Japanese serow

The Japanese serow is a mammal that lives in Japan.

Appearance

Adult Japanese serow stand about 81 centimetres (32 in) tall and weigh 30–45 kilograms (66–99 lb). They are black to whitish, and colouring lightens in summer.

Living areas

They live in dense woodland in Japan, primarily in northern and central Honshu and are found in dense mountain forests.They live in open grassland and forests at an elevation of about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), and uses caves to rest in.

Food and water

They eat leaves, shoots, and acorns.

Reproduction

Capricornis crispus is socially monogamous.

Relationship with humans

The animal is seen as a national symbol of Japan and protected in conservation areas.

Japanese Serow Media

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  Kamoshika in the wild in Yamadera

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  A long-tailed goral (Naemorhedus caudatus). Serows (genus Capricornis) have sometimes been classified with gorals under the genus Naemorhedus.

• (video) An adult lays down to rest.

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  Capricornis crispus skeleton at the Ōji Zoo in Kobe, Japan

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  Japanese serows live alone or in small family groups.

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  C. crispus near Rissyakuji Temple

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  An entry on the serow in the 1712 encyclopaedia Wakan Sansai Zue.

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  Capricornis crispus, or the Japanese serow (Frank Evers Beddard, 1902).

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  Foresters lament timber damage from the Japanese serow (photo in Wakinosawa, Aomori).

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  Conservation areas such as Minami Alps National Park provide a safe home for C. crispus.