Japanese serow (kamoshika)
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The kamoshika, an even-toed ungulate of the family Bovidae, is found in central and southern Japan -Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu - in subalpine forests 1,500-2,500m above sea level. The body is 1-1.5m long and the animal stands 70cm high at the shoulder. Both sexes have horns 8-15cm long which bend slightly backwards. The body is covered with thick, white down and dark brown hair 7-10cm long. Below the eye and in the ungulae, the kamoshika has glands which secrete an odiferous fluid and it is often seen rubbing this fluid on trees and rocks, probably as a territorial marker.The slow-moving animal strolls around in the daytime nibbling leaves, the young buds and seeds of the alpine rose, hemlock-spruce, ground-cypress and so on. The offspring are born around June. Leather made from kamoshika hide has been used for clothing and the horns for making fish hooks. In the past, uncontrolled hunting caused a very sharp drop in numbers, but since 1955 the animal has been protected as a natural monument.
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