Przewalskium albirostre (Artiodactyla: Cervidae)

Abstract

Przewalskium albirostre (Przewalski, 1883) is a physically unique cervid commonly called the white-lipped deer. Przewalskium is monotypic. This species is a high-elevation specialist endemic to the eastern Tibetan Plateau where it inhabits relatively open hills and mountains with a mosaic of forest edges, meadows, and shrublands. Populations of P. albirostre are highly fragmented and vulnerable because of exploitation and competition with domestic livestock of pastoralists. There have been no systematic efforts to estimate the total number of extant P. albirostre, and it is considered Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. It is farmed for its antlers in China and is represented in zoos and private collections.