Abstract: Three key elements of behaviors for Tibetan antelope Pantholops hodgsonii, posture, act, and environment (PAE), were recorded in the Kekexili area of Sanjiangyuan National Park and Chang Tang National Nature Reserve from 2017 to 2019. Using the recorded behaviors, we established a PAE coding system for Tibetan antelope, including 12 postures, 79 acts, 10 environmental categories, and 89 behaviors. According to the behavioral functions, those behaviors were divided into 13 categories: ingestion, elimination, thermo-regulation, rutting and estrus, mating, parturition, parental behaviors, conflict, communication, aggregation, resting, locomotion, and miscellaneous. Behaviors varied across season, sex, and age. For example, Tibetan antelope used different behaviors to regulate body temperature and to obtain food and water in different seasons. There were differences in foraging and mating behaviors among male Tibetan antelope with different ages. The occurrence of Tibetan antelope behavior was closely related to their inhabiting environment and physiological condition. In previous studies, the classification of behaviors was largely dependent on body posture, with the potential differences between the function of acts in the same posture being overlooked. The PAE coding system established here could eliminate such uncertainties and provide a robust framework for effectively studying behaviors of Tibetan antelope by accurately recording behavioral functions and conducting long-term population monitoring.

Key words: Tibetan antelope, ethogram, PAE coding system, Sanjiangyuan National Park, Chang Tang National Nature Reserve.