takin [key], hoofed mammal, Budorcas toxicolor, found in Asia, most closely related to the musk ox. The takin is oxlike in build and may reach a shoulder height of 31⁄2 ft (107 cm). It has a large head with a broad blunt muzzle; both sexes have high-set, outward-curving horns. Takins are found in the wooded mountains and valleys of W China and in the Himalayas. Although ungainly in their movements they are agile climbers. Powerful animals, they are especially fierce when cornered or wounded. They feed on a wide variety of plant life. Members of the western race are dull yellow-brown in color, but members of the races found in China are bright yellow with areas of black. The golden takin of Shaanxi prov. is a metallic gold with black hindparts. Takins are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Artiodactyla, family Bovidae.
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