Kingdom Animalia Family Cervidae Genus Cervus Rank Subspecies | Class Mammalia Subfamily Cervinae Phylum Chordata Order Even-toed ungulate | |
Scientific name Cervus canadensis songaricus Similar Altai wapiti, Merriam's elk, Tibetan red deer, Manitoban elk, Eastern elk | ||
The Tian Shan wapiti or Tian Shan maral (Cervus canadensis songaricus), often called the Tian Shan elk by North Americans, is a subspecies of Cervus canadensis, found in the Tian Shan Mountains in eastern Kyrgyzstan, southeastern Kazakhstan, and North Central Xinjiang, China. It is the largest subspecies of Asian elk, both in body size and antlers. There are around 50,000 individuals left in the wild, and they are declining at a rapid rate. There are 4000 or 5000 individuals in deer farms in China.
References
Tian Shan wapiti Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA