An ethogram and activity budget of captive Sichuan takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana) with comparisons to other Bovidae

Abstract

Takins (Budorcas taxicolor) are large bovids native to Bhutan, China, northeast India, and northern Myanmar. There is no published comprehensive ethogram for takin and only minimal published data on their behavior. We used captive takin housed in large enclosures in various social groups, ad libitum observation, and video recordings to construct a behavioral repertoire comprising 9 behavioral categories and 24 individual behaviors. Additional 402 h of data collection from a mixed breeding herd were used to examine the time allocated by takin to perform several activities. Most of the time (82.3%) was spent feeding, ruminating and resting, similar to other ruminants. Feeding was particularly common in autumn and winter. In general, the activity budgets of each sex were similar, though social behavior was more common in males than females. The social behaviors suggested that during the breeding season, males follow reproductive females while they are foraging (a behavior termed tending in this study). Many of the behaviors were similar to previously recorded behaviors in other members of the Bovidae.