Mainland serow
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Through Species, Himalayas and Binomial nomenclature
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.
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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.