What is it???
Serow is similar to a goat with a short body and long legs. The body fur is black with a long rough hairline running across the body and under the neck. The upperparts are usually black or grayish, with the legs below the knee widely variable in color, from black to gray to rufous. The under parts are lighter. There is a thick, stiff mane from the crown to the shoulders, of variable color, but usually lighter than the back. The serow has a large head with large ears standing, are long, narrow, and pointed, dark behind and white on the inner surface. The horns are rather thick, slightly curved, and short, with the record length 280 mm. The horns of females are 25-50 mm shorter, slightly thinner. The hoofs are short and solid, with pedal glands on all four feet. The front skull is flat with only the tip of the nose protruding. The most important distinction is that the serow has tear pockets that are clearly seen under the eyes. There is also a well developed facial gland locate about 40 mm below the eyes, the opening is not closed by a flap of skin as in sheep and gazelles but is filled with numerous short hairs (Grzimek and Walther , 1976; Lekagul and McNeely , 1977; Nowak, 1999). Few specific body measurements have been provided by Irwin (1914); Nowak (1999); Lekagul and McNeely(1997);2. Overview of serow
In Thailand kingdom, the serow has many local names such as "yurng" in Phetchburi or "korum" in Prachuab Kirikhan and the south. The name liang-pha is the name used in the central region, Phetchburi, and Ratchburi. Today it is the official name (http://www.tscwa.org/wildlife/rare_or%20extinct08.html).
Common name: Serow, Asiatic or Mainlan Serow (Butler, 1900). Himalayan Serow (http://www.brtf.org.np/projects/current/2/). The Name "Serow": "Serow" is from the Indian Mongolian Lepcha language, "saro," for the animal (http://www.americazoo.com/goto/index/mammals/415.htm).
Synonyms: Antilope sumatraensis (Bechstein, 1799); Naemorhedus swettenhami (Butler, 1900); Naemorhedus argyochaetas (Lydekker, 1909) cited by (Lekagul and McNeely, 1997)
Conservation Status
Serow is one of threatened animal and is placed under "Susceptible" under the NRDB category (BPP, 1995). It is placed in Appendix I of CITES and its IUCN Red list status of capriconis sumatraensis spp sumatraensis is "Endangered" (IUCN, 2007). Thailand listed in The Wild Animal Conservation and protection Act 1992 as critical endanger species (OEPP,1997)
2.1. Taxonomy
The classification of chamois-related, takins, gorals and serow are confronted by difficulty. Formerly these animals had been classified with antelopes, but lately they have been included with sheep and goats in the subfamily caprinea. (Grzimek and Walther, 1976). The taxonomic record is taken from Wilson and Reeder (1993). The serows, assigned to the genus Capricornis,. under this classification, the Sumatra serow is placed in Species: Capricornis Sumatraensis (Bechstein, 1799).
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mamalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Caprinae
Species: Capricornis Sumatraensis (Bechstein, 1799)
Infra-specific Taxa Assessed (IUCN, 2007)
Capricornis sumatraensis ssp. sumatraensis
Capricornis sumatraensis ssp. milneedwardsii
Capricornis sumatraensis ssp. rubidus
Capricornis sumatraensis ssp. maritimus
Capricornis sumatraensis ssp. thar
The subfamily Caprinae has been classified into three tribes, Rupicaprini (goat-antelopes), Caprini (sheep and goat) and Ovibovini (shrub-oxen, musk-oxen and other) (Gentry,1992). Thenius and Hofer (1960) cited by Bunch, et, al. (2005) classified them with the Caprinae as the tribe Saigni. They have also placed the Saigini in subfamily of it own (Fig. 1). Gentry 1992 postulated that characteristics of Caprini that distinguish them from the Rupicaprini are a consequence of their open habitats and of their migration into area with seasonal cold climates. Within the tribes, Rupicaprini, serow and goral have been assigned to two separate genera (Nowak, 1999) Capriconis and Nemorhaedus are closely related.
The genus Capriconis includes three species C. Sumatraensis. (serow), C. Crispus (Japanese serow), and C. Swinhoei. (Formosan serow) (Groves and Crubb, 1985; Nowak, 1999)
3 Ontogeny and Reproduction
Jass and Mead (2004) reported that the reproductive life of female Japanese serow (Capriconis crispus) ranged form 2.5 to 19.5 years, the estrous cycle lasts 20 to 21 days. Male attain sexual maturation more rapidly than female and puberty begins 6 months after birth. The breeding season ranges form September to January, with peak conception from late October to early November.
The little information about the reproductive biology of capricornis sumatraensis is provided Lekagul and McNeely (1977). Mating occurs primarily between October and November, and 1 more often 2 young are born at September or October. Kruenhong (1983) reported that a gestation of about 7-8 month. The weight at birth is approximately 1.5-3.5 kg, and the young can stand and walk the same day it is born. The mother immediately eats the placenta once it is passed. Young serows begin to feed on grasses and other solid foods after one month. One female was first bred at 16 months of age.
4 Ecology and Behavior
The large and stronger serow is better adapted to humid air so it occurs in latitudes near the equator. It resemble the goral in its habits (Grzimek and Walther, 1976). In Thailand, the serow inhabits steep, rugged rock faces of mountains and cliffs which are thickly clad with forest and inaccessible to man, even when the surrounding areas have been completely taken over by cultivation, these nearly vertical mountains, chareacteristic of the south and north, remain covered with trees and dense undergrowth (Lekagul and McNeely, 1977). Along both sides of the peninsula there are numerous limestone island rising almost straight from the water, these form acceptable habitat, and serow are known to swim between the mainland and the island (Kloss, 1919).
The serow usually shelter in deep brush or scrub during the day, coming out of feed in more open areas in late evening or early morning, like goats, serow will eat almost any vegetation but seem to prefer tender leaves and grasses. The serows appear to be primarily solitary, and even when several are in the same area (Kruehong, 1983). Because of their acute senses of smell, eyesight, and hearing, their solitary habits, and their difficult habitat, serow are quite difficult to observe. When suddenly encountered, they may stand and stare for several moments, then dash off downhill into dense vegetation (Lekagul and McNeely, 1977).
REFERENCES
- CITES. 2007. Checklist of CITES species Appendices I, II and III. Available online at http://www. Cites.org/end/app/appendices.shtml. downloaded 20 Jun 2007.
- Grizmek, B and Walth, F.,Grizimek’s Animallife encyclopedia. 1976. 2nd, Vol 13. Van nostrand reinhold company, Melbourn. 1578 p.
- Groves, C.P. and Grubb, P. 1985. Reclassification of the serow and goral (Nemorhaedus:Bovidae); in the Biology and management of mountain ungulates, Lovori, H. (ed), pp.45-50, Croon Helm, London.
- IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources). 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Available online at http://www.redlist.org/ downloaded 20 Jun 2007.
- Lekagul, B. and McNeely, J.A. 1977. Mammals of Thailand. Kurusapa Ladprao Press, Bangkok. 758p.
- Kruehong, J. 1983. Charateristic of serow ( Carpricornis Sumatraensis). Thesis, Graduate School, Kasetsart University. 45p.
- Kloss, C. B. 1919. Zoo-geographical dividion for Siam. Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam.Soc. 1:250-251.
- Nowak, R. M. (editor). 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World (Fifth Edition). Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Posts
