Mammals · Artiodactyla · Bovidae
Saola
Pseudoryx nghetinhensis
It faces an extremely high risk of imminent extinction in the wild. See full glossary
The saola is a bovid of the forests of the Annamite Range, with two straight, sharp horns that can be more than 50 centimetres long and striking white markings on the face. It was discovered in 1992 and was the first new large mammal known to science in more than half a century. It is so rare and so elusive that no biologist has ever seen a live animal in the wild: everything known about it comes from camera traps, from a few captured animals that died in captivity and from trophies kept by villagers.
Weight
80 kg – 100 kg
Size
1.5 m – 1.8 m
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Very hard
Estimated population
Unknown; the most frequently cited estimates speak of fewer than a hundred individuals, and it may already be extinct
Fun facts
- GeneralDiscovered in 1992 and called the Asian unicorn; it may already be extinct.
- It was discovered in 1992 from a pair of horns hanging in a house in the Vu Quang reserve, and was the first new large land mammal known to science since the kouprey in 1937.
- The last confirmed photographic record is from a camera trap in Vietnam in 2013: no animal has been documented since.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Moist evergreen forest of the Annamite Range, between Vietnam and Laos
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoryx_nghetinhensis
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round in the Annamite Range, between Vietnam and Laos, although there have been no confirmed records for years: the last ones came from camera traps.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Saola — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Banteng
Bos javanicus
VulnerableGaur
Bos gaurus
Japanese Serow
Capricornis crispus
Himalayan Goral
Naemorhedus goral
Zebra Duiker
Cephalophus zebra
Abbott's Duiker
Cephalophus spadix
How to help
The saola is classified as critically endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about saola.
Comments
Share an experience, a fun fact or a tip for seeing the saola.
Be the first to comment.