# Takin (*Budorcas taxicolor*)

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

The takin (Budorcas taxicolor) is a mammal in the family Bovidae, subfamily Antilopinae and tribe Caprini, within the order Artiodactyla. It is a giant animal by adult body mass, with a representative weight of 302 kg, and is a diurnal, terrestrial herbivore of forest habitat. Gestation lasts 235.6 days, with 1 young per litter at the low end (representative value 1.17) and 1 litter per year. The IUCN Red List classifies the takin as Vulnerable, a threatened category, and its lifespan is given as 19.58 years, with values up to 21.9 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 294.5 kg – 302 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 19.6 years – 21.9 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 213 days – 244 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 – 1.17 |
| Age at maturity | 2 years – 2.5 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Bovidae
- genus: Budorcas
- species: *Budorcas taxicolor* Hodgson, 1850

Synonyms: *Budorcas taxicola*, *Budorcas taxicolor taxicolor*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a takin?

The takin is a mammal in the family Bovidae and the tribe Caprini, within the order Artiodactyla. Other English names for it include goat ox, gnu goat, Mishmi takin, goat antelope and cattle chamois.

### How heavy is a takin?

An adult takin has a representative body mass of 302 kg, which places it in the giant size class (adult body mass over 250 kg).

### What does a takin eat?

The takin is a herbivore.

### What habitat does the takin live in?

The takin lives in forest habitat. It is terrestrial and active during the day.

### Is the takin endangered?

The takin is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

### How long does a takin live?

The takin's lifespan is given as 19.58 years, with values reported up to 21.9 years.

### Who named the takin?

The takin was named Budorcas taxicolor by Hodgson, 1850.

## 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: Takin (Budorcas taxicolor). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/takin