Cervus canadensis songaricus<\/td>
800 (KGZ)<\/td><\/tr>\t<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n\t\t\tDistribution and habitat\t<\/h2>\n\t
Historically, the Tien-Shan\u00a0maral\u00a0occurred across parts of present-day Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and possibly western China, including\u00a0the Dzungarian Alatau, the Tien-Shan mountain system, the northern\u00a0margins of the Fergana Basin, the northeastern\u00a0spurs of the Alay Range and possibly the\u00a0Syrdarya\u00a0Karatau\u00a0Range.\u00a0Today, the species occupies only a small part of its former range. Its current distribution consists of several isolated areas in the Tien-Shan of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, as well as the Dzungarian Alatau. Maral occurring\u00a0further North in Kazakhstan are Siberian or Altai\u00a0maral\u00a0and may\u00a0represent\u00a0a separate subspecies.\u00a0In Kyrgyzstan, the species had disappeared from most of its former range by 1980, except for the eastern part of the\u00a0Naryn-Too Range. In Kemin Valley and eastern\u00a0Ysyk-K\u00f6l,\u00a0maral\u00a0were previously considered extinct, but since 2010 the species has\u00a0recolonised\u00a0these areas from Kazakhstan, forming transboundary populations. In Jalal-Abad Region, non-native\u00a0maral\u00a0from the Altai region have been introduced.<\/p>\n
During summer months,\u00a0the\u00a0marai\u00a0spends time in alpine meadows, while in winter it moves into valleys.\u00a0Seasonal migration may be as much as 140 km in the Altai and Sayan Mountains.\u00a0Tian Shan\u00a0maral\u00a0mainly inhabit\u00a0coniferous and mixed tree forests, which\u00a0may be\u00a0an adaptive behaviour to poaching pressure.\u00a0Other\u00a0maral\u00a0or wapiti\u00a0species\u00a0prefer grasslands above the forest belt as summer habitat and riparian areas as well as semi-desert, steppe and shrubland on sites with little snow as winter habitat.<\/p>\n Grazing animals have an important role within ecosystems by maintaining vegetation structures. Cyclic grazing ensures that vegetation growth is controlled while also providing important ecosystem processes, such as increasing nitrogen availability for plants. When large herbivores roam the landscape they transport seeds through their fur and excrement, as well as leaving nutrient hotspots for vegetation growth in the form of carcasses. A decrease in grazing animals within an ecosystem could lead to changes in vegetation structure and species composition, ultimately changing the ecosystem. The preference of the maral for forests, as observed in Central Asia and likely caused by poaching, may affect the natural rejuvenation of these forests and contribute to their degradation. Maral are also an important prey species for predators such as snow leopards, brown bears, and wolves.<\/p>\n CLIMATE CHANGE: The Tian Shan maral is affected by seasonal variations in temperature and precipitation and extreme climatic conditions. Changes in the rate of precipitation cause alterations in wet and dry periods and may lead to low resource availability, resulting in weight loss or forcing the animals to migrate. They can also be affected by increasingly extreme climatic conditions such as severe cold or droughts, which limit forage availability and accessibility. Likewise, certain parasites, such as horse flies, are more active during warm periods.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShow Refrences\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t Mattioli, S. 2011. Family Cervidae (Deer). In: D.E. Wilson and R.A Mittermeier (eds), Handbook of the mammals of the world, pp. 350-443. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.<\/p>\n Dangal, S. R. S., Tian, H., Lu, C., Ren, W., Pan, S., Yang, J., … Hessl, A. (2017). Integrating herbivore population dynamics into a global land biosphere model: Plugging animals into the earth system. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 9, 2920- 2945. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/2016MS000904<\/a><\/p>\n Brook, S.M., Pluh\u00e1\u010dek, J., Lorenzini, R., Lovari, S., Masseti, M., Pereladova, O. & Mattioli, S. 2018. Cervus canadensis (errata version published in 2019). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T55997823A142396828. https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.2305\/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T55997823A142396828.en<\/a>. Accessed on 03 November 2022.<\/p>\n\t\t\t![\"CAMCA_speciesranges_maral_draft_fullHD\"](\"https:\/\/camcaproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CAMCA_speciesranges_maral_draft_fullHD.avif\" "\\"CAMCA_speciesranges_maral_draft_fullHD\\"")
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t Importance\t<\/h2>\n\t
\n\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\tThreats\t<\/h2>\n\tPOACHING: The main threat to Tien-Shan maral in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is poaching, which reduces population size and, due to behavioural responses to human disturbance, large sections of suitable habitat are not used, hindering connectivity between populations.
\nPASTURE COMPETITION: Other major pressures include livestock grazing, pasture expansion, and disturbance from herders and dogs. While livestock numbers are increasing, forage competition increases and reduces available habitat. Livestock also threatens the species through vector-borne diseases.
\nGENETIC POLLUTION: Genetic pollution is also a threat to the species, such as the release of maral originating from Siberian Altai or through hybridization with other deer species, such as spotted deer \u200bCervus nippon\u200b and European red deer \u200bCervus elaphus,\u200b may be a risk if these species are kept together in deer farms or are released for hunting purposes into natural habitats.\n\t