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

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

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.[citation needed]

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 2500-3500 m in the Himalayas.[9]

Conservation

Capricornis sumatraensis is listed in CITES Appendix I.[4]

Notes

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

References

  1. ^ "thar". The Chambers Dictionary. 9th ed. Chambers. 2003. ISBN 0-550-10105-5.
  2. ^ "thar". Collins English Dictionary. 13th ed. HarperCollins. 2018. ISBN 978-0-008-28437-4.
  3. ^ 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. Bibcode:2019MamRv..49..256M. doi:10.1111/mam.12154. S2CID 155777271
  4. ^ Phan, T.D.; Nijhawan, S.; Li, S.; & Xiao, L. (2020). "Capricornis sumatraensis". Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  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". Tigerpaper. 30 (2): 1–2.
  9. ^ Aryal, A. (2009). "Habitat ecology of Himalayan serow (Capricornis sumatraensis ssp. thar) in Annapurna Conservation Area of Nepal". Tigerpaper. 34 (4): 12–20.