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Scientists have conducted an expedition to count marals in the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve, and the collected data is now being processed. Traditionally, a census of these ungulates is carried out in winter (by tracking their footprints in the snow) and autumn (during the rutting season). The maral mating season begins in late August or early September and lasts for 1-1.5 months. The autumn census is called a "roaring" census: during this period, the number of animals is determined not by their tracks but by their voices, which the male marals use to attract females during the rutting season. This is reported on the website of the United Directorate of the Sayano-Shushensky Reserve and the Shushensky Bor National Park.
"The marals roar, and their roar becomes a tool for determining the number of animals, as the voices of different individuals are not identical in timbre, just like human voices. The "loudest" time of day for these animals is morning and evening," the report says.
The census is conducted from an elevated position: first, the marals are given a sound signal using a special pipe that mimics the animal's voice, and then the researchers listen for responses, marking on a map the areas from which the sound is heard. According to experts, for a successful "roaring" census, one needs not only endurance and physical strength but also good hearing, so as not to count the voice of one male several times.
"Marals keep a distance from each other, in groups. Each male accompanies 2 to 4 females. We found areas with characteristic scratches on trees, as well as "spots" where the bulls beat the vegetation and soil with their hooves, indicating an active rutting period," says Andrei Sarapu, a junior researcher.
As noted in the directorate, the maral is a common and numerous species in the reserve, inhabiting its entire territory. The autumn census is an important part of the comprehensive monitoring of the species' population and complements winter route surveys.
