Himalayan Serow
Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Family
Subfamily
Genus
SPECIES
Capricornis sumatraensis thar
Population size
Unknown
Life Span
up to 19 years

The Himalayan serow (Capricornis sumatraensis thar) is a subspecies of the Mainland serow. It is the official state animal of the Indian state of Mizoram.

Di

Diurnal

He

Herbivore

Fo

Folivore

Vi

Viviparous

Te

Terrestrial

Br

Browsing

Te

Territorial

Pr

Precocial

Cu

Cursorial

Ge

Generally solitary

Al

Altitudinal Migrant

H

starts with

Appearance

The Himalayan serow is mostly blackish, with flanks, hindquarters, and upper legs that are a rusty red; its lower legs are whitish.

Distribution

Geography

These animals are native to the Himalayas where they inhabit hilly forests above an elevation of 300 m (980 ft) but descend to 100 m (330 ft) in winter.

Himalayan Serow habitat map

Climate zones

Himalayan Serow habitat map
Himalayan Serow
Public Domain Dedication (CC0)

Habits and Lifestyle

Himalayan serows are territorial animals that live alone or in small groups. They are active during the day and have acute vision, smell, and hearing, and are wary of humans. They move with ease through the difficult terrain of mountain and hill slopes and also swim well. When serows sense any danger, they will make a snorting sound and run away.

Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Himalayan serows are herbivores (folivores) and browse various types of vegetation.

Mating Habits

REPRODUCTION SEASON
October-November
PREGNANCY DURATION
6-7 months
BABY CARRYING
1 kid
INDEPENDENT AGE
1 year
FEMALE NAME
doe, nanny
MALE NAME
buck, billy
BABY NAME
kid, billy

Himalayan serows breed in October and November. After the gestation period of 6 to 7 months, females give birth to a single kid; it is fully developed at birth and is able to travel with its mother shortly after birth. The young become independent from their mothers at about 1 year of age but will stay in their territories for 2-4 years more.

Population

Population threats

The main threats to the Himalayan serow include habitat loss and poaching for meat and horns.

Population number

The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Himalayan serow total population size. Currently, the species Mainland serow is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.

References

1. Himalayan serow Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayan_serow

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