Takin  (Budorcas taxicolor)

The takin is one of the larger and stockier of the goat antelopes (5). Short, stocky legs are supported on large two-toed hooves, which have a highly developed spur (4). The large head is made more distinctive by the arched Roman nose, and both sexes bear stout horns that can reach 64 centimetres in length and are ridged at the base (4). The long shaggy coat is light in colour with a dark stripe along the back (4), and males (bulls) also have a dark face (5). Four subspecies of takin are currently recognised, and these tend to show a variation in coat colour. The legend of the 'golden fleece', searched for by Jason and the Argonauts (2), may have been inspired by the lustrous coat of the golden takin (B. t. bedfordi) (5). Rather than localised scent glands, the takin has an oily, stong-smelling substance secreted over the whole body (5).