Saola

The Saola, Vu Quang ox, spindlehorn, or Asian bicorn, also, infrequently, Vu Quang bovid (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), is one of the world's rarest large mammals, a forest-dwelling bovine found only in the Annamite Range of Vietnam and Laos. Related to cattle, goats, and antelopes, the species was defined following a discovery of remains in 1992 in Vũ Quang Nature Reserve by a joint survey of the Ministry of Forestry and the World Wide Fund for Nature. Saolas have since been kept in captivity multiple times, although only for short periods. A living saola in the wild was first photographed in 1999 by a camera trap set by WWF and the Vietnamese government’s Forest Protection Department (SFNC).

Description

An adult saola stands at about 80–90 centimetres (31–35 in) at the shoulder, with its entire body length measuring around 150 centimetres (59 in) (the tail measures an additional 25 centimetres (9.8 in)) and weighs 90–100 kilograms (200–220 lb). Its hair is straight, short, and unusually soft for an animal partly adapted to a montane habitat, and is usually of a medium chocolate brown color (though some have been noted to contain variations of a reddish tone). Neck and belly are of a slightly paler shade, as well as various white markings scattered across its body, such as white patches on the feet, vertical stripes across the cheeks, and splotches on the nose and chin. A black dorsal strip extends from between the shoulders down and back to fade out into the top of the tail. The tail is tricolored, splitting evenly into three horizontal bands of medium brown, cream, and black, with the cream blending into the white band that extends across its rear.