Japanese serow
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The Japanese serow rubs scent from beneath its eyes onto trees and rocks.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Japanese serow
- Scientific name
- Capricornis crispus
- Japanese name
- ニホンカモシカ
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Capricornis
It is endemic to Japan, living in the mountains of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Both males and females keep their own territories.
In autumn, fluffy white underfur grows thickly beneath its stiff outer hair, so it can bear the harsh cold of the winter mountains.
It likes to eat soft leaves and young buds. It brings food back up from its stomach to its mouth and chews it again.
How the Japanese serow lives
It is considered active by day, but a study found an individual almost as active at night. It sometimes eats flowers and fruit too. It may stand for a long time at a high lookout.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Head and body length: 1–1.2 m
- Diet
- Leaves, bark, buds, branches and grasses
- Range
- Japan (Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu)
Where the Japanese serow has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ニホンカモシカ
- 简体中文
- 日本髭羚
- 繁體中文
- 日本鬣羚
- 한국어
- 일본산양
- Español
- Serau japonés
- Français
- Serow du Japon
- Deutsch
- Japanischer Serau
- Português (Brasil)
- Antílope-japonês
- Italiano
- Capricorno del Giappone
- हिन्दी
- जापानी सराव
- العربية
- سيرو ياباني
- Tiếng Việt
- Tỳ linh Nhật Bản
- Русский
- Японский сероу
- Türkçe
- Japon serovu
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — ニホンカモシカChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Capricornis crispusChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Japanese serow, look for this
- You may see it climb up or down steep cliffs.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
上野動物園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Japanese serow
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Bovidae
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