Himalayan Serow Spotted in Assam.

3 March 2021.

Introduction:

Serow, a Himalayan mammal is the newest creatures that has been spotted in  Assam.

About Himalayan Serow

  • The Himalayan serow looks like somewhere between a goat and an antelope.
  •  It was spotted in the Manas Tiger Reserve which is having the area of 950-sq. km on December 3, 2020.
  • It was spotted close to the border with Bhutan in Manas’s Bansbari- Mathanguri Forest.
  • This animal is a high-altitude dweller which is usually found around 2000 to 4000 metres above the sea level.
  •  The Himalayan serow is a subspecies of mainland serow.
  • The species is native to the Himalayas. The Himalayan serow was previously considered its own species as Capricornis thar.
  •  It is mostly blackish along with the flanks, hindquarters.
  • The upper legs of the species are rusty red in colour while the lower legs are whitish. The specie has been listed in CITES Appendix I.

Mainland Serow

  • The scientific name of the mainland serow is Capricornis sumatraensis.
  • The serow is a native to the China, Himalayas and Southeast Asia.
  • The serow is having the guard hairs on its coat which are bristly or coarse.
  • The hairs cover the layer of fur which is closest to the skin of serow.
  • The animal also has a mane which runs from horns to middle of dorsal aspect serow in between the scapulae that covers the skin.
  • The males are characterised by the horns and are light-coloured.
  • It is six inches in length and curve slightly towards to the back of the animal.
  • The mainland serow grow up to six feet long.
  • The adult serow weighs around 150 kg.

Manas National Park

  • It is a national park which is UNESCO Natural World Heritage site.
  • It is also a Project Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and the biosphere reserve.
  •  It is located in the state of Assam in the foothills of Himalaya.
  • The reserve is in contiguous with Royal Manas National Park of Bhutan.
  •  It is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife including hispid hare, Assam roofed turtle, pygmy hog and golden langur.

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