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Mainland serow Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene-Present
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)
CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Subfamily:	Caprinae
Genus:	Capricornis
Species:	C. sumatraensis
Binomial name
Capricornis sumatraensis (Bechstein, 1799)
Synonyms
Naemorhedus sumatraensis Capricornis milneedwardsii

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.

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

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

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 200 lb (91 kg).

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 300 m (980 ft), but descends to 100 m (330 ft) in winter. It prefers elevations of 2,500–3,500 m (8,200–11,500 ft) in the Nepal Himalayas. In Tibet, its distribution follows forested mountain ranges.

Behaviour and ecology

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

Fossils from Khok Sung in northeastern Thailand suggest it was a forest dweller in this palaeoenvironment.

Conservation

The mainland serow is protected under CITES Appendix I.

References

1. ^ Mori, E.; Nerva, L. & Lovari, S. (2019). "Reclassification of the serows and gorals: the end of a neverending story?". Mammal Review. 49 (3): 256–262. doi:10.1111/mam.12154. S2CID 155777271.
2. K. Suraprasit, J.-J. Jaegar, Y. Chaimanee, O. Chavasseau, C. Yamee, P. Tian, and S. Panha (2016). "The Middle Pleistocene vertebrate fauna from Khok Sung (Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand): biochronological and paleobiogeographical implications". ZooKeys (613): 1–157. doi:10.3897/zookeys.613.8309. PMC 5027644. PMID 27667928.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. ^ 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.
4. "Chinese Serow". Ecology Asia. Archived from the original on 2 September 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. 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 (613): 1–157. doi:10.3897/zookeys.613.8309. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 5027644. PMID 27667928.
9. "serow | mammal | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
10. Cunningham, Stephanie. "Capricornis sumatraensis (Sumatran serow)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
11. Choudhury, A. (2003). "Status of serow (Capricornis sumatraensis) in Assam" (PDF). Tigerpaper. 30 (2): 1–2.
12. Aryal, A. (2009). "Habitat ecology of Himalayan serow (Capricornis sumatraensis ssp. thar) in Annapurna Conservation Area of Nepal" (PDF). Tigerpaper. 34 (4): 12–20.
13. 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.
14. Lovari, S.; Mori, E.; Procaccio, E.L. (2020). "On the behavioural biology of the Mainland Serow: A comparative study". Animals. 10 (9): 1669. doi:10.3390/ani10091669. PMC 7552253. PMID 32948037.
15. "Sumatran Serow". Encyclopaedia of Life. n.d. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
16. Suraprasit, K.; Bocherens, H.; Chaimanee, Y.; Panha, S.; Jaeger, J.-J. (2018). "Late Middle Pleistocene ecology and climate in Northeastern Thailand inferred from the stable isotope analysis of Khok Sung herbivore tooth enamel and the land mammal cenogram". Quaternary Science Reviews. 193: 24–42. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.06.004.

External links

• IUCN Red List vulnerable species
• Serows
• Mammals of Indonesia
• Mammals of Nepal
• Mammals of Thailand
• Mammals of China
• Mammals of Bhutan
• Mammals of Malaysia
• Fauna of Southeast Asia
• Mammals described in 1869