3 Marvelous Mammals of Mongolia l Our Breathing Planet

We hope that each of you, our readers, will greatly enjoy and fully appreciate this article we present about these 3 Marvelous Mammals of Mongolia. It was certainly our sincere pleasure to gather the data for you. May it provide you with both education and increased awareness.

Certainly, while amazing, these few species listed herein represent only a portion of the similar species in this location. It’s our belief, though, that they serve as excellent representations of the local members of this Class. Check out some of our other articles for similar marvels.

Marbled Polecat

5 Marvelous Mammals of Mongolia — Source: https://rb.gy/4xla9 Photo: Volker Röhl CCL: https://rb.gy/cg1r6

Marbled Polecat Facts

Leading off this article about these 3 Marvelous Mammals of Mongolia comes the magnificent creature bearing the distinctive name of the Marbled Polecat.
The term used herein serves as the most frequently used common name for this intriguing product of Nature and evolution. It does have at least one other english language title, though. Though less often used, it’s sometimes called the tiger weasel.
In many parts of its range, however, it’s known by various titles in different languages. Some of these include putois de Pologne, in French, and Tigeriltis in German, just to name a few. Regardless of which of these one uses, it remains a fascinating animal.
Within scientific circles, though, it’s much better known by its technical name. Fortunately, that’s a relatively easy term for the layperson to pronounce. That’s because this distinctive member of its genus holds the official title of Vormela peregusna.
The creature received that name due to the efforts of the Baltic German naturalist and explorer, Johann Anton Güldenstädt. He accomplished the first formal recognition of it as a separate and distinct species. That noteworthy event occurred in 1770.
Sadly, the population of the Marbled Polecat has declined sharply in recent decades. That truly lamentable fact further appears to hold true throughout the entirety of its native range. The IUCN therefore presently lists it as Vulnerable on its Red List.
The primary cause of this sigificant and ongoing reduction in its numbers seems to habitat loss. A reduction in available prey due to human activities also appears to factor in as well. Now, of course, the marvel faces the growing threat posed by climate change.

Marbled Polecat, Vormela peregusna — Source: https://rb.gy/qki9c Photo: Marie Hale CCL: https://rb.gy/i4upt

Marbled Polecat Physical Description

The beautiful Marbled Polecat possesses its own type of charm for those who encounter the creature. The animal exudes that charm, though, due more to its visual appeal than sheer physical size. That’s true since it’s moderately small compared to some of its many relatives.

LIke most of them, however, it also displays a certain degree of the physiological trait known as sexual dimorphism. In the case of this particular animal, that trait manifest itself in terms of dimensions. More precisely, the female remains smaller than their male counterpart.

That difference in terms of overall size remains minor, though. Both genders attain approximately the same head and body length. Females of the species tend to weight slightly less though, having a slightly thinner shape. Yet, exceptional individuals do occur.

The head and body length of both sexes averages 11.4 – 13.8 in (29 – 35 cm). The fluffy tail, meanwhile, typically adds an extra 5.1 – 8.7 in (13 – 22 cm). Males range in weight from 11.3 – 25.2 oz (295 – 600 gms). Shoulder heights for both equals 5.1 – 6.3 in (13 – 16 cm).

But it’s the coloring of the Marbled Polecat that’s its most appealing feature. The back presents a background of yellow, covered with a heavy mottline of irregular reddish-brown spots. The underside, though, shows a dark brown in all areas. The tail is brown and yellow.

The comparatively large ears represent yet another highly noticeable characteristic, however. It also has a shorter muzzle than many of its kindred. Its limbs develop as short, leaving its body close to the ground. It also shows a black and white face, and has long, strong claws.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Vormela
Species: V. peregusna

Marbled Polecat Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology

The beautiful Marbled Polecat appears to have evolved as native to an extremely broad swathe of the globe. The full extent of that zone of habitation might surprise you, though. That’s true since it appears from southeast Europe to Russia and certain portions of Asia.

In Europe, that range includes such countries as Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Romania. From there, its territorial range extends through Turkey, Mongolia, and Lebanon. Yet the resourceful mammal also makes its home in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China.

The mammal is principally adapted to a specific type of habitat. The vast majority of its population appears in regions of either semidesert, open desert, and semiarid rocky regions. Many specimens also make their homes in areas consisting of steppe country.

As a general principle, the animal avoids higher altitudes. It does, however, live in various upland valleys and lower ranges of hills. The amazing species does display some adaptability, though. A small percentage of its numbers also live in arid subtropical scrub forests.

Like its relatives, the Marbled Polecat feeds primarily as a predator, though it does consume small quantities of vegetation. It’s mainly active during the morning and evening. Though it has weak eyesight, it has a keen sense of smell, enabling it to easily find its prey.

The small but efficient predator hunts a wide variety of smaller creatures. These include such species as voles, hamsters, ground squirrels, frogs, lizards, and numerous insects. It additionally compliments this fare with small amounts of various fruits and grasses.

Saiga Antelope

Saiga Antelope Facts

Next up in this compilation of 3 Marvelous Mammals of Mongolia we give you the remarkable work of evolution best known as the Saiga Antelope.
The natural wonder remains the most distinctive looking species of antelope in the world. This animal evolved a proboscis quite similar to that of a walrus. Sadly, it also holds the classification of Critically Endangered, according to the IUCN.
This magnificent animal also once inhabited an enormous portion of the Eurasian steppe. But that’s been severely reduced. Now, the entirety of its population only inhabits certain portions of the Republic of Kalmykia and Kazakhstan.
Sadly, mankind hunted this incredible creature almost to the point of extinction in the 1920’s. Fortunately, it managed to recover somewhat. Historically, hunting of the creatures occurred extensively among local populations.
Currently, the greatest threat to the existence of the Saiga as a species might surprise many people. This consists of a mysterious malady. But, extensive ongoing hunting of the creature for the procurement of its horn also poses a great threat to it.
That holds true given the fact that this part of the animal is frequently used in traditional Chinese medicines. Nonetheless, like many other species, it must also now be considered to face the dual threats of habitat loss and climate change.

Saiga Antelope, Saiga tatarica — Source: https://bit.ly/3fDsYn4 Photo: Andrey Giljov CCL: https://bit.ly/3irXime

Saiga Antelope Physical Description

The most noticeable feature of the Saiga Antelope is its unique proboscis. This represents an over-sized nose structure which serves two purposes. During migrations in the summer, it serves to filter out dust, and during the winter it heats up the air before it enters the lungs.

The animal displays a slight degree of the physiological trait of sexual dimorphism. In its case, this presents itself with the males being larger than the females. The males also develop moderately large, and uniquely colored horns. Females, though, have none.

Males of the Saola reach a height at the shoulder of up to 2.5 ft (0.8 m). These can weigh as much as 139 lb (63 kg). The antelope also mostly shows various shades of tan in color, with the exception of the belly and throat. These typically display a white or cream color.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Genus: Saiga
Species: S. tatarica

Saiga Antelope Habitat, Behavior, and Ecology

The Saiga Antelope once inhabited a comparatively vast swathe of its part of the surface of our world. In point of fact, that range extended from the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains all the way to what now forms the beautiful country of Mongolia.

Further, within its current range, the remarkable animal inhabits a wide variety of habitat types. These include grasslands, steppes, woodlands, and even semi-deserts. This species also tends to form large herds, often numbering in the thousands.

This fascinating mammal also feeds as a herbivore. In its case, the animal mainly feeds on a variety of plants, including several species that are poisonous to other animals. It also engages in seasonal migrations that cover great distances.

Though adept at climbing, the Saiga Antelope tends to avoid extremely steep or rugged terrain. After the mating season, females actually come together in large groups to give birth. Interestingly, two-thirds of all births for this species consists of twins.

Saiga Antelope Mysterious Malady

In May of 2015, a terrible and mysterious tragedy struck the already threatened Saiga Antelope population. Within a period of only 14 days, more than 130,000 of these completely unique creatures abruptly perished. It devastated their numbers.

This number represented half of the known population of this antelope in the world. In point of fact, entire herds were extinguished in a matter of mere days. Quite unfortunately, the precise cause was never officially determined by researchers.

However, many experts suspected an extremely virulent form of pasteurellosis to be the culprit responsible for the terrible tragedy. Yet the underlying trigger of this apparent epidemic among this unique ungulate remains a complete mystery.

Eurasian Brown Bear

Eurasian Brown Bear Facts

Closing out this gathering of these 3 Marvelous Mammals of Mongolia is the powerful creation of Nature known as the Eurasian Brown Bear.
This large and majestic land mammal most frequently goes by the informative common name due to its nature and range. It does have other alternate titles, though. These include the terms common bear, common brown bear, and European brown bear.
In the scientific community, however, the animal is likely better known by its technical title. Fortunately, that’s a relatively easy name for the layperson to pronounce. That’s because this wonder of Nature holds the technical moniker Ursus arctos arctos.
The animal received that interesting name due to the efforts of the esteemed Carl Linnaeus. The Swedish zoologist accomplished the first official recognition of the beautiful creature. He managed that scientifically noteworthy deed in the year 1758.
Technically, it represents a subspecies of the brown bear. In fact, it’s one of the most common of all known subspecies of the parent species. Visually, it remains very similar to the other, making it difficult for anyone but experts to tell them apart with the eye.
Thankfully, the Eurasian Brown Bear appears to be maintaining large and stable population base. That pleasant situation further seems to hold true throughout the entirey of its natural range. The IUCN thus now lists it as Least Concern on its Red List.
The carnivore nonetheless faces several potential threats to its continued existence as a species. These include such perils as habitat loss and illegal hunting. The greatest danger facing it, though, likely consists of the effects of ongoing climate change.

Eurasian Brown Bear, Ursus arctos arctos — Source: https://rb.gy/gbqk7 Photo: Charles J. Sharp CCL: https://rb.gy/ihdl2

Eurasian Brown Bear Physical Description

The wondrous Eurasian Brown Bear immediately draws the attention of anyone who encounters it in the wild. Certainly, it’s a beautiful mammal, of course. Yet it principally garners attention due to the sheer size that the species is capable of reaching in some cases.

It additionally follows a pattern that’s well established by its many kin around the world. That’s in the fact that it displays a certain degree of the physiological characteristic of sexual dimorphism. In its specific case, this trait manifests itself mainly in physical measurements.

More exactly, males typically attain a larger size than their female counterparts. This extends to both weight and length of body. The males sometimes reach a total length equaling up to 8.2 ft (2.5 m). Females, however, usually reach somewhat shorter lengths than this.

Weights also naturally differ between the sexes, given these facts. Males typically range from 550 – 660 lb (250 – 300 kg). A few mass as much as 1,060 lb (481 kg), though. Meanwhile, the females of the animal generally range in mass from 331 – 550 lb (150 – 250 kg).

Both genders of the Eurasian Brown Bear displays the same general pattern of coloring. That consists of brown fur that covers the entire body, save for the soles of the feet. The shades of this coat vary between specimens, ranging from yellow-brown to almost black.

The head also develops as highly rounded in shape. The ears develop as comparatively small, and rounded as well. Its powerful jaw holds 42 sharp, predatory teeth. The mighty animal also possesses strong, sharp claws that reach up to 3.9 in (10 cm) in length.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylym: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus: Ursus
Species: U. arctos
Subspecies: U. a. arctos

Eurasian Brown Bear Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology

The Eurasian Brown Bear evolved as endemic to a large portion of the globe, relatively speaking. Given its name, the location of that zone of habitation comes as no surprise. As alluded to, the animal inhabits the majority of the continents of Europe and Asia.

Within that greater range, however, its current presence is sporadic. The largest known concentration exists in Russia. Other groupings appear in such countries as Greece, Serbia, Poland, Turkey, Albania, and along the border between France and Spain, among others.

Nature and evolution did provide this mammalian marvel with an impressive adpatability in its choice of habitat. That has served it well in its struggle to survive. Generally speaking, though, it often lives in regions of wetlands, sparsely vegetated areas, and grasslands.

Yet perhaps its most highly favored type of environment is even more specific. That’s due to the fact that the largest percentage of individuals make their home in mountain woodlands. It typically does tend to avoid the highest altitudes however, due to the scarcity of food.

Intriguingly, the dietary habits of the Eurasian Brown Bear today aren’t what they once were. In the past, meat comprised about 80% of its diet. Today, though, that only forms about 10-15% of it. The change likely occurred due to reduced number of prey animals.

Being technically omnivorous, the large mammal mainly feeds on large quantities of roots, seeds, insects, fruit, and fish. When it does eat meat, it seems to favor sheep. yet it also feeds opportunistically, having no qualms about eating carrion when it comes across it.