CreatureData

Japanese serow

Capricornis crispus (Temminck, 1836)

LCLeast Concernmammals

The japanese serow (Capricornis crispus) is a mammal in the family Bovidae, subfamily Antilopinae and tribe Caprini, within the order Artiodactyla. It is a large, terrestrial, diurnal herbivore with a representative adult body mass of 43 kg.

Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus)
Photo: DataBase Center for Life Science (DBCLS) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the japanese serow

The IUCN Red List assesses the japanese serow globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

Weight
27.9 kg – 43 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Height
81 cmsrc for Height
Lifespan
19.8 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
24 years
Main food
leavessrc for Main food
Habitat
forest, mountain, woodlandsrc for Habitat
Gestation
215 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
21 months – 2.85 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
0.83src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
By day (diurnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the japanese serow?

JAPANESE SEROW · HEIGHT 81 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 81 cm, the recorded maximum height of the japanese serow is about 48% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Photos of the japanese serow

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus)
Plamen Agov ( user:MrPanyGoff ) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus)
belvedere04 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus)
no rights reserved · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus)
(c) belvedere04, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus)
Alpsdake · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus)
Alpsdake · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus)
Alpsdake · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

1 more photo exists under a licence we cannot display: view at source.

Where does the japanese serow live?

Not recorded

What is the japanese serow?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Japanese serow (氈鹿, kamoshika; lit. "coarse pelt deer") (Capricornis crispus) (羚羊) is a Japanese goat-antelope, an even-toed ungulate. It is found in dense woodland in Japan, primarily in northern and central Honshu. The serow is seen as a national symbol of Japan, and is subject to protection in conservation areas.

Adult Japanese serow stand about 81 centimetres (32 in) tall and weigh 30–45 kg (66–99 lb). They are black to whitish, and colouring lightens in summer. The fur is very bushy, especially the tail. Both sexes have short, backwards-curving horns, and are difficult to distinguish by sight. Japanese serow are found in dense mountain forests where they eat leaves, shoots, and acorns. They are diurnal and feed in early mornings and late afternoons. Serows are solitary, or gather in couples or small family groups. The animal marks its territory with sweet-and-sour-smelling preorbital gland secretions, and males and females have separate territories that may overlap.

In the mid-20th century, the Japanese serow was hunted to near-extinction. In 1955, the Japanese government passed a law designating it a "Special National Monument" to protect it from poachers. Populations have since grown so greatly that the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals ranks it "least concern". In 1979, complaints from foresters and farmers led to the repeal of the 1955 law. Since then, the serow has had protected status in 13 designated protected areas over 23 prefectures, and has been subject to culling as a pest outside conservation areas. Conservationists have labelled it a "living national treasure of the forest".

From the Wikipedia article “Japanese serow” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_serow&oldid=1365475038), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the japanese serow endangered?

The japanese serow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the japanese serow classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderArtiodactyla
  5. familyBovidae
  6. genusCapricornis
  7. SpeciesCapricornis crispus (Temminck, 1836)

Synonyms Antilope crispa, Naemorhedus crispus

Other names and names in other languages (29)
  • سيرو يابانيArabic
  • Yapon serousuAzerbaijani
  • serau malýCzech
  • Japansk serovDanish
  • Japan-SerauGerman
  • Japanischer SerauGerman
  • Japana serovoEsperanto
  • Serau japonésSpanish
  • Sirao de JapónSpanish
  • Saro du JaponFrench
  • Serow du JaponFrench
  • Capricorno giapponeseItalian
  • Capricorno del GiapponeItalian
  • 氈鹿Japanese
  • カモシカJapanese
  • ニホンカモシカJapanese
  • 일본산양Korean
  • Japoninis goralasLithuanian
  • Dibé dághaaʼígííNavajo
  • JapanserovNorwegian Bokmål
  • Japanse BosgemsDutch
  • serau kędzierzawyPolish
  • Antílope-japonêsPortuguese
  • Японский серауRussian
  • Јапански серовSerbian
  • เลียงผาญี่ปุ่นThai
  • Tỳ linh Nhật BảnVietnamese
  • Naemorhedus crispusWaray
  • 日本髭羚Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the japanese serow

Other species in the same genus Capricornis.

VU, Vulnerable
Red serow (Capricornis rubidus)

Red serow

Capricornis rubidus

Bovidae

NT, Near Threatened
Chinese serow (Capricornis milneedwardsii)

Chinese serow

Capricornis milneedwardsii

Bovidae

CompareJapanese serow vs Mainland serowJapanese serow vs Taiwan serowJapanese serow vs Red serowJapanese serow vs Himalayan serow

Common questions

Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.

What kind of animal is the japanese serow?

The japanese serow is a mammal in the family Bovidae, placed in the tribe Caprini of the subfamily Antilopinae.

How heavy is the japanese serow?

The japanese serow has a representative adult body mass of 43 kg, which places it in the large size class.

What does the japanese serow eat?

The japanese serow is a herbivore.

Is the japanese serow endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

How long does the japanese serow live?

The japanese serow has a lifespan of 19.8 years, with values up to 24 years reported by our sources.

How many young does the japanese serow have?

The japanese serow has 1 young per litter, following a gestation period of 215 days.

Who named the japanese serow?

The japanese serow, Capricornis crispus, carries the authority (Temminck, 1836).

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-serow

MLA

“Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-serow.

BibTeX
@misc{japanese_serow_2026,
  title = {Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-serow},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}