| Taiwan serow | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Caprinae |
| Genus: | Capricornis |
| Species: | C. swinhoei |
| Binomial name | |
| Capricornis swinhoei (J. E. Gray, 1862) | |
 | |
| Distribution of Formosan serow | |
| Synonyms | |
Naemorhedus swinhoei | |
The Taiwanese serow (Capricornis swinhoei) also known as the Formosan serow, is a small bovid that is endemic to the island of Taiwan. [2]
Its torso length is 80–114 cm (31–45 in) and weight 25–35 kg (55–77 lb). Its tail is short, which measures about 6.5 cm. [2] Its color is dark tan with yellow spots on the jaw, throat and nape. [3]
Both sexes bear horns that curve slightly backward and measure 10–20 centimeters in length. The horns are conical in shape and are never shed. [2] The Formosan serow is the only native bovid of Taiwan. [3] [4]
They are highly vigilant and not easy to observe. However, their feces are commonly found in Yushan National Park. At dawn and dusk, they graze and browse in the woods alone or in small numbers. They generally eat the leaves below the shoulder height, or vines, ferns, shrubs, or herbs on the ground. In addition, they need to absorb salt and they can be observed licking minerals deposited on cliffs or rocks. [5]
Taiwan serows can jump as high as 2 m and run as fast as 55 km per hour and large males can weigh up to 100 kg. Among all mammals in Taiwan, they are the best high jumpers. They can be found at an elevation as low as 50 meters, but are mostly seen around 1000 meters, and as high as 3500 meters. [6] Their habitats include the conifer forest, mixed broad-leaved forests, and the steep slopes of bare rocks and gravel cliffs. They are sometimes spotted on top of Nanhu Mountain, Hsuehshan, Yushan, and Siouguluan Mountain. They also live in the Taroko National Park. Their hoofs separate to two sides and can easily hold on to rocks on steep slopes. They are also good tree climbers. They are solitary and territorial. They use tears to smear branches or stones as markers. [5]
September to November is the Taiwan serow's mating season. Their gestation period lasts about seven months. Calves are delivered between next year's March and June. Usually it gives birth to one calf, but can sometimes deliver twins. Newborn calves can stand on their own in just a few hours. Three-month-old calves can feed by themselves, but can still be nursed by mothers. Males do not take care of calves. From six-months to one-year old, calves gradually separate from mothers and live independently. They grow to sexual maturity in two to three years and can live up to approximately 15 years. [5]
Since 1989, Taiwan serows have been listed as a rare and valuable species (珍貴稀有保育類) and are protected by Taiwan's Cultural Heritage Preservation Act . The main threats to the Taiwan serow are habitat destruction and harvesting. [1]
Predator density on Taiwan is low; the principal predator is the Formosan black bear, while a previous predator was the Formosan clouded leopard before it went extinct.
The Taiwan blue magpie, also called the Taiwan magpie, Formosan blue magpie, or the "long-tailed mountain lady", is a species of bird of the crow family. It is endemic to Taiwan.
The subfamily Caprinae, also sometimes referred to as the tribe Caprini, is part of the ruminant family Bovidae, and consists of mostly medium-sized bovids. A member of this subfamily is called a caprine, or, more informally, a goat-antelope.
The African buffalo is a large sub-Saharan African bovine. Syncerus caffer caffer, the Cape buffalo, is the typical subspecies, and the largest one, found in Southern and East Africa. S. c. nanus is the smallest subspecies, common in forest areas of Central and West Africa, while S. c. brachyceros is in West Africa and S. c. aequinoctialis is in the savannas of East Africa. The adult African buffalo's horns are its characteristic feature: they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield across the top of the head referred to as a "boss". It is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous animals on the African continent, and according to some estimates it gores, tramples, and kills over 200 people every year.
Yu Shan or Yushan, also known as Mount Jade, Jade Mountain, or Mount Yu, and known as Mount Niitaka during Japanese rule, is the highest mountain in Taiwan at 3,952 m (12,966 ft) above sea level, giving Taiwan the 4th-highest maximum elevation of any island in the world. It is the highest point in the western Pacific region outside of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Yushan and its surrounding mountains belong to the Yushan Range. The area was once in the ocean; it rose to its current height because of the Eurasian Plate's movement over the Philippine Sea Plate.
The Formosan black bear, also known as the Taiwanese black bear or white-throated bear, is a subspecies of the Asiatic black bear. It was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1864. Formosan black bears are endemic to Taiwan. In 2001, they were voted the most representative wildlife of Taiwan in a half-year-long countrywide voting campaign. They are also the largest land animals and the only native bears (Ursidae) in Taiwan.
The Mikado pheasant is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. Sometimes considered an unofficial national bird of Taiwan, a pair of Mikado pheasants and Yushan National Park, one of the areas it is known to inhabit, is depicted in the 1000 dollar bill of the New Taiwan dollar.
The Formosan clouded leopard is an extinct clouded leopard population that was endemic to Taiwan. Camera trapping studies carried out in several protected areas in Taiwan between 1997 and 2012 did not record any clouded leopard. The population is listed as extinct on the IUCN Red List.
The Japanese serow: is a Japanese goat-antelope, an even-toed ungulate mammal. 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.
Yushan National Park is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan and was named after the summit Yushan, the highest peak of the park. The park covers a total area of 103,121 hectares that includes large sections of the Central Mountain Range. The park contains more than thirty peaks over 3,000 metres (9,843 ft) in elevation, and two-thirds of the area within the park is above 2,000 metres (6,562 ft). The elevation difference in the park is 3,600 metres (11,811 ft), and there are many canyons, cliffs, and valleys.
The Himalayan goral or the grey goral, is a bovid species native to the Himalayas. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List because the population is thought to be declining significantly due to habitat loss and hunting for meat.
Mount Sanqing is a renowned Taoist sacred mountain located 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Yushan County in Jiangxi Province. Sanqing means the "Three Pure Ones" in Chinese as Mount Sanqing is made up of three main summits: Yujing, Yushui, and Yuhua, representing the Taoist trinity.
The Taiwan subtropical evergreen forests is an ecoregion that covers most of the island of Taiwan, with the exception of the southern tip of the island, which constitutes the South Taiwan monsoon rain forests ecoregion. The island's concentrated steep mountains host a range of forest types, from subtropical forests in the lowlands to temperate and alpine or montane forests.
The mainland serow is a serow species native to the Himalayas, Southeast Asia and China.
The red goral is a species of even-toed ungulate in the subfamily Caprinae in the family Bovidae. It is found in India, Tibet and Myanmar. Its natural habitats are seasonal mountainous areas 1,000 to 2,000 meters above sea level. It is threatened by habitat loss and hunting.
The white-whiskered laughingthrush or Formosan laughing thrush is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is endemic to montane forests of the island of Taiwan.
Oncorhynchus masou formosanus, the Formosan landlocked salmon or Taiwanese salmon, is a freshwater salmonid fish endemic to Taiwan.
The serows are four species of medium-sized goat-like or antelope-like mammals of the genus Capricornis. All four species of serow were until recently also classified under Naemorhedus, which now only contains the gorals.
The Baiyue is a list of one hundred mountain peaks in Taiwan. They were chosen by a group of prominent Taiwanese hikers from mountain peaks known at the time to be over 3,000 meters in height. The selection criteria included uniqueness, danger, height, beauty and prominence. Preference was also given to peaks already named and those with triangulation points. As such, "Top" does not refer strictly to the highest peaks by elevation, but rather peaks most worth hiking. The list was intended to promote enthusiasm for high-altitude hiking in Taiwan. In the resulting list of one hundred peaks, 69 peaks were in the Central Mountain Range, the largest of Taiwan's five principal mountain ranges, while 19 were in the Xueshan Range, and 12 were in the Yushan Range. The Alishan Range and Coastal Mountain Range, being below 3,000m, have no peaks in the list of Baiyue.
The Northern Annamites rain forests ecoregion covers the rugged and relatively unexplored northern Annamite Mountains of central Laos and Vietnam. There are high numbers of endemic plant species, and the relative remoteness and isolation of the area supports many rare and endangered animals. Rainfall is somewhat less than the lowland rainforest of the lower elevations in Vietnam, and the temperatures slightly cooler due to the higher altitude.
