The First Record of Sumatran Serow, Capricornis sumatraensis (Bovidae, Cetartiodactyla), in Gunung Ledang Johor National Park, a Tropical Forest Remnant on the Southern Malay Peninsula

Abstract

A 15-month camera-trapping study (7302 camera-days) was done in Gunung Ledang Johor National Park on the southern Malay Peninsula from July 2018 to October 2019. Six video images of the endangered Sumatran serow, Capricornis sumatraensis (Bovidae, Cetartiodactyla), were obtained. This is the first confirmation of a wild population of the species on the southern Malay Peninsula. Serows were photographed at elevations of 500–1189 m from hill dipterocarp forest to montane ericaceous forest. Their size suggests that the individuals were adults. Gunung Ledang is an isolated, well-forested mountain surrounded by oil palm plantations, roads, and human settlements, suggesting that the serow population in the area is completely isolated from the other populations. Further studies are needed to evaluate the population status of the Sumatran serow in the area, as it represents the extreme southern limit of the species' distribution in the Continent of Asia, except Sumatra.