sicklebill
well-known Cretaceous relic
I saw a posting about what mammals had been seen on a China trip, and thought I'd post a Mongolia mammal list as it's surprisingly good, I was very pleasantly surprised at the variety:
Here is one from 2018:
LONG-EARED DESERT HEDGEHOG SP. (Hemiechinus auritus) – A great one at Gobi Erdene on our night foray.
DAURIAN PIKA (Ochotona daurica) – A couple at Khustai.
MONGOLIAN (PALLAS'S) PIKA (Ochotona pallasi) – Seen around Khanbogd.
TOLAI HARE (Lepus tolai) – One from Khugnu Khan ger camp and a couple seen later, with Eleanor getting one in the Gobi steppe.
SIBERIAN CHIPMUNK (Tamias sibiricus) – Great looks at one in the riparian at Terelj. This is the only Old World representative of the genus Tamias
(25 species).
SIBERIAN MARMOT (Marmota sibirica) – Common in Khustai NP, a quite large animal and no doubt very tasty for Golden Eagles.
LONG-TAILED GROUND SQUIRREL (Spermophilus undulatus) – The common ground-squirrel, seen in all the steppe areas and very common in
Khustai.
DAURIAN GROUND SQUIRREL (Spermophilus dauricus) – This shorter tailed version was seen briefly as we came out of Khanbogd.
RED-CHEEKED (PALLID) GROUND SQUIRREL (Spermophilus pallicauda) – Seen at Khanbogd and Yol Am.
EUROPEAN RED SQUIRREL (Sciurus vulgaris) – Some very dark animals were in the boreal forest at Terelj, and we got nice looks at them with
their white bellies and tufted ears.
BRANDT'S VOLE (Lasiopodmys brandtii) – This year was an irruption year and we saw many scurrying over the roads at Khustai.
MONGOLIAN GERBIL (JIRD) (Meriones unguiculatus) – Seen at Khustai near Khugnu Khan.
MID-DAY GERBIL (JIRD) (Meriones meridianus) – Don saw one in the Gobi, and we had nice look at one on the night walk at Gobi Erdene.
GREAT GERBIL (Rhombomys opimus) – There were many burrows in the Saxaul at Khongor, with one showing very nicely for some.
GOBI JERBOA (Allactaga bullata) – Great looks at 3 on the night walk at Gobi Erdene, fabulous and very fast running long*tailed big*eared creature,
very like a diminutive rat*kangaroo.
MANCHURIAN ZOKOR (Myospalax psilurus) – Many mounds in riparian areas at Terelj, this is one of those odd fossorial burrowers like a mole. I
wish Laszlo luck with his Zokor viewing and ranching scheme, an idea whose time may not have come as yet.
RED FOX (Vulpes vulpes) – Two seen at Khongoryn Saxaul forest by those who went for the longer walk there.
CORSAC FOX (Vulpes corsac) – Great looks at one at Tsargaan lakes. Shorter legged and paler than Red Fox, and more of an arid country species.
PALLAS'S CAT (Felis manul) – THE sighting of the trip for the mammals, the Golden Eagle stooped on it at Yol Am and it leapt out from beneath the
talons, seemingly unhurt. We watched it via the scopes for some minutes as it worked its way upslope, a huge great fluffy tabby cat with a bushy
black*tipped banded tail and an odd flat face. A very rarely seen species, and almost always on spotlighting efforts.
WILD HORSE (Equus caballus) – Wonderful views of 13 of these great creatures in Khustai, some with foals and with a stallion keeping guard of his
herd. The erect mane is very striking, as is the pale colouration. The reintroduction seems to be working well with about 220 animals now in the park. RED DEER (Cervus elaphus) – A magnificent stag was at the Tuul River in Khustai, with a great rack of antlers.
GOITERED GAZELLE (Gazella subgutturosa) – This is also known as the Black*tailed Gazelle, the black tail distinctively erect when they run. We
saw 3, then 1 and then 2 singles on three days in the Gobi. They showed a distinct dark brown flank stripe and sides to the rump in some lights, and
reminded us of Thompson's Gazelle. This is actually also the one we have seen in the UAE, although that may have been split by now.
ZEREN (Procapra gutturosa) – Four day records of 3 at Khustai, 3 near Khugno Khan, 7 at Gobi Erdene and 2 near Flaming Cliffs. The big white rump
is distinctive, and it is also called Mongolian or White*tailed Gazelle. 4 gazelle sp. were also seen distantly in the Gobi, probably this species. IBEX (Capra ibex) – Three up at Yol Am, and then a female with a kid at Hoolt dry valley, with another later.
ARGALI (Ovis ammon) – We got lucky and saw 6 walking up a sunlit slope at Yol Am, a fortunate sighting of what is quite a rare species.
In 2019 we did not see Pallas's Cat or Argali, but did have Daurian Hedgehog, Five-toed Pygmy-Jerboa, Desert Hamster (called locally yellow taxi as they dash about so much) and an incredible daylight view of 2 or maybe 3 Marbled Polecat at Khongoryn, I even found their den later in a former gerbil burrow. A night walk around Gobi Erdene ger camp got us 8 species of small mammal this year despite the very green moist conditions which i had thought might lessen the total.
Here is one from 2018:
LONG-EARED DESERT HEDGEHOG SP. (Hemiechinus auritus) – A great one at Gobi Erdene on our night foray.
DAURIAN PIKA (Ochotona daurica) – A couple at Khustai.
MONGOLIAN (PALLAS'S) PIKA (Ochotona pallasi) – Seen around Khanbogd.
TOLAI HARE (Lepus tolai) – One from Khugnu Khan ger camp and a couple seen later, with Eleanor getting one in the Gobi steppe.
SIBERIAN CHIPMUNK (Tamias sibiricus) – Great looks at one in the riparian at Terelj. This is the only Old World representative of the genus Tamias
(25 species).
SIBERIAN MARMOT (Marmota sibirica) – Common in Khustai NP, a quite large animal and no doubt very tasty for Golden Eagles.
LONG-TAILED GROUND SQUIRREL (Spermophilus undulatus) – The common ground-squirrel, seen in all the steppe areas and very common in
Khustai.
DAURIAN GROUND SQUIRREL (Spermophilus dauricus) – This shorter tailed version was seen briefly as we came out of Khanbogd.
RED-CHEEKED (PALLID) GROUND SQUIRREL (Spermophilus pallicauda) – Seen at Khanbogd and Yol Am.
EUROPEAN RED SQUIRREL (Sciurus vulgaris) – Some very dark animals were in the boreal forest at Terelj, and we got nice looks at them with
their white bellies and tufted ears.
BRANDT'S VOLE (Lasiopodmys brandtii) – This year was an irruption year and we saw many scurrying over the roads at Khustai.
MONGOLIAN GERBIL (JIRD) (Meriones unguiculatus) – Seen at Khustai near Khugnu Khan.
MID-DAY GERBIL (JIRD) (Meriones meridianus) – Don saw one in the Gobi, and we had nice look at one on the night walk at Gobi Erdene.
GREAT GERBIL (Rhombomys opimus) – There were many burrows in the Saxaul at Khongor, with one showing very nicely for some.
GOBI JERBOA (Allactaga bullata) – Great looks at 3 on the night walk at Gobi Erdene, fabulous and very fast running long*tailed big*eared creature,
very like a diminutive rat*kangaroo.
MANCHURIAN ZOKOR (Myospalax psilurus) – Many mounds in riparian areas at Terelj, this is one of those odd fossorial burrowers like a mole. I
wish Laszlo luck with his Zokor viewing and ranching scheme, an idea whose time may not have come as yet.
RED FOX (Vulpes vulpes) – Two seen at Khongoryn Saxaul forest by those who went for the longer walk there.
CORSAC FOX (Vulpes corsac) – Great looks at one at Tsargaan lakes. Shorter legged and paler than Red Fox, and more of an arid country species.
PALLAS'S CAT (Felis manul) – THE sighting of the trip for the mammals, the Golden Eagle stooped on it at Yol Am and it leapt out from beneath the
talons, seemingly unhurt. We watched it via the scopes for some minutes as it worked its way upslope, a huge great fluffy tabby cat with a bushy
black*tipped banded tail and an odd flat face. A very rarely seen species, and almost always on spotlighting efforts.
WILD HORSE (Equus caballus) – Wonderful views of 13 of these great creatures in Khustai, some with foals and with a stallion keeping guard of his
herd. The erect mane is very striking, as is the pale colouration. The reintroduction seems to be working well with about 220 animals now in the park. RED DEER (Cervus elaphus) – A magnificent stag was at the Tuul River in Khustai, with a great rack of antlers.
GOITERED GAZELLE (Gazella subgutturosa) – This is also known as the Black*tailed Gazelle, the black tail distinctively erect when they run. We
saw 3, then 1 and then 2 singles on three days in the Gobi. They showed a distinct dark brown flank stripe and sides to the rump in some lights, and
reminded us of Thompson's Gazelle. This is actually also the one we have seen in the UAE, although that may have been split by now.
ZEREN (Procapra gutturosa) – Four day records of 3 at Khustai, 3 near Khugno Khan, 7 at Gobi Erdene and 2 near Flaming Cliffs. The big white rump
is distinctive, and it is also called Mongolian or White*tailed Gazelle. 4 gazelle sp. were also seen distantly in the Gobi, probably this species. IBEX (Capra ibex) – Three up at Yol Am, and then a female with a kid at Hoolt dry valley, with another later.
ARGALI (Ovis ammon) – We got lucky and saw 6 walking up a sunlit slope at Yol Am, a fortunate sighting of what is quite a rare species.
In 2019 we did not see Pallas's Cat or Argali, but did have Daurian Hedgehog, Five-toed Pygmy-Jerboa, Desert Hamster (called locally yellow taxi as they dash about so much) and an incredible daylight view of 2 or maybe 3 Marbled Polecat at Khongoryn, I even found their den later in a former gerbil burrow. A night walk around Gobi Erdene ger camp got us 8 species of small mammal this year despite the very green moist conditions which i had thought might lessen the total.
