The Yarkand deer (''Cervus hanglu yarkandensis''), also known as the Tarim deer or Lop Nor stag, is a subspecies of the Central Asian red deer that is native to the province of

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. It is similar in ecology to the related Bactrian deer (''C. h. bactrianus'') in occupying lowland riparian corridors surrounded by deserts. Both populations are isolated from one another by the

Tian Shan The Tian Shan, also known as the Tengri Tagh or Tengir-Too, meaning the "Mountains of God/Heaven", is a large system of mountain ranges in Central Asia. The highest peak is Jengish Chokusu at high and located in Kyrgyzstan. Its lowest point is ...

Mountains and probably form a primordial subgroup of the Central Asian red deer.

Description

This deer is light rufous in color with a large light-colored patch, including the tail. Its antlers usually have five tines with a terminal fork pointing forward. The fifth tine is usually larger than the fourth and is inclined inward.

Range and habitat

The Yarkand deer lives in the

Tarim Basin deciduous forests and steppe The Tarim Basin deciduous forests and steppe is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in the Xinjiang, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of western China. The ecoregion includes deciduous riparian forests and steppes sustained by the ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

of the Tarim, Kaidu, and Qiemo river basins in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region (East Turkestan). They are dependent on the lowland riparian corridors for food and shelter. They do not migrate, but may disperse into adjacent desert areas at night or at times of cooler temperatures. The deer population in the Tarim basin declined from over 10,000 in the 1950s to fewer than 3,000 in the 1990s.

Ecology

Yarkand deer are preyed on by the

Himalayan wolf The Himalayan wolf (''Canis lupus chanco'') is a Canis, canine of debated taxonomy. It is distinguished by its genetic markers, with mitochondrial DNA indicating that it is genetically Basal (phylogenetics), basal to the Holarctic Wolf, grey wolf ...

References

Mammals of China Cervus Mammals described in 1892 {{Eventoedungulate-stub