The Saola.
The elusive Vu Quang Ox's numbers are dwindling.
Diet and Habitat
- Herbivore
- Tiny diet
- Grazer
- Eats leaves, such as figs and from riverside bushes
- Separates fleshy leaf from stem from large veins and stem
- Picky
- Predators include the Tasmanian wolf and tigers
- Vietnam and Laos
- Annamite Mountains
- No dry season in Annamites - rain mostly
- Summer migration-closer to summit
- Migration due to water closer to summits
- Moderately steep hills
- Forests
- Evergreen canopies
- Tropical climate
WIK, UU
Desciption
- Mammal
- Brown fur
- No official size estimate
- Estimated at 85cm high, 150cm long. 90kg.
- Chemical communication with large snout and pungent secretion
- Unusually long horn
- Most die in captivity
RL, WIK, AWC
Adaption
- Thickened skin
- Sharp horns 35-50cm long
- Assume defensive stance when threatened
- Consume food with unusually long tongue ideal for separating leaves
- Independent, which may lead to lower reproduction
UU, RL
Why is the Saola endangered?
- Hunting
- Lower reproduction rates
- Woodcutting and logging
- Construction in Annamite Mountains
- Difficult to maintain in captivity
- Human population growth
AWC, RL
Helping the Saola
- Protected area proposed in Quang Nam
- Hunting patrolling increased
- More conservation centers proposed
Why should we protect the Saola?
- One of the most threatened species
- Very few conservation efforts
- Weak conservation efforts
- Large part of Vietnamese ecosystem
SS, RL
Works Cited
Huffman, Brent. "Saola (Pseudoryx Nghetinhensis)." Ultimate Ungulate. 28 Apr. 2011.
Web. Apr.-May 2012.
<http://www.ultimateungulate.com/artiodactyla/Pseudoryx_nghetinhensisFull.html
>.
Do Tuoc & Mallon, D.P. "Pseudoryx Nghetinhensis." IUCN Redlist. 2008. Web. 27 Apr.
2012. <http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/18597/0>.
"Saola." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Mar. 2007. Web. 27 Apr. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saola>.
Asian Wild Cattle Specialist Group. "Saola (Pseudoryx Nghetinhensis)." Asian Wild
Cattle Specialist Group. Web. 27 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.asianwildcattle.org/species.saola.status.php>.
"About." Save the Saola. Web. 27 Apr.2012
<http://www.savethesaola.org/about/4560926004>.