# Saiga antelope (*Saiga tatarica*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/saiga-antelope  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) is a mammal of the family Bovidae, subfamily Antilopinae, in the order Artiodactyla. It is a large, terrestrial, diurnal herbivore of grassland habitats, with an adult body mass of 29 kg and up to 38 kg. Gestation lasts 149 days, litters average 1.6 young, and sexual maturity is reached at 306 days (10 months). The IUCN Red List classifies the saiga antelope as Near Threatened in its global assessment, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 29 kg – 38 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 12 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Gestation | 138 days – 149 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.58 |
| Age at maturity | 10 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.05 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Bovidae
- genus: Saiga
- species: *Saiga tatarica* (Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms: *Antilope borealis*, *Capra tatarica*, *Ibex imberbis*, *Saiga borealis*, *Saiga borealis borealis*, *Saiga colus*, *Saiga imberbis*, *Saiga sayga*, *Saiga scythica*, *Saiga tatarica tatarica*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the saiga antelope?

The saiga antelope is a mammal in the family Bovidae, subfamily Antilopinae, order Artiodactyla.

### How heavy is the saiga antelope?

An adult Saiga antelope has a body mass of 29 kg, with values up to 38 kg reported, placing it in the large size class.

### What does the saiga antelope eat?

The saiga antelope is a herbivore.

### What habitat does the saiga antelope live in?

The saiga antelope lives in grassland, where it is terrestrial and diurnal.

### Is the saiga antelope endangered?

No, it is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the saiga antelope live?

The saiga antelope has a lifespan of 12 years.

### How many young does the saiga antelope have?

The saiga antelope has 1.6 young per litter and 1.05 litters per year, after a gestation period of 149 days.

### Who named the saiga antelope?

The scientific name Saiga tatarica is credited to (Linnaeus, 1766).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/saiga-antelope