Tibetan Gazelles Research Articles

Copper Sulfate Supplementation Alleviates Molybdenosis in the Tibetan Gazelles in the Qinghai Lake Basin.

Molybdenum (Mo), an essential mineral, plays a key role in the vital activity of the organism. However, excess Mo in the forage will cause loss of appetite, diarrhea, emaciation, bone injury, joint abnormalities, and anemia in animals. In order to study molybdenosis in the Procapra picticaudata in the animal rescue center, samples of soils, forages, blood, and liver were collected. The mineral contents of all samples were determined, and the blood parameters were also measured. The results showed that the Mo level in the soil and forage in the animal rescue center was significantly higher than that in healthy pastures (p < 0.01). The Mo concentrations in the blood and liver in the P. picticaudata from the animal rescue center were also noticeably higher than those in healthy animals (p < 0.01). The level of Cu in the blood and liver were noticeably lower than those in healthy P. picticaudata (p < 0.01). The superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and catalase (CAT) were significantly lower than those in healthy animals. Supplementing copper sulfate (CuSO4) could significantly decrease the Mo content in the blood, and cure molybdenosis. In summary, the excessive Mo content in the soil and forage in the animal rescue center had greatly affected physiological parameters and antioxidant capacity. It is likely that the molybdenosis of the P. picticaudata is caused by the high Mo contents in soils and forages. CuSO4 may alleviate molybdenosis in P. picticaudata.

Climate change impacts on high altitude wildlife distribution: Predicting range shifts for four ungulates in Changthang, eastern Ladakh

Climate change has a significant impact on species habitat and its distribution. Understanding and predicting range shifts and changing habitat use patterns in the context of climate change is important for management and conservation. Changthang region in eastern Ladakh is the western extension of the Tibetan plateau and is home to many ungulates. In this study, we used ensemble modelling using an ensemble modelling approach to estimate the current and future distribution of four ungulates namely Bluesheep, Tibetan gazelle, Tibetan argali and Kiang in Changthang region. We used the global circulation model (GCM) from WorldClim produced by Community Climatic System Model Version 4 to predict possible future changes with 24 environmental and topographic variables for two time periods (2050 and 2070). The results suggest that these ungulates may lose 57% to 61% of their current range, depending on the algorithm used and dispersal scenarios with a northward shift in their ranges. The maximum predicted range loss is for the Tibetan gazelle with an average of 90% loss, which might make it locally endangered with a prediction that only 9.5% of their present habitat might be suitable for them in 2070 in the context of climate change. An estimated 100 individuals of Tibetan gazelles are known to be in Ladakh with a patchy distribution in the southern part of the study area. The Tibetan gazelle in Ladakh requires urgent conservation efforts to enable it to adapt to future climate change scenarios in the region. We recommend restoration and conservation of grassland ecosystems that were historically and currently occupied by ungulates with additional attention given to potential suitable habitats outside protected areas by regulation of human activities.

Optimizing livestock carrying capacity for wild ungulate-livestock coexistence in a Qinghai-Tibet Plateau grassland

Wild ungulates are an important part of terrestrial ecosystems and play a critical role in maintaining ecosystem health and integrity. In many grassland ecosystems that are habituated by wild ungulates, the coexistence of domestic ungulates has created a conflict over grazing resources. Solving this conflict requires a balanced and sustainable policy that satisfies both the needs of wildlife protection and food production. Here, we assess the optimal grassland livestock carrying capacity of an alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, given the coexistence of wild populations of kiangs (Equus kiang) and Tibetan gazelles (Procapra picticaudata), two key species grazing in this region. We use kriging and the MaxEnt method to estimate the population sizes of kiangs and Tibetan gazelles in Maduo County, Qinghai Province. We then convert the estimated population size of the two species into sheep units and calculate the residual carrying capacity for livestock grazing. We show that after accounting for the grazing need for kiangs and Tibetan gazelles, grassland in Maduo is capable of supporting 420,641 sheep units, which is slightly more than the current livestock population. However, the residual carrying capacity is highly uneven across the region, and overgrazing is found in many areas of Maduo, especially in northern Maduo. This research provides a useful framework for planning sustainable livestock farming for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and other regions facing wildlife-livestock conflict.

Move the fences

Grassland The sensitive alpine meadow and steppe systems of the Tibetan Plateau have experienced serious degradation over the past half-century. To restore these habitats, an extensive system of wire fences has been erected across the region; some have been in place for 30 years. Fences can protect plants from immediate grazing by livestock, but they limit connectivity for other organisms, interrupt trophic dynamics, and artificially divide landscapes. Sun et al. used a large-scale meta-analysis to determine whether these fences have been effective for restoration, how they affect wildlife, and what effect they have on human populations on the basis of interviews with local herdsmen. Fences that had been in place for short to medium periods of time were able to increase aboveground vegetative biomass for both meadows and steppe. However, long-term fencing decreased plant growth and diversity, with negative ecosystem impacts. In addition, fences inhibited the movement of three focal mammal species—Tibetan gazelles, yaks, and donkeys—which increased their grazing impact on unfenced regions. The herders perceived fences as not only preventing their ability to use traditional grazing practices but also as being ineffective overall. Fences can be useful tools but only when they are transitional and impermanent. Sci. Bull. 10.1016/j.scib.2020.04.035 (2020).

Inter- and intraspecific vigilance patterns of two sympatric Tibetan ungulates

Abstract Vigilance is an important antipredation technique that can be affected by many factors, such as body size and group size. Small animals are more vulnerable than large ones, so the former are expected to behave more vigilantly than the latter. This effect of body size on vigilance may occur inter- or intraspecifically. We studied the vigilance behavior of two sympatric wild ungulates, Tibetan antelopes (Pantholops hodgsonii) and Tibetan gazelles (Procapra picticaudata). Tibetan antelopes, with a body size of 33 kg are much larger than Tibetan gazelles, with a body size of approximately 14 kg. Tibetan antelopes are sexually and body-size dimorphic; that is, males are much heavier than females. Alternately, Tibetan gazelles are sexually dimorphic but the sexes do not differ in weight. Tibetan gazelles scanned their environment more frequently than Tibetan antelopes did. Small female Tibetan antelopes scanned their environment more frequently than males did, whereas male Tibetan gazelles scanned their environment more frequently than females did. Group size did not affect the vigilance of Tibetan gazelle, but its negative effect on the vigilance of male Tibetan antelopes was marginally significant. In female Tibetan antelopes, vigilance in large groups was high probably because of scramble competition and social monitoring. Our results suggested that body mass and group size play an important role in shaping the vigilance of these two rare Tibetan ungulates.

A Population Census of Large Herbivores Based on UAV and Its Effects on Grazing Pressure in the Yellow-River-Source National Park, China.

Using the Yellow-River-Source National Park (YRSNP) as a study site, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing and line transect method was used to investigate the number of wild herbivorous animals and livestock, including the kiang (Equus kiang) and Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata). A downscaling algorithm was used to generate the forage yield data in YRSNP based on a 30-m spatial resolution. On this basis, we estimated the forage–livestock balance, which included both wild animals and livestock, and analyzed the effects of functional zone planning in national parks on the forage–livestock balance in YRSNP. The results showed that the estimates of large herbivore population numbers in YRSNP based on population density in the aerial sample strips, which were compared and validated with official statistics and warm season survey results, indicated that the numbers of kiangs and Tibetan gazelles in the 2017 cold season were 12,900 and 12,100, respectively. The numbers of domestic yaks, Tibetan sheep, and horses were 53,400, 76,800, and 800, respectively, and the total number of sheep units was 353,200. The ratio of large wild herbivores and livestock sheep units was 1:5. Large wild herbivores have different preferences for functional zones, preferring ecological restoration areas consisting mainly of sparse grassland. The grazing pressure indices of the core reserve areas and ecological restoration areas were 0.168 and 0.276, respectively, indicating that these two regions still have high grazing potential. However, the grazing pressure index of the traditional utilization areas was 1.754, indicating that these grasslands are severely overloaded. After the planning and implementation of functional zones, the grazing pressure index of YRSNP was 1.967. Under this measure, the number of livestock was not reduced and the grazing pressure nearly doubled, indicating that forage–livestock conflict has become more severe in YRSNP.

Estimating abundance of Tibetan wild ass, Tibetan gazelle and Tibetan antelope using species distribution model and distance sampling

There is an urgent need of understanding the distribution and abundance of the key species, Tibetan wild ass ( Equus kiang ), Tibetan gazelle ( Procapra picticaudata ) and Tibetan antelope ( Pantholops hodgsonii ) in the Three-River-Source National Park, especially after the first national park in China established there. We carried out field surveys in summers from 2014 to 2017 following the distance sampling protocol in the park, covering an area of 538000 km2. The total length of the survey routes is 14597.8 km. We recorded 3711 individuals of Tibetan wild ass, 1187 individuals of Tibetan gazelles, and 423 individuals of Tibetan antelopes. In order to accurately estimate the species abundance, we used species distribution models to quantify the relationship between species accurrences and 22 environmental variables, and predicted the population density in the whole study area. We compared the model prediction and field survey results, and made adjustment accordingly. The estimated abundance of Tibetan wild ass, Tibetan gazelle and Tibetan antelope in the study area is 44240, 13162, and 2390, respectively. To evaluate the potential bias of the estimation, we took into account of survey uncertainties, model uncertainties, and adjustment uncertainties using the detaction function based on distance sampling, R 2 of species distribution models, and spatial heterogeneity of model-observation matchness. Our new method for estimating species abundance is suitable for species whose distribution is well correlated with environmental varibles, and the results of distance sampling are available.

Tick‐defense grooming patterns of two sympatric Tibetan ungulates

AbstractGrooming is an important behavioral defense against tick infestation for ungulates. The ‘programmed grooming model' explains the endogenous regulation of tick‐defense grooming and predicts different inter‐ and intra‐specific grooming patterns owing to the body size principle. Here, we studied the summer grooming behaviors of two sympatric Tibetan ungulates, to explore whether or not body size principle works inter‐ and intra‐specifically. The ungulates were sexually and body‐size dimorphic Tibetan antelopes (Pantholops hodgsonii) with body weight of c. 33 kg and sexually dimorphic but body‐size monomorphic Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata) with body weight of c. 14 kg. Group size was also included in our negative binominal regression model to determine whether or not the ungulates groomed more or less with the increasing group size. Results showed that large Tibetan antelopes groomed much less than small Tibetan gazelles inter‐specifically. Intra‐specifically, sex–age significantly affects the grooming rate of Tibetan antelopes. The largest adult males groomed the least, whereas the smallest fawns groomed the most. However, this sex–age effect is not found in Tibetan gazelle: males and females groomed similarly. These findings indicate that body size principle is fully supported inter‐ and intra‐specifically. Positive group size effect on grooming is observed in Tibetan gazelle, suggesting that released vigilance time from group size effect is probably transferred to grooming. From a conservation point of view, we suggest further studies on the testosterone effect on grooming patterns during the rut as well as on tick biology on the plateau.

Effect of Large Wild Herbivore Populations on the Forage-Livestock Balance in the Source Region of the Yellow River

Unmanned aerial vehicle surveys were conducted in the summer season of 2016 and the winter season of 2017 to investigate the large wild herbivore population, including kiangs, Tibetan gazelles and bharals, in Madoi County; the source region of the Yellow River. The study generated forage grass production data in 30 m spatial resolution in Madoi County in 2016 using a downscaling algorithm; estimated a forage-livestock balance including wild animals and domestic animals; and analyzed the effect of the large wild herbivore population on the balance between forage grass and herbivory in Madoi County. The large wild herbivore population was estimated based on the density of the animals in the survey sample strip and compared and verified with available statistical data and the two survey results from the summer season of 2016 and winter season of 2017. The results showed that: (1) in the winter season of 2017, the populations of kiang, Tibetan gazelle and bharal were 17,100, 16,000 and 9300, respectively, while the populations of domestic yak, Tibetan sheep and horse were 70,800, 102,200 and 1200, respectively. The total population of large wild herbivores and domestic animals was 475,000 (sheep units). The ratio (in sheep units) between large wild herbivores and domestic animals was 1:4.5; (2) When only considering domestic animals, the grazing pressure index was 1.13, indicating slight overloading of the grassland. When considering domestic animals and large wild herbivores (kiang, Tibetan gazelle and bharal), the grazing pressure index was 1.38, suggesting moderate overloading of the grassland; (3) If large wild herbivores are not taken into consideration when the forage-livestock balance is calculated, the grazing pressure will be under-estimated by 22%. Overgrazing is the major cause of grassland degradation in Madoi County. An additional 79,000 tons of hay or a 30% reduction in domestic animals is required to maintain a forage-livestock balance in Madoi County.

Recent geological events and intrinsic behavior influence the population genetic structure of the chiru and tibetan gazelle on the tibetan plateau.

The extent to which a species responds to environmental changes is mediated not only by extrinsic processes such as time and space, but also by species-specific ecology. The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau uplifted approximately 3000 m and experienced at least four major glaciations during the Pleistocene epoch in the Quaternary Period. Consequently, the area experienced concurrent changes in geomorphological structure and climate. Two species, the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii, chiru) and Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata), both are endemic on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, where their habitats overlap, but have different migratory behaviors: the chiru is inclined to have female-biased dispersal with a breeding migration during the calving season; in contrast, Tibetan gazelles are year-round residents and never migrate distantly. By using coalescence methods we compared mitochondrial control region DNA sequences and variation at nine microsatellite loci in these two species. Coalescent simulations indicate that the chiru and Tibetan gazelle do not share concordant patterns in their genealogies. The non-migratory Tibetan gazelle, that is more vulnerable to the impact of drastic geographic changes such as the elevation of the plateau, glaciations and so on, appears to have a strong population genetic structure with complicated demographic history. Specifically, the Tibetan gazelle population appears to have experienced isolation and divergence with population fluctuations since the Middle Pleistocene (0.781 Ma). However, it showed continued decline since the Upper Pleistocene (0.126 Ma), which may be attributed to the irreversible impact of increased human activities on the plateau. In contrast, the migratory chiru appears to have simply experienced population expansion. With substantial gene flow among regional populations, this species shows no historical population isolation and divergence. Thus, this study adds to many empirical studies that show historical and contemporary extrinsic and intrinsic processes shape the recent evolutionary history and population genetic structure of species.

Serum biochemical values and mineral contents of tissues in Przewalski’s and Tibetan gazelles

Reference values were established for some serum hematological and biochemical constituents in Przewaiski’s and Tibetan gazelles in China. The contents of mineral elements in the blood, hair, liver, lung and muscle of Przewaiski’s and Tibetan gazelles were also measured. All values are reported for the first time for Przewaiski’s and Tibetan gazelles. Most hematological and serum biochemical values were similar to those of Tibet sheep, yaks, and camels, but the mean serum albumin concentration and the albumin/globulin ratio in Przewaiski’s and Tibetan gazelles were significantly higher than those in other ruminants and the mean thyroxine (T 4 ) concentration was half that in Tibet sheep. Liver contains the highest concentrations of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe). Hair contains higher amount of Sulphur (S). The concentrations of cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), S and Mn from Przewaiski’s and Tibetan gazelles in the blood, hair, liver, lung and muscle were within the reference range for other ruminants. The concentration of selenium (Se) from Przewaiski’s gazelles in the blood and liver was significantly lower than that in Tibetan gazelles. Key words : Przewaiski’s gazelle, Tibetan gazelle, minerals, hematological values, biochemical constituents.

夏季可可西里雌性藏原羚行为时间分配及活动节律

Optimal time budget for behaviours may be constrained by intrinsic and extrinsic factors forcing animals to balance their daily energetic needs.From June to August in 2005 and 2010,the behavioural time budget and diurnal rhythm of the female Tibetan gazelles,Procapra picticaudata,were studied by focal animal sampling along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway(QTH) in the Kekexili National Nature Reserve.We restricted the sampling within 200 m from the QTH.In the end,a total of 255 observation units were collected.All behaviours were divided into five categories,Foraging,Vigilance,Lying,Moving and Other,and there was a significant difference among them using the Kruskal-Wallis H test(P0.001).Foraging and resting,accounting for(42.02±2.22)% and(31.21±2.71)% respectively,were the two main behaviours of the gazelles.This might relate to the low aboveground biomass,36.49—63.85 g/m2.The gazelles should spend more time foraging to obtain more nutrition.Moreover,as rumination indicates,more lying could assist in allowing the food to digest and thus nutrient assimilation.The groups of the Tibetan gazelles comprised from one to 12 individuals,but the groups with 11 animals were absent in this study.Analysis results of the Spearman rank correlations showed that with the increase of group size,the gazelles increased time foraging(P0.05) and decreased time vigilance(P0.001),which were due to the combination of the dilution hypothesis and the detection hypothesis.Theoretically,lactation carried a high energetic cost and the lambs were vulnerable to the predators,wolves and raptors.The gazelles with a lamb(mothers) were supposed to increase their time on foraging and vigilance comparing with the individuals without a lamb(female).However,results of the Mann-Whitney U tests suggested that there were no significant differences in foraging,vigilance and other between females and mothers,however the mothers devoted more time to moving(P0.01) and less time to lying(P0.05) than those of females without a lamb.Increasing moving could not only allow them to find new food resources easily but also avoid the predation risk in time,so the moving behaviour could play the role of vigilance to a certain extent.The peaks of foraging were recorded at 8:00—8:59,10:00—12:59 and 16:00—19:59,which were staggered with the foraging peaks of Tibetan antelopes inhabiting the same area.Temporal niche division could explain the coexistence of sympatric ungulates.The trend of lying was opposite to that of foraging owing to the trade-off among behaviours.Similar lying-foraging-lying transformation could be shown in many other ungulates.The only peak of vigilance occurred at 14:00—14:59,which could be explained by the variation of traffic flow on the QTH.The QTH plays an important role in Tibetan economic development and transports in 85% of imports and about 90% of exports from the Tibetan Autonomous Region.There was a significant trend of traffic flow and the peak,which occurred during 12:00—15:00.According to the risk-disturbance hypothesis,the Tibetan gazelles would express high vigilance level with the high human distance,i.e.the high traffic flow.The Kruskal-Wallis H tests indicated that the five behavioural categories showed significant variance among the periods of diurnal time(P0.05).

Studies of “Unsteady Gait Disease” of the Tibetan Gazelle (Procapra picticaudata)

Clinical signs of a disease locally referred to as "unsteady gait disease" for the Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata) were observed in the Qinghai Lake watershed area, China. The objective of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between the disease and copper (Cu) deficiency. Chemical examinations showed that Cu concentrations in soil and forage samples were similar from areas where gazelles were affected and unaffected. However, concentrations of sulfur (S) and molybdenum (Mo) in the soil and forage samples from the affected area were significantly higher than those from the unaffected areas (P<0.01). Copper concentrations in samples of blood, hair, and liver from the affected gazelles were significantly lower than those in unaffected animals (P<0.01). Supplementation of CuSO(4) in affected gazelles improved their appetite and vigor. We conclude that the disorder of Tibetan gazelles was caused by Cu deficiency, attributable to the high S and Mo content in forage.

Status and conservation of the snow leopard Panthera uncia in the Gouli Region, Kunlun Mountains, China

The elusive snow leopard Panthera unica is a rare and little studied species in China. Over 1 March–15 May 2006 we conducted a survey for the snow leopard in the Gouli Region, East Burhanbuda Mountain, Kunlun Mountains, Qinghai Province, China, in an area of c. 300 km2 at altitudes of 4,000–4,700 m. We surveyed 29 linear transects with a total length of c. 440 km, and located a total of 72 traces (pug marks, scrapes and urine marks) of snow leopard along four of the transects. We obtained eight photographs of snow leopard from four of six camera traps. We also recorded 1,369 blue sheep, 156 Tibetan gazelles, 47 argali, 37 red deer and one male white-lipped deer. We evaluated human attitudes towards snow leopard by interviewing the heads of 27 of the 30 Tibetan households living in the study area. These local people did not consider that snow leopard is the main predator of their livestock, and thus there is little retaliatory killing. Prospects for the conservation of snow leopard in this area therefore appear to be good. We analysed the potential threats to the species and propose the establishment of a protected area for managing snow leopard and the fragile alpine ecosystem of this region.

Sexual segregation in Tibetan gazelle: a test of the activity budget hypothesis

AbstractTibetan gazelle Procapra picticaudata, a threatened endemic species on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau, is a sexually dimorphic ungulate. Males are larger than females and both sexes live in different groups, except during the rutting season. In order to test the activity budget hypothesis, which was proposed to explain social segregation in ungulates, we studied the activity budget of male and female Tibetan gazelles during the summers of 2005 and 2006. The activity budget hypothesis predicts that females spend more time feeding and group members synchronize their activities more in the same‐sex groups than in the mixed‐sex groups. We found that females and males of Tibetan gazelle had different activity budgets; females spent significantly longer time feeding and comparably less time on other activities. Activity synchronization indexes between female groups and male groups were similar (female groups: 0.81±0.17, male groups: 0.80±0.19), whereas both of them were significantly higher than that of mixed‐sex groups (0.58±0.29). These results suggest that although sexual segregation might be caused by multiple mechanisms, the activity budget hypothesis about sexual segregation is supported by our studies of Tibetan gazelle on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau.

Isolation of populations of the Mongolian gazelle Procapra gutturosa (Artiodacrtyla, Bovidae) in the past: Analysis of mtDNA fragments with different mutation rates

The Mongolian gazelle is one of the few CentralAsian ungulates that have retained high numbers andvast geographic ranges. To date, there is no commonopinion on the population structure of this species. Toclarify this issue, we analyzed tissue samples ofgazelles from eastern Mongolia and neighboringregions with respect to two fragments of mtDNA differ-ing from each other in mutation rate: a fragment of thecytochrome b gene and the hypervariable fragment ofthe D-loop. We obtained the first data on the nucleotidesubstitution accumulation rates in these fragments ofthe genome of this species. It was found that the cur-rent, single population of gazelles is genetically hetero-geneous and includes two differentiated phylogeneticgroups. The two genetically different groups wereprobably formed within this steppe species more than100 000 years ago, when the gazelle geographic rangewas split by a forest zone during the interglacial epoch.The molecular genetic analysis of the fragments ofthe cytochrome b gene and D-loop was performed insamples of different tissues (muscles, dry skins, andhorns) of 13 Mongolian gazelles collected in Russia,Mongolia, and China between 1999 and 2005. We alsoused tissues of the Mongolian gazelle horn from thecollection of Zoological Institute of the Russian Acad-emy of Sciences (no. 8343) collected in 1914. ATibetan gazelle (goa or Tibetan gazelle, Procapra pic-ticaudata) from the collection of Zoological Institute(no. 602) obtained in 1874 and a Persian gazelle(Gazella subgutturosa) obtained from Mongolia in2005 were used as outgroups. The DNA isolation andthe amplification of the D-loop fragment were per-formed as described earlier [2–3]. The PCR of the cyto-chrome b gene fragment was carried out with the use ofthe primers Glu-(L14724) (TGATATGAAAAAC-CATCGTTG) and Cb2-(H15174) (CCCTCAGAAT-GATATTTGTCCTCA) as follows: (I) 3 min at 94°C;(II) 15 s at 94°C, 15 s at 50°C, and 45 s at 72°C(35 cycles); (III) 6 min at 72°C. The nucleotidesequence in the mtDNA fragment studied was deter-mined by means of an ABI 310 automatic analyzerusing a Big Dye kit (Applied Biosystems). The Mega3.0 and Arlequin 2.000 software was used for statisticaltreatment [4–5].We found seven haplotypes of a 375-bp fragment ofthe cytochrome b gene, five of which were unique, in asample of 13 specimens. The nucleotide diversity (π)was 0.5 ± 0.3%. In the same specimens, we found12 unique haplotypes of a 644-bp fragment of theD-loop; the nucleotide diversity was there 5.2 ± 0.7%.All nucleotide sequences have been inputted to theinternational genetic database GenBank (DQ266310,DQ266321– DQ266324, DQ266326, DQ266332–DQ266334, DQ266336, DQ266337, DQ266352, andDQ269150–DQ269162). Phylogenetic analysisshowed that all haplotypes from the studied sample fellinto two groups (Figs. 1, 2). It is noteworthy that thedistribution of the specimens between these two groupswas the same for the cytochrome b gene and the D-loophypervariable fragment. In neither case did we foundany association between the current territorial distribu-tion and genetic relationship between the animals.Therefore, we hypothesized that, in the past, there weretwo isolated populations of gazelles, which intermixedafterwards. The intergroup genetic distance (Net dis-tance, D) between these two clusters calculated for thecytochrome b gene fragment was 0.4%. Comparisonwith outgroups showed that the genetic distancebetween the Tibetan and Mongolian gazelles was 3.2%and that between all gazelles and the Persian gazellewas 11.4%.According to paleontological data, there were twoevolutionary lineages of gazelles in the late MioceneEpoch. One of them has led to the currently existingMongolian and Tibetan gazelles and the other, to thePersian gazelle [6]. Gazella gaudryi from the lateMiocene and early Pliocene Yushi sediments in China