YIPPPEEEE! Yes, I am a little excited that it is Friday and it looks like there is a beautiful and fun-filled weekend on the horizon. Before all that though we are going to have a beautiful and fun-filled Wild Fact. On what animal, you ask? Well, we are going to explore the life of one of the newest large mammals discovered. That’s right, the Saola was first discovered in 1992 in the Vu Quang Nature Reserve. So far this antelope-like animal can only be found in Vietnam and Laos. What are you waiting for? Grab your gear and lets get to the airport!
Although the Saola appears to be similar to the interesting Arabian desert antelope, they are actually more closely related to plain ol’ Wild Cattle. In reality though they are actually quite a distinct animal and as a result were given their very own taxonomic group. How cool would it be to have a whole new taxonomic group developed just for YOU?!?
Not only are these wonderful creatures unique, they are also very rare. It is speculated the population is in double digits (think 10-99). The Saola is also a very elusive animal so when you couple that with the fact that there are so few of them, you begin to understand why we don’t know a whole lot about them. So what do we know about these rare and elusive animals?
We know that they are typically solitary animals…..but have been known to congregate into herds of 3 to 7. We also know they are diurnal so they spend their days foraging while hiding from predators during the night. As well, we have learned that the males tend to be incredibly territorial and will protect a larger home range than their female counterparts. Apparently the females will actually mark their territory with a sticky, smelly substance that is produced from their maxillary glands. How about that, it is like a GPS for the Saola. Considering these animals have only been known to man since 1992, I am surprised we have this much knowledge about their behaviour.
Saola Fast Fact – The Saola is also referred to as the Asian Unicorn, however, this apparently has nothing do with their large horns. Instead, it relates to how rare they are. You are know you are a rare animal when you are compared to a mythical creature that doesn’t exist!
I guess this is the end of another week of Wild Facts. Thanks for stopping by and I will see you all on Monday. Have a great weekend!
