such as yaks and dzos. Over-hunting and a decrease in food supplies have led to a large reduction in the population of the Tibetan antelope, argali, kiangs, musk deer, and snow leopards in these regions, reducing them to the status of endangered species. The locals of Spiti do not hunt these wild animals due to their religious beliefs. Demographics According to the 2011 census, the Lahaul and Spiti district has a population of 31,564. This gives it a ranking of 638th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was -5%. Lahul and Spiti has a sex ratio of 903 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 76.81%. The entire population is rural. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 7.08% and 81.44% of the population respectively. The district has % of its population speaking Kinnauri, % Pattani, % Bhotia, % Hindi, % Nepali and % Tibetan as their first language. The language, culture, and populations of Lahaul and Spiti are closely related. Generally, the Lahaulis are of Tibetan and Indo-Aryan descent, while the Spiti Bhot is closer to the Tibetans, owing to their proximity to Tibet. The district has a Himachal Pradesh state legislative law in place to curb antique looting by travelers given past incidents. In the pre-independence era, the ethnic tribal belt was divided into the British Lahaul and the Chamba Lahaul, which was merged with Punjab post-1947. This is the second-largest district in the Indian union. The language spoken by both the Lahauli and Spiti Bhots is Bhoti, a Tibetic language of the Western Innovative subgroup. They are very similar to the Ladakh I and Tibetans culturally, as they had been placed under the rule of the Guge and Ladakh kingdoms at occasional intervals. Among the Lahaulis, the family acts as the basic unit of kinship. The extended family system is common and evolved from the polyandric system of the past. The family is headed by a senior male member, known as the Yunda, while his wife, known as the Yundamo, attains authority by being the oldest member of the generation. The clan system, also known as Rhus, plays another major role in the Lahauli society. The Spiti Bhot community has an inheritance system that is otherwise unique to the Tibetans. Upon the death of both parents,