Overview
The key difference in gorals and serows is that serows have a lower canine and usually gorals do not. This serow's coat is black to whitish, and very bushy, especially the tail. Both male and females have horns that are short and backwards-curving.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Capricornis
Habitat
They can be found inhabiting rocky hills, mountians, canyons, dense vegetation, and forest. They can live at both high and low elevations. When their range overlaps with gorals, serows are generally found at lower elevations. Distribution- Japan
Diet
This animal is a selective browser and will also graze. They eat a variety of leaves, needles, shoots, acorns, grasses, flowers, and fruits when available.
Behavior
Slower and less agile than gorals. Unlike gorals, serows use their preorbital glands when marking scent.
Hunting
This animal is hunted in northern Japan, where it is associated with the matagi culture. During the era of unregulated hunting it was nearly trapped and hunted to extinction. It has bounced back tremendously and there have been times that population control was needed due to damage on crops.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.