Mainland Serow

Mainland Serow
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Subfamily:	Caprinae
Genus:	Capricornis
Species:	C. milneedwardsii
Binomial name
Capricornis milneedwardsii David, 1869

The Mainland Serow (Capricornis milneedwardsii) is a species of goat antelope native to China and Southeast Asia. The name "mainland serow" was formerly referring to Capricornis sumatraensis, which used to be the scientific name for all serows in the mainland and Sumatra when they were all considered to be the same species. 3 species subsequently split from Capricornis sumatraensis and this scientific name now only refers to the serows in Sumatra and Malaysia.

Physical 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 is quite large and has been known to grow to be six feet long and three feet high at the shoulder, and an adult typically weighs over 150 kg.

Habitat and distribution

The mainland serow is found in Central and Southern China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. Its distribution follows forested mountain ranges.

The mainland serow inhabits steep, rugged hills up to an elevation of 4,500 m asl. It prefers rocky terrain but is also found in forests and flat areas. It is able to swim to small offshore islands. This species has a moderate level of tolerance to human disturbance, and could persist well in habitat fragments and secondary forests, though farmlands are avoided.

Behavior

The Mainland is territorial and solitary, living alone or in small groups. The territory of the Mainland Serow usually extends a few square miles. The Serow generally does not stray from this territory and feeds across this area. The Mainland Serow eats grass, shoots and leaves.

The serow lives alone or in small groups. It is attached to its territory, which usually covers just a few miles square, and does not move far when feeding. It grazes on grass and also eats shoots and leaves. It is most active at dawn and dusk, and spends the rest of the day in thick vegetation. It has paths along which it moves, and traditional spots where it marks its territory and deposits its droppings. The Serow is most active at dawn and at dusk. It typically moves along beaten paths that it creates through its territory. It marks off its territory by depositing droppings and by marking.

The gestation period is about eight months. The Mainland Serow gives birth to a single young usually in September or October.

References

External links

• America Zoo