Serow

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Serow [1]
Serow Capricornis sumatraensis.JPG
Mainland serow (Capricornis sumatraensis) at Dusit Zoo, Bangkok, Thailand.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Caprinae
Tribe: Ovibovini
Genus: Capricornis
Ogilby, 1837
Type species
Antilope thar [1]
Hodgson, 1831
Species

Capricornis crispus
Capricornis rubidus
Capricornis sumatraensis
Capricornis swinhoei

Contents

The serow ( /səˈroʊ/ , or /ˈsɛroʊ/ ), is any of four species of medium-sized goat-like or antelope-like mammals in the genus Capricornis. All four species of serow were, until recently, classified under Naemorhedus , which now only contains the gorals.

Extant species

This genus has been analyzed, studied and reclassified a number of times. In 2005, Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.) listed six different species (C. crispus, C. milneedwardsii, C. rubidus, C. sumatraensis, C. swinhoei, and C. thar), with two subspecies of C. milneedwardsii. [1] The current consensus recognises the following four species, with milneedwardsii and thar demoted to subspecies of C. sumatraensis: [2]

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Nihonkamoshika-akita.JPG Capricornis crispus Japanese serow Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku in Japan
Serow Capricornis sumatraensis.JPG Capricornis sumatraensis Mainland serow Eastern Himalayas, eastern and southeastern Bangladesh, China, Southeast Asia, and on the Indonesian island of Sumatra
Capricornis rubidus.jpg Capricornis rubidus Red serow East India, southern Bangladesh and northern Myanmar
Chang Zong Shan Yang .jpg Capricornis swinhoei Taiwan or Formosan serow Taiwan

Serows live in south-central, southeast and eastern Asia. Their coloration varies by species, region, and individual. However, the different species are not particularly sexually dimorphic, as both males and females have beards and small horns (which are often shorter than their ears).

Like their smaller relatives, the gorals, serows are often found grazing on rocky and forested hillsides, though typically at a lower elevation in places where the two species' territories overlap; gorals tend to be wary and typically retreat to higher elevations and steeper mountainsides. Serows are slightly larger and slower-moving, and somewhat less agile, than gorals; however, they can still nimbly climb up or down the slopes to escape predation or to find appropriate shelter during cold winters or hot summers. Serows, unlike gorals, make use of their preorbital glands in territorial scent marking.

Fossils of serow-like animals date as far back as the late Pliocene, two to seven million years ago. The common ancestor species of the Caprinae subfamily may have been very similar to modern serows.

The serow subfamily population as a whole is considered endangered. Most serow species are included in the red list of IUCN with decreasing populations. The Japanese serow is better protected than the other sub-species of serows. [3] [4] [5] [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese serow</span> Bovid endemic to Japan

The Japanese serow is a Japanese goat-antelope, an even-toed ungulate. It is found in dense woodland in Japan, primarily in northern and central Honshu. The serow is seen as a national symbol of Japan, and is subject to protection in conservation areas.

<i>Presbytis</i> Genus of south-east Asian monkeys

Presbytis is a genus of Old World monkeys also known as langurs, leaf monkeys, or surilis. Members of the genus live in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, on Sumatra, Borneo, Java and smaller nearby islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mainland serow</span> Species of antelope

The mainland serow is a species of serow native to the Himalayas, Southeast Asia and China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taiwan serow</span> Species of mammal

The Taiwanese serow also known as the Formosan serow, is a small species of bovid that is endemic to Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red serow</span> Species of mammal

The red serow, also called the Burmese red serow, is a goat-antelope thought to be native to southern Bangladesh and northern Myanmar. It has been sometimes been considered a subspecies of C. sumatraensis. In the northeastern part of India, the red serow occurs widely in the hills south of the Brahmaputra river. although the IUCN states that this species is recorded with certainty only from Myanmar, in Kachin State, and that records in India refer to the Himalayan serow.Serow in South and Southeast Asia are threatened by habitat destruction, poaching, and disease transmission from domestic livestock. Myanmar and India face severe poaching issues despite legal protections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumatran serow</span> Species of goat-antelope (Capricornis sumatrensis)

The Sumatran serow, also known as the southern serow, is a subspecies of the mainland serow native to mountain forests in the Thai-Malay Peninsula and on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It was previously considered its own species, but is now grouped under the mainland serow, as all the mainland species of serow were previously considered subspecies of this species. The Sumatran serow is threatened due to habitat loss and hunting, leading to it being evaluated as vulnerable by the IUCN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himalayan serow</span>

The Himalayan serow, also known as the thar, is a subspecies of the mainland serow native to the Himalayas. It was previously considered its own species, as Capricornis thar. It is the official state animal of the Indian state of Mizoram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary</span>

Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. Established on 25 August 1978, the sanctuary covers 521 km2 of the Doi Chiang Dao and southern mountainous regions of the Daen Lao Range, north of the Thanon Thong Chai Range. The tallest summit is 2,175 m high Doi Chiang Dao.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Grubb, P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 703–705. ISBN   0-8018-8221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. 1 2 Phan, T.D.; Nijhawan, S.; Li, S. & Xiao, L. (2020). "Capricornis sumatraensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T162916735A162916910. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T162916735A162916910.en . Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  3. ↑ Shepard, C. (2022) [amended version of 2021 assessment]. "Capricornis rubidus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022: e.T3815A214430673. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T3815A214430673.en . Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  4. ↑ Tokida, K. (2020). "Capricornis crispus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T3811A22151909. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T3811A22151909.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Chiang, P.J.; Pei, K.J-C. (2008). "Capricornis swinhoei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2008: e.T3810A10096148. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T3810A10096148.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
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