Siberian stags – ASU biologists’ object of study

13 November 2015 Faculty of Biology

Zoology scientists of Altai State University study various aspects of animal life. The Department of Zoology and Physiology conducts both faunistic and anatomico-morphological research. Students and postgraduates study the peculiarities of Siberian stags’ structure and vital activity under the guidance of Doctor of Biology, Professor of the Department of Zoology and Physiology Nina D. Ovcharenko.

“Siberian stag is a subspecies of red deer that live in the wild in Altai-Sayan Highlands; Altai Krai and Republic of Altai farms have been raising them for a long time for the purpose of getting antlers and other valuable products, which are in great demand on both external and internal markets. However, in spite of years-long antler deer breeding, the biology of the species is still insufficiently studied. Our department has been studying seasonal, reproductive and age peculiarities of this amazing creature over a number of years,”  says Nina D. Ovcharenko.

Antlers (deer’s unossified horns) are used in medicine as a raw material for high-value drugs production (pantocrine, pantonine). They contain 18 amino acids, biogenous macro- and micro-nutrients, etc.
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