The saiga is a unique animal that survived the Ice Age and has preserved its appearance unchanged since the times when mammoths existed on the Earth. Due to its unique individuality, the appearance of this artiodactyl animal cannot be confused with any other mammal.
The saiga, or as it is called the “steppe antelope,” has a body length from 110 to 146 cm, including the tail, withers height from 60 to 78 cm, tail length reaches 12 cm. It is difficult to determine the weight of the saiga, since it depends on gender and ranges from 20 to 40 kg, although some males can reach a body weight of up to 60 kg, depending on the habitat. Despite the fact that the legs of steppe antelopes are short and thin, their running speed is 80 km/h, which indicates that the animal can outrun a vehicle.
A characteristic feature of the saiga is an elongated, movable nose, reminiscent of a short trunk, located quite low, overlapping the upper and lower lips, the nostrils are rounded in shape and separated from each other by a thin partition. Thanks to the unusual structure of their nose, saigas can filter the air from dust in summer and autumn, and warm up the cold air they inhale in winter. In addition, the nose - trunk in males during the mating season serves to make certain sounds in order to attract the attention of the female and scare away the rival.
It is also worth noting one of the main details of this animal - the horns, which have special values and are present only in males.
Saiga antelopes grow in a vertical position. The average length of the horns reaches 25–30 cm. The horns are covered with horizontal ring-shaped ridges of red or reddish color. The growth of horns stops in males at the age of one and a half years.
The eyes of saigas are located far from each other, bare eyelids create the image of beautiful and deep eyes. Excellent vision allows you to see an object several kilometers away.
Saiga fur also changes depending on certain circumstances. In summer, the fur is short and rather sparse, reaching only 2 cm in length, while in winter the fur is covered with dense and thick hair up to 7 cm or more in length. Often the color of the fur is not bright shades: in summer - yellow-red, in winter - grayish-whitish, which allows you to look inconspicuous. The molting process occurs in spring and autumn.
The final description of saigas is their well-developed sense of smell, thanks to which they can sense the slightest odors. Acute hearing gives them the ability to detect absolutely all kinds of suspicious sounds at long distances.