Yarkand deer

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Yarkand deer (Cervus hanglu yarkandensis), also known as the Tarim deer or Lop Nor stag, is a subspecies of the Central Asian red deer. It lives only in Xinjiang, China, mainly in the Tarim Basin’s deciduous forests and steppe along the Tarim, Kaidu, and Qiemo river basins. Like the nearby Bactrian deer, it relies on lowland riparian corridors for food and shelter and does not migrate, though it may move into nearby desert areas when it’s cooler at night.

The deer is light rufous in color with a large light patch on its body and tail. Its antlers usually have five tines, with the fifth tine larger than the fourth and curving inward, and the terminal fork pointing forward. The Tian Shan Mountains separate it from the Bactrian deer, and they probably form an ancient subgroup of the Central Asian red deer.

The Yarkand deer population declined from over 10,000 in the 1950s to fewer than 3,000 in the 1990s. They are preyed on by the Himalayan wolf.