Prime Collection:Formosan Sambar

Formosan sambar (scientific name: Cervus Unicolor Swinhoei)is the largest herbivore in Taiwan, with the head and body length reaching about 180 cm, and the tail about 15cm. The females are 80 cm in shoulder height, while the males, a bit larger than the former, are about 120 cm. The males two antlers comes with sprouting tines  after the age of 3,and  at age 4 , each main beam of the antlers splits into two bifurcations forked at the tip, and then from the age of 5, there remains three branches on both antlers. 

The baby sambars  carry spots until they reach maturity. Their coat is yellowish brown in the summer but it turns into dark brown in the winter. The sambars are born with suborbital gland to create markings  by rubbing it on  trees. The suborbital gland will open when the sambars are in anger or excitement. 

 

 

Further Reading:

Zhang, Jing-ru.(1991) Taiwan Endemic Species. Taipei: Taipei Panorama.

Wang, Zhi-hong (2003). Our name is Taiwan: Taiwan Endemic Species Portrait. Taipei: Rhythms Monthly.

Qi, Wei-lian (2003) Mammals in Taiwan: a Practical illustrated Handbook for Field Exploration. Taipei: Big Tree Culture Enterprise.

Lai, Yu-Min (2000). Vanishing Dancers: An Album of Taiwan’s Precious and Endemic Animals Conservation Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan. Taipei City..