Saiga antelopes much more flexible than originally thought

Thursday, March 23, 2017 - 05:31 in Paleontology & Archaeology

Senckenberg scientists have discovered that the Saiga Antelope, which is currently threatened with extinction, used to be much more flexible in its habitat and food choices in the past than previously assumed. Based on carbon and nitrogen isotopes in the collagen from the antelopes' bones, the scientists compared the diets of fossil versus modern-day Saiga. In their study, recently published in the scientific journal "Quaternary Science Reviews," they reached the conclusion that today's populations are not obligatorily bound to their current habitat. This insight offers new hope for this endangered species.

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