Himalayan Serow Spotted in Assam

A Himalayan mammal is the newest creatures that has been spotted in the state of 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. 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.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2021