1 November 2005
Classification of Mongolian Livestock
Posted by khuushuur under: mongolia .
María E. Fernández-Giménez has published several articles on the ecological perception and management decisions of Mongolian herders. In The role of Mongolian nomadic pastoralists’ecological knowledge in rangeland management she quotes Holechek et al. on the classification livestock and their khamar (translated as muzzle but literally nose):
The five types of Mongolian livestock are similarly classified as cool-muzzle (seruun khamar), hot-muzzle (khaluun khamar), or intermediate animals. Cool-muzzled animals (camels and goats), must graze in “hot” territories, whereas hot-muzzled animals (yaks and horses) are best suited to “cool” territories. Sheep, traditionally the backbone of the Mongolian pastoral economy, are adaptable to both
types of habitats. This classification of livestock and their foraging habits corresponds closely with theWestern classification of range animals as grazers (warmmuzzled animals), browsers (cool-muzzled animals), and intermediate feeders (Holechek et al. 1989).
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