Himalayan serow

The Himalayan serow (Capricornis sumatraensis thar), also known as the thar[lower-alpha 1] (/θɑːr/ THAR, /tɑːr/ TAR),[2][3] is a subspecies of the mainland serow[4] native to the Himalayas.[1] It was previously considered its own species, as Capricornis thar. It is the official state animal of the Indian state of Mizoram.

Not to be confused with the closely related tahrs, especially the Himalayan tahr.

Himalayan serow
Male Himalayan serow in Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary, Sikkim, India
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Caprinae
Genus: Capricornis
Species:
C. sumatraensis
Subspecies:
C. s. thar
Trinomial name
Capricornis sumatraensis thar
Hodgson, 1831

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".[5] As "Bubaline" was preoccupied, he gave it the scientific name Antelope thar a few months later.[6] When William Ogilby described the genus Capricornis in 1838, he determined the Himalayan serow as type species of this genus.[7]

Description

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

Distribution and habitat

The Himalayan serow inhabits hilly forests above an elevation of 300 m (980 ft), but descends to 100 m (330 ft) in winter.[8] It prefers elevations of 2,500–3,500 m (8,200–11,500 ft) in the Himalayas.[9]

Conservation

Capricornis sumatraensis is listed in CITES Appendix I.[1]

Notes
  1. This name has also by confusion been applied to the tahr.

References
  1. Phan, T.D.; Nijhawan, S.; Li, S. & Xiao, L. (2020). "Capricornis sumatraensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T162916735A162916910. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  2. "thar". The Chambers Dictionary (9th ed.). Chambers. 2003. ISBN 0-550-10105-5.
  3. "thar". Collins English Dictionary (13th ed.). HarperCollins. 2018. ISBN 978-0-008-28437-4.
  4. Mori, E.; Nerva, L. & Lovari, S. (2019). "Reclassification of the serows and gorals: the end of a neverending story?". Mammal Review. 49 (3): 256–262. doi:10.1111/mam.12154. S2CID 155777271.
  5. Hodgson, B.H. (1831). "On the Bubaline Antelope. (Nobis.)". Gleanings in Science. 3 (April): 122–123.
  6. Hodgson, B.H. (1831). "Contributions in Natural History". Gleanings in Science. 3 (October): 320–324.
  7. Ogilby, W. (1836). "On the generic characters of Ruminants". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 8: 131–140.
  8. Choudhury, A. (2003). "Status of serow (Capricornis sumatraensis) in Assam" (PDF). Tigerpaper. 30 (2): 1–2.
  9. Aryal, A. (2009). "Habitat ecology of Himalayan serow (Capricornis sumatraensis ssp. thar) in Annapurna Conservation Area of Nepal" (PDF). Tigerpaper. 34 (4): 12–20.
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