Japanese Serow

Japanese Serow
Japanese Serow[1]
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Caprinae
Genus: Capricornis
Species: C. crispus
Binomial name
Capricornis crispus
(Temminck, 1836)
Synonyms

Naemorhedus crispus

Japanese Serow outside of Wakinosawa, Aomori

The Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus or Naemorhedus crispus), known in Japanese as the Nihon kamoshika (ニホンカモシカ?), is a goat-antelope found in dense woodland on Honshū, Japan.

Japanese serow stand 60 to 90 centimetres at the shoulder and weigh 30 to 130 kilograms. Japanese serow are mottled brown and white and black underneath. Their fur is very bushy, their tails especially. Both sexes have short 10 centimetre horns, which curve backwards.

Japanese serow are found in dense hillside forests where they eat leaves, and acorns. They are diurnal, feeding in the mornings and evenings and resting under rock ledges for the remainder of the day. The serow are solitary, or gather in couples, sometimes with kids as well. Generally they live in small ranges, around 20,000 square metres for individuals and up to 200,000 square metres for larger groups. Ranges are marked with a substance similar to vinegar that is secreted from the Serow's pre-orbital gland, which is just in front of the eye. (This can be seen in the picture)

They have lived up to 10 years in captivity. Lifespan in the wild is unknown. The captive population is around 35.

Japanese Serow

See also

  • List of Special Places of Scenic Beauty, Special Historic Sites and Special Natural Monuments

References

  1. ^ Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds (2005). Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=14200789. 
  2. ^ Tokida, K. (2008). Capricornis crispus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 5 April 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern.

External links

  • Images - Flavon's Wild herb and Alpine plants