San Diego Zoo Animals

Takin is China's inscrutable hulk. One of the least known and strangest looking hoofed animals with horns, the takin typically hides in fog-bound forests of China's central mountains. The illusive and odd-looking takin remains a mystery to science.

When startled or angry the takin covers short distances with great bursts of speed, and often hide in a bamboo jungle when disturbed. They even press their bodies against the ground with their necks outstretched like an ostrich. In the summer takins retreat to high altitudes (10,000 feet) and return to lower elevations during the winter months to find food.

Very little is known about the takin and how to even classify it. It isn't related to bison, buffalo or cattle, despite its ox-like appearance.