisina et al. 1998). This population increase has been due to a virtual elimination of unauthorized hunting that has been accomplished through a private conservation initiative, the Torghar Conservation Project (the Project), which was started in 1985. This subspecies is also found around the hill ranges of Quetta and Ziarat.

The Markhor is a highly-valued trophy species. A single trophy license is sold for as much as $18, 000. Recently, the Pakistani Government has started issuing 2-3 licenses each year for trophy hunting. Money from this trophy hunting goes for the welfare of the local community. Despite this illegal hunting goes unchecked. The decade long war and civil war in Afghanistan has resulted in the influx of sophisticated weapons in Pakistan. Abundance of weapons available under these circumstances has led to many populations being hunted to extinction or near extinction. Because the cliffs the species inhabits are scattered throughout its range, the Markhor has probably always had a discontinuous distribution. As populations are exterminated or severely reduced by man, there is little chance of these areas being recolonised by other Markhor. The populations become ever more scattered and diminished. In parts of their range the Markhor also face competition from domestic goats and other livestock for limited food supplies. Much of the region where they live has been degraded by overgrazing, leading to a serious risk of erosion. There is also the possibility that the Markhor will hybridise with feral goats, leading to dilution of stock and the loss of pure-bred populations of the species

Marco Polo Sheep

( Ovis Ammon Polii )

Local name: Rusch (Wakhi: Northern Hunza)

Description and Biology:

Size:

Shoulder Height: 110-122cm / 43.5-48in.

Weight: 113.5-140kg / 250-308lb.

Description: Within Pakistan territory only the Marcopolo subspecies of the Argali occurs. It is recognized by the very long outward curving horns, developed in the mature males. An aged ram is surely one of the most impressive representatives of the entire order Artiodactyla, being not only the bearer of massive spiralling horns which can span a man's outstretched arms, but also being almost twice the height and size of most other wild or domestic sheep.

In summer the hair on the body is short and coarse and of a sandy-reddish colour with the face and breast having an admixture of grey and white hairs. The legs and belly are creamy-white without any darker pattern on the frontal part of the shin such as is found in the goats or the Bharal. In winter, because of thicker underwool, the animal looks bulkier and slightly greyer, with much white about the neck and chest in old rams. Not surprisingly, the neck in rams tends to be heaver and muscular. The tail is short and not bushy and in both sexes the legs appear relatively long and slender when compared with the wild goats. There is more extensive white area in the caudal region as compared to the Urial. There is no long-haired chest ruff in the rams as in various races of Urial.

In a mature ram, the horns curve outwards describing more than a complete arc, their distal quarter or third, forming another turn. They are broad and massive at their base. In 1967 a 137cm(54in) had was shot in Pakistan by Captain Gauhar Ayub on the Khunjerab Pass in Hunza.

Reproduction: Gestation Period: 5.5 months. Young per Birth: Single or occasional twin lambs being born in May and June. Rut: The rut is well marked and of short duration as in all wild sheep. The rut takes place later in November and even extending to early December. Life Span: around 13 years.

Social Behavior: This is a gregarious species, generally congregating in herds of a dozen up to over a hundred individuals. These herds consist of females with their sub-adult young and immature males. Outside the rutting season mature rams live in small bands of two or three, rarely up to five or six occurring together. They confine their feeding activity to a few hours just after dawn and again become active in the evening. During the middle of the day they retreat to some higher boulder-strewn ridge where they lie down and chew the cud. They have etremely keen eyesight and sense of smell and are always very wary and difficult to approach. When danger threatens flocks tend to bunch together, and both sexes have been observed to stamp their feet and after running some distance away to again stop and turn to face the danger. Apart from the grunting call emitted by rams in combat, lambs also call their mothers with a typically "merrhing" call when they lose contact.

Diet: They graze mainly on the scattered bunches of coarse grass. In the northern part of Hunza in winter they feed on the scattered clumps of wild onions.

Habitat and Distribution:

The Marco Polo sheep is an inhabitant of very high mountain plateau regions subject to severly cold winds and rather arid climatic conditions throughout the year. Currently, Marco Polo sheep has a very limited spatial and temporal distribution in Pakistan. It is confined to probably at most, three remnant populations in the northwestern part of Hunza district along the Chinese border. Here, between spring and autumn, it occupies two sperate valleys in the noethwest section of Khunjerab National Park, and also inhabits the Kilik-Mintaka border area, just west of the National Park. Schaller et al. (1987) found no sign of this argali on the Chinese side of Khunjerab pass , and suggested that the population of the Khunjerab area was isolated.

Rasool gives a population number of 300 for Khunjerab NP in 1976, and between July 1978 and March 1981, his estimates of monthly population numbers vary between zero and 160. Numbers in Khunjerab NP are reported to have been declining rapidly over the last 10 years, with only 20 reported in 1988. However , no animals were observed in the Park after the 1988 sighting until a herd of 45 was seen in July 1991. In 1992, locals reported that between six and 60 argali may use Khunjerab NP in winter. The size of the population in the Kilik-Mintaka area is not know because locals had prohibited wildlife officials from entering the area, but reports in 1991 indicate all animals may have been shot.

Construction and opening of the Karakoram Highway has been a major factor in the rise of poaching for this argali. Competition for forage, created by the presence of an estimated 700 feral yaks and at least 3,000 domestic goats and sheep in the Karchanai Nullah of Khunjerab NP, is an increasing problem that local park officials are unable to deal with. Marco Polo sheep is probably the most endangered of Pakistan's wild sheep and goats, and unless action is taken immediately they will probably become extinct.

.

Urial Sheep

( Ovis Vignei )

Local name: Urial (Punjab) Gad (Baluchistan) Shapu (Northern Areas)

3 Subspecies:

·         Ovis. vignei. cycloceros (Afghan Urial)

·         Ovis. vignei. punjabiensis (Punjab Urial)

·         Ovis. vignei. vignei (Ladakh Urial)

Description and Biology:

Size:

Shoulder Height: 76.15-91.5cm / 30-36in.

Horn Lenght: 63.5-105.5cm / 25-41.5in.

Description: Similar to the Marco Polo Sheep in general body proportions and colouring but averaging considerably smaller in size with shorter, less massive horns. The face is generally greyish, the long slender legs and belly are creamy-white and the body fur is a reddis-grey colour. There is no extensive white area in the caudal region. The tail is always the same color as teh dorsal hair and lacks any longer hair or terminal tuft. The sub-orbital glands are deep and conspicuous often exurding a viscous substance which mats the hair. The iris is pale yellowich-grey with the retina contracting to a horizontal slot.

Adult rams develop a conspicuous chest ruff of long straight coarse hairs which starts at the angle of the jaws and termintes abruptly between the forelegs. This ruff is predominantly white in the throat region and black as it extends down to the sternum. In summer moult this ruff is much shorter but still conspicuous. Females have slender upward curving horns about 12.7cm(5in) long. The horns in mature of mature rams are comparatively slender and angular when contrasted with other wild sheep species but they describe a very symmetrical arc when viewed from the side and curve out widely from the body, so that it is a strinking looking animal especially if encountered in the first rays of the morning sun, when its coat glows an almost pinkish-red color and the black chest-ruff stands out in sharp contrast. Older rams also develop traces of a greyish-white saddle mark in the winter coat.

O.vignei.vignei body fur tends to be more greyish in winter and less red. The chest ruff is comparatively short with black hairs predominating. The horns turn markedly inwards at their tips and often the wrinkles or corrugations are rather shallow and indistinct. O.vignei.cycloceros tends to have a longer, more luxuriantly developed neck ruff. The body fur is reddish and the saddle mark in males is generally very indistinct or lacking. The rams have horns which often develop more than a complete arc when viewed from the side with the tips bending slightly outwards. O.vigei. punjabiensis tend to be smaller and stokier in build compared with the Afghan sub-species and mature rams develop a conspicuous saddle mark in the form of a vertical band of mixed black and white hairs. The Punjab urial often has horns which are more massive at their base than the Afghan population but these never vurve round in more than a complete arc.

Reproduction: Gestation Period: 150-180 days. Young per Birth: Single or occasional twin lambs being born in mid-April to early May in Punjab and often as early as late March in Kirthar Range in Sind. Rut: Rams show no sign of sexual interest or rut until their third autumn when they are two and a half years of age. Sexual Maturity: At 4-5 years. Life Span: 10-11 years.

Social Behavior: Like the Marco Polo sheep, Urial are gregarious and the biggest herds consist of associations of female with their followers and immature males. Feeding activity is confined to the early morning and evening in the summer months, often commencing well before dawn. During the day they rest, usually under an overhanging bush or rock where they are well concealed. Their sight, hearing ans sense of smell are all acutely developed. They are excessively wary, depending upon early detection of approaching danger and flight for their survival.

Diet: Their preferred food is grasses. They will in time of fodder scarcity, browse the leaves of Acacia Modesta and sometimes pink mucilaginous fruits.

Habitat and Distribution:

In Baluchistan and Waziristan, the Urial inhabits the gentler slopes of the higher mountain ranges and will occur up to 2,750m(9,000ft). In the Salt range and the Southern North West Frontier Province they are typically associated with lower elevation rounded stony stony hills dotted with wild olive. In the extreme northern and inner Himalayan ranges, the Shapu is associated with barren treeless regions in the lower foothills. They avoid steep precipitous regions in all cases and are usually found in regions with deep erosion gullies which afford them some cover, interspersed with relatively smooth boulder-strewn slopes.

In Pakistan, the Afghan urial is found in Baluchistan, North West Frontier (NWFP), and Sindh Provinces. No total population census based on surveys is available.

 Wild Asses

  Tibetan Wild Ass or Kiang

( Equus Kiang )

Local name: Gadha (Urdu)

Description and Biology:

Size:  Body Length: 210 cm / 7 ft. Weight: 250-400 kg / 550-880 lb.

Description: The largest wild ass, the kiang was originally named by Moorcroft in 1841. The reddish brown upper parts are sharply contrasted with the pure white underparts, including the rump.This white area stretches up the ventral half (stomach-side) of the neck to the jowls. A thin stripe of brown extends down the front of the legs, which are otherwise white. Where the legs meet the body, large wedges of white reach up the sides. Along the spine is a dark dorsal stripe. The grey muzzle has a thin border of white. The summer coat is short and sparse compared to the very long, thick, browner winter coat. There is a short, dark brown mane which stands vertically, and follows the top of the neck from the ears to the shoulders. The tail has a dark brown tuft, with long hairs growing up the side.

Reproduction: Gestation Period: Almost 12 months.Young per Birth: 1 The August-September breeding season yields foals born in late July through August the next year. Small groups of 2-5 females split away from the main herd, retreating to rocky places to give birth. The young can walk and run just a few hours after birth, and mothers and foals rejoin the herd after a couple weeks. Weaning: By 12 months. Sexual Maturity: After 1 year. Life span: 20 years.

Social Behavior: Kiang live in very cohesive herds which never become scattered. Led by an old female, the herds travel in single file, and the members appear to do everything - including eating, drinking, turning, and running - in unison. Maternal herds of 5-400 animals, mature males generally solitary, although bachelor herds of up to 10 individuals form during the winter. Unlike horses, however, there is little physical contact (like mutual grooming) among animals. Males begin to follow these female herds in July, fighting amongst themselves through August for breeding rights. During mid-August, they begin herding the females into harems, defending them from rival males. Kiang are good swimmers, and during the summer months take apparent pleasure in bathing in rivers. During August and September, the only time when vegetation is plentiful, kiangs may gain up to 40-45 kg /88-100 lb.

Diet: Grasses and low plants.

Habitat and Distribution:

The Kiang is an inhabitant of high plateaus and undulating steppe at elevations of up to 5,000 meters / 16,500 feet. The Kiang is not a permanent resident in Pakistan, but is mainly found across the border in China, with the bulk of the population mainly in Tibet. There are some reports that Kiangs migrate from China into Khunjerab National Park in the extreme north eastern border region of Pak-China. Kiang occasionally used to visit the Shimshal Pass area from China (Schaller, 1974). There are reliable reports of a small population of 20-25 animals between the lower Baraldo and Mustagh rivers on the Pakistan side of the border (Rasul, 1988; Wegge, 1988). Till further sightings are reported, this wild ass must be considered rare and in need of careful monitoring and protection.

Ungulates

Wild PiG

 

Indian or Eurasian Wild Boar

( Sus Scrofa )    

Local name: Jungli Sowar, Khanzeer (Urdu)

Discription and Biology:

Size:

Body Length: 90-200 cm / 3-6.6 ft.

Shoulder Height: 55-110 cm / 1.8-3.6 ft.

Tail Length: 15-40 cm / 6-16 in.

Weight: 44-320 kg / 91-711 lb.

Description: The brownish coat is coarse and bristly, usually turning greyish with age. The face, cheeks, and throat are slightly grizzled with whitish hairs. The back is rounded and the legs are relatively long, especially in northern subspecies. Young are born with a pattern of light stripes along their torso, known as livery. These fade between the second and sixth month, reaching adult colouration at one year of age. The wartless head is long and pointed. The upper canines form tusks which curve out and upwards. The lower canines are like razors, self-sharpening by rubbing against the upper canines. The tail is long with a simple tuft.

Reproduction: Gestation Period: 112-130 days, Young per Birth: 4-8, rarely up to 13. Weaning: At 3-4 months. Sexual Maturity: Usually at 18 months. Life span: 21 years. Breeding occurs year-round in the tropics, although in more temperate zone the young are born primarily in the spring. Just prior to giving birth, the female isolates herself and builds a large nest lined with vegetation. Within two weeks of birth, each piglet has its "own" nipple from which it drinks from exclusively. The yound become independent at 7 months of age.

Social Behavior: Activity is concentrated from dusk to dawn, with a primary resting period at night and a "siesta" during the early afternoon. Wild boars rest in tight groups with bodily contact. The resting place, used several times before being abandoned, is made of numerous troughs lined with leaves and branches. Wild boar are excellent swimmers, and have been documented swimming between offshore islands up to 7 km / 4 miles apart. Wallowing is a favourite activity, taking place several times during each summer afternoons in muddy waterholes. In winter, this frequency drops to about once per week. After wallowing, the wild boar rubs against trees and bushes, an activity that acts as a territorial marker. Ten different vocalizations have been distinguished, and each mother can recognize her own offspring be voice. Maternal families averaging 20, but with a maximum of 100 animals, adult males solitary. Wild boars are very short tempered and can sometimes be very dangerous.

Diet: Seeds, roots, tubers, fruit, nuts, carrion, eggs, insects. In short - ANYTHING. (all above information from "The Ulimate Ungulate Page" by Brent Huffman).

Habitat and Distribution:

The Indian Wild boar prefers area with thick vegetation. They are found in reed beds as well as scrub and forest areas and are often found living in the vicinity of larger cities of Pakistan. In Pakistan the wild boar is common in the indus riverian forest of river Indus throughout the provinces of Punjab and Sind. Increased sugar plantation has increased the wild boar population in some areas of Punjab so high that they are now considered a pest. Numbers in Sind have declined, but it is not endangered and is still found in good numbers. Wild boars are plentiful in the forest plantations of Changa Manga and Piranwala. They are common in Margalla Hills and are regularly seen on the streets of Islamabad, despite government efforts to control their population. Wild boars are not found in the higher hill ranges in the north of the country. They are rare in Kohat and Peshawar. Despite government efforts to reduce Wild boar populations, by using pesticides and hunting there has been no significant effect on the population of wild boars in Pakistan, and they are increasing in many areas of Punjab.

River Dolphin

Indus Blind Dolphin

(Platanista minor)

Local name: Bhulan (Urdu, Sindhi)

Discription and Biology:

Description: The specific name, minor, refers to the dolphins' supposedly smaller size. Until the 1970s, this species was thought to be the same as the Ganges River Dolphin.The Indus River Dolphin has a long beak which thickens toward the tip, revealing the large teeth; the mouthline curves upward. The body is stocky with a rounded belly, the flippers are large and paddle-shaped, and there is a low triangular hump in place of a 'true' dorsal. The forehead is steep and the blowhole is on the left of the head, above the tiny, poorly-seeing eye. The tail flukes are broad in relation to the body size. Indus River Dolphins are grey-brown in colour, sometimes with a pinkish belly, and measure between 1.5 and 2.5m in length, weighing a maximum of 90kg.

Social Behavior:Indus River Dolphins travel either as couples or individuals. Since these dolphins do not have a crystalline eye lens they are effectively blind; all they can do is detect the direction and intensity of light. Navigation, therefore, is entirely by a sophisticated echolocation system. This blindness is one of the reasons why these dolphins swim on one side underwater, with one flipper trailing in the muddy riverbed. The physical touch gives the dolphins important information about their surroundings and helps them find food.

Diet:These dolphins take fish and crustaceans. (all above information from Cetacea Online and Animal Info).

Habitat and Distribution:

The Indus River Dolphin is the only cetacean to inhabit the Indus river. These dolphins favour the silt-laden, turbid waters of the Indus river system, at temperatures between 8°C and 33°C.

The Indus River Dolphin is one of the world's most endangered mammals and has been listen in IUCN's list of threatened species. This dolphin is endemic to Pakistan. The species inhabits the Indus river in Pakistan from Kotri, Sind, to Jinnah, northwestern Punjab. The Indus River dolphin was apparently formerly common and distributed throughout the Indus River system in Pakistan, from the Himalayan foothills to the mouth of the Indus, and in the main tributaries - Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej - from the hills to their junction with the Indus . Beginning in the 1930's, numerous dams and barrages were constructed in the Indus. This split the dolphin's population into small groups, degraded its habitat and impeded migration. As a result, by the 1970's the abundance and distribution of the Indus River dolphin had significantly declined, and most of the remaining population was concentrated between two of the barrages, the Sukkur and Guddu barrages in Sind Province. The government of Sind established this region as the Indus River Dolphin Reserve in 1974. The Reserve continues to harbor the majority of the remaining population. Its population has apparently increased there, while few of the dolphin remain elsewhere. Besides Sind Province, the Indus River dolphin also exists in Punjab Province, but it continues to decline. The Indus River Dolphins have suffered as a result of incidental and direct exploitation. They have been accidentally caught in fishing nets, but have also been hunted for meat, oil and traditional medicines. The most recent population servey was done in 2001, by WWF-Pakistan, the Wildlife Departments of Sindh, the Punjab and the NWFP, the Adventure Foundation of Pakistan, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society of UK and Karavan Leaders. During the survey 965 dolphins were counted in the river system. The survey which started from Kalabagh in the Punjab on March 12, ended at Hyderabad, 1,400 kilometres downstream, after seven weeks. A section, about 40 kilometres long, between Sukkur and Kotri barrages was missed for security reasons. Considering that the mammal is also found in these stretches, the total number could be 1,000 or slightly higher. The team counted two dolphins between the Jinnah and Chashma Barrages, 84 between Chashma and Taunsa Barrages, 259 between Taunsa and Guddu Barrages, 602 between Guddu and Sukkur Barrages and 18 between the 500 kilometres stretch between Sukkur and Kotri Barrages. The number of mammals counted is greater than earlier estimates of 500-700. It could, however, not be considered enough to take the species off the endangered list.