Himalayan serow explained

The Himalayan serow (Capricornis sumatraensis thar), also known as the thar,^{[1] [2]} is a subspecies of the mainland serow^[3] native to the Himalayas.^[4] It was previously considered its own species, as Capricornis thar. It is the official state animal of the Indian state of Mizoram.

Taxonomy

In 1831, Brian Houghton Hodgson first described a goat-like animal with short annulated horns occurring in montane regions between the Sutlej and Teesta Rivers under the name "Bubaline Antelope".^[5] As "Bubaline" was preoccupied, he gave it the scientific name Antelope thar a few months later.^[6] When William Ogilby described the genus Capricornis in 1838, he determined the Himalayan serow as type species of this genus.^[7]

Description

The Himalayan serow is mostly blackish, with flanks, hindquarters, and upper legs that are a rusty red; its lower legs are whitish.

Distribution and habitat

The Himalayan serow inhabits hilly forests above an elevation of, but descends to in winter.^[8] It prefers elevations of in the Himalayas.^[9]

Conservation

Capricornis sumatraensis is listed in CITES Appendix I.

Notes and References

1. Book: The Chambers Dictionary. Chambers. 2003. 0-550-10105-5. 9th. thar.
2. Book: Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. 2018. 978-0-008-28437-4. 13th. thar.
3. Mori, E. . amp . Nerva, L. . Lovari, S. . 2019 . Reclassification of the serows and gorals: the end of a neverending story? . Mammal Review . 49 . 3 . 256–262 . 10.1111/mam.12154. 155777271 .
4. Phan, T.D. . Nijhawan, S. . Li, S. . Xiao, L. . amp . Capricornis sumatraensis . 2020 . e.T162916735A162916910 . 16 January 2022.
5. Hodgson, B.H. . 1831 . On the Bubaline Antelope. (Nobis.) . Gleanings in Science . 3 . April . 122–123 .
6. Hodgson, B.H. . 1831 . Contributions in Natural History . Gleanings in Science . 3 . October . 320–324 .
7. Ogilby, W. . 1836 . On the generic characters of Ruminants . Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London . 8 . 131–140 .
8. Choudhury, A. . 2003 . Status of serow (Capricornis sumatraensis) in Assam . Tigerpaper . 30 . 2 . 1–2 .
9. Aryal, A. . 2009 . Habitat ecology of Himalayan serow (Capricornis sumatraensis ssp. thar) in Annapurna Conservation Area of Nepal . Tigerpaper . 34 . 4 . 12–20 .