Japanese Serow

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iJapanese serow

Conservation status

Conservation dependent (LR/cd)

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Subfamily:	Caprinae
Genus:	Capricornis
Species:	C. crispus

Binomial name

Capricornis crispus

The Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus), known in Japanese as the "Nihon kamoshika", is a goat-antelope found in dense woodland on Honshū, Japan.

Japanese serow stand 60 to 90 centimetres at the shoulder and weigh 30 to 130 kilograms. Japanese serow are mottled brown and white and black underneath. Their fur is very bushy, their tails especially. Both sexes have short 10 centimetre horns, which curve backwards.

Japanese serow are found in dense hillside forests where they eat leaves, and acorns. They are diurnal, feeding in the mornings and evenings and resting under rock ledges for the remainder of the day. The serow are solitary, or gather in couples, sometimes with kids as well. Generally they live in small ranges, around 20,000 square metres for individuals and up to 200,000 square metres for larger groups. Ranges are marked with a substance similar to vinegar that is secreted from the Serow's pre-orbital gland, which is just in front of the eye.

They have lived up to 10 years in captivity. Lifespan in the wild is unknown.