Scientific Name: Saiga tatarica (Linnaeus, 1766)
Common Names:
English – Saiga, Saiga Antelope, Mongolian Saiga
French – Saïga
Spanish – Antílope Saiga
Taxonomic Notes: Saiga tatarica is the only species in the genus Saiga. Although there is little geographical variation, two subspecies are recognized: Saiga tatarica tatarica (the nominate subspecies, to which the majority of the global population belong), and Saiga tatarica mongolica (endemic to western Mongolia). Grubb (2005) recognized the Pleistocene mammoth-steppe Saiga as a distinct species S. borealis, including the living subspecies mongolica. |