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Animals as art in the Qinling Mountains
A male takin seeks a mate in a mountain forest in the Qinling Mountains, a rugged range dividing north and south China. Living high in the mountains, above 2,000 meters, takins are often in heat from late June to late July and mate during this period. The Qinling takin is an animal unique to the Qinling Mountains. Its golden coat mixed with white sees locals call them “white sheep” or “Yangzi”. Takins have long and strong front legs with short and curved rear ones and cloven hooves. With a population of no more than 5,000 they are rare. They are gregarious, usually living in groups of 20 to 30. Their habitat is forests at altitudes of 1,050 to 3,600 meters, subalpine coniferous forests and alpine shrub meadows. They feed in the morning and at dusk on Qinling arrow bamboo bark, fir and tender shoots of shrubs.

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