Mainland serow explained

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

The mainland serow is related closely to the red serow.^[1]

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".^[2] As "Bubaline" was preoccupied, he gave it the scientific name Antelope thar a few months later.^[3] When William Ogilby described the genus Capricornis in 1838, he determined the Himalayan serow as type species of this genus.^[4]

Teeth from C. sumatraensis were found in a dig from Khok Sung, estimated to originate from the Middle Pleistocene.^[5]

Characteristics

The mainland serow possesses guard hairs on its coat that are bristly or coarse and cover the layer of fur closest to its skin to varying degrees. The animal has a mane that runs from the horns to the middle of the dorsal aspect of the animal between the scapulae covering the skin. The horns are only characteristic of the males and are light-colored, approximately six inches in length, and curve slightly towards the animal's back. The mainland serow, both male and female, is around three feet high at the shoulder, and typically weighs around .^{[6] [7]}

Distribution and habitat

The mainland serow occurs in central and southern China, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and in the Indonesian island of Sumatra.In Assam, it inhabits hilly forests above an elevation of, but descends to in winter.^[8] It prefers elevations of in the Nepal Himalayas.^[9] In Tibet, its distribution follows forested mountain ranges.^[10]

Behaviour and ecology

The mainland serow is territorial and lives alone or in small groups.^[11] Females give birth to a single young after a gestation period of about eight months.^[12]

Conservation

The mainland serow is protected under CITES Appendix I.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Chinese Serow. Ecology Asia. https://web.archive.org/web/20220902041538/https://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/mammals/chinese-serow.htm. 2 September 2022.
2. Hodgson, B.H. . 1831 . On the Bubaline Antelope. (Nobis.) . Gleanings in Science . 3 . April . 122–123 .
3. Hodgson, B.H. . 1831 . Contributions in Natural History . Gleanings in Science . 3 . October . 320–324 .
4. Ogilby, W. . 1836 . On the generic characters of Ruminants . Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London . 8 . 131–140 .
5. Suraprasit . Kantapon . Jaeger . Jean-Jacques . Chaimanee . Yaowalak . Chavasseau . Olivier . Yamee . Chotima . Tian . Pannipa . Panha . Somsak . 2016-08-30 . The Middle Pleistocene vertebrate fauna from Khok Sung (Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand): biochronological and paleobiogeographical implications . ZooKeys . en . 613 . 1–157 . 10.3897/zookeys.613.8309 . 27667928 . 5027644 . 1313-2970. free .
6. Web site: serow mammal Britannica . 2022-09-02 . www.britannica.com . en.
7. Web site: Cunningham . Stephanie . Capricornis sumatraensis (Sumatran serow) . 2022-09-02 . Animal Diversity Web . en.
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 .
10. Wu . P. . Zhang . E. . 2004 . Habitat selection and its seasonal change of serow (Capricornis sumatraensis) in Cibagou Nature Reserve, Tibet . Acta Theriologica Sinica . 24 . 1 . 6–12.
11. Lovari . S. . Mori . E. . Procaccio . E.L. . 2020 . On the behavioural biology of the Mainland Serow: A comparative study . Animals . 10 . 9 . 1669 . 10.3390/ani10091669. 32948037 . 7552253 . free .
12. Web site: n.d. . Sumatran Serow . November 4, 2022 . Encyclopaedia of Life.