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Saiga Antelope. General information. Saiga antelope have an extremely distinctive enlarged nose that hangs down over the mouth.
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General information • Saiga antelope have an extremely distinctive enlarged nose that hangs down over the mouth. • Saiga graze on a number of different grasses, herbs and shrubs. The unusual swollen nose is thought to filter out airborne dust during the dry summer migrations and to enable cold winter air to be warmed before it reaches the lungs.
Human impact • All the saiga populations have suffered from habitat degradation, poaching and disturbance. • Another cause of the saiga antelope decline is the overgrazing of its pastures, general habitat degradation and construction of roads and canals. • Saiga horns are highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine as cures for illnesses such as strokes.
Facts, statistics, numbers • Saiga antelopes population reached one million. • Its population decreased because of illegal poaching .