The Critically Endangered Saola
Researched by Breanna Dunavan
DISCOVERED
- The Saola was discovered May 1992.
- The Saola was the first large animal new to science in 50 years.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SAOLA
- Height: An average of 83 centimeters.
- Weight: 176 - 220 pounds
- The Saola is part of the Antelope species.
- It has long pointed horns that can grow up to 50 centimeters.
- The Saola can be brown, black, or red.
- It is nicknamed an Asian Unicorn.
HABITAT
- It lives in Vietnam and Laos.
- The Saola lives in evergreen forests with little or no dry season.
WHAT THE SAOLA EATS
- It eats leaves on fig trees and bushes near the riverbank.
- The Saola does not eat meat. It is a herbivore.
POPULATION
- The population of the Saola is unknown.
ENDANGERED
- People keep cutting down trees to build houses and roads, but that destroys the Saola's home.
- Hunters accidentally kill Saolas when they set snares for wild boars.
RESOURCES
Saola. World Wild Life. Retrieved from http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/saola