Animal Sciences Commons^™

Factors Affecting Survival And Cause-Specific Mortality Of Saiga Calves (Saiga Tatarica Mongolica) In Mongolia, Buuveibaatar Bayarbaatar

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Factors affecting juvenile survival are poorly known in the world’s most northern antelope, the endangered saiga (Saiga tatarica), yet they are fundamental for understanding what drives population change. For saiga neonates monitored in Sharga Nature Reserve, western Mongolia, during 2008–2010, male and single calves were heavier than those of female and twins, respectively. However, there was no significant difference in seasonal and annual survival rate between male and female or singletons and twins. Litter size and birth mass varied among years, and there was a negative relationship between these variables. Multiple regression models suggest that summer precipitation in …