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| Thai Wildlife > Rare or Extinct |
Serow
Species: Naemorhedus sumatraensis (Bechstein, 1799)
Synonyms: Capricornis sumatraensis (Bechstein, 1799); Antilope sumatraensis (Bechsteing, 1799); Naemorhedus swettenhami (Butler, 1900); Naemorhedus argyochaetas (Lydekker, 1909)
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Caprinae
Common name: Serow
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.
It 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 serow has a large head with large standing ears and horns are short with a wide base. The horn narrows to the tip with a gentle slope backward. The longest possible length for the male horn is 28 centimeters while the female horn is much shorter.
The major distinction between a goat and a serow is the size of the horn and it is also slightly bigger with a shorter tail. 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.
The serow measures 1.5 meters in length with a tail of 0.15 meters. The height at the shoulders measure I meter. They weigh anywhere from 85-140 kilograms.
The serow is found in areas that range from Cashmere in India to the foot of the Himalayas stretching to Assam in the east to the south of China and Burma. They can also be found in Thailand, Malaysia, and Sumatra. In Thailand they used to be found on the limestone cliffs in every region except the central plains. Today they are found in the wild only in some wild life reserves.
The serow usually lives alone in the arid mountains where the forest is open. Since the serow is related to the goat they possess the same ability in jumping from rocks and climbing steep areas. In addition the serow has a special ability in climbing trees that live on the cliffs. Also they are very good swimmers that is why serow can be found on islands.
During the day the serow will hide among the shrubs or in shallow caves that shelter them from the sun and rain. They will feed during the morning and evening. They feed mainly on leaves. It mates in October-November and the mother carries the foal for seven months, giving birth to one young at a time and has a lifespan of 10 years.
The serow lives on open cliffs making them easy targets. In addition it is reputed that they are good for curing bone diseases thus extensive hunting occurs. Worse still is the destruction of limestone cliffs so numbers have reduced significantly. The serow are forced out of their habitat and eventually get hunted.
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