A serow native to the mountains of Taiwan that feeds on young leaves and buds.
Its dark brown coat has a black line along the back, with pale tan on the cheeks, throat, and upper neck. Both sexes have a pair of horns, and the tail is short.
Formosan serows are forest-dwelling herbivores, but their tree-climbing behavior had been little documented. Researchers reviewed publicly available photos and videos on Facebook and YouTube and compiled 15 climbing events from across Taiwan. The study shows how public observations can reveal an unusual behavior that may be difficult to witness during short field visits.
The records showed serows climbing 10 tree species, from 0.6 to 4 metres above ground, on branches and trunks. Foraging was visible in 53.3% of the events, suggesting that climbing can provide access to food above ground level. Records came from lowlands to subalpine areas and from seasons beyond winter. Because these were posted observations, they do not measure how often the behavior occurs or how it varies by place.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Fifteen public records from across Taiwan documented Formosan serows climbing 10 tree species, including foraging 0.6–4 metres above ground. The observations provide a reason to include branches and trunks when documenting forest behavior. Social-media records cannot estimate population size or how often climbing occurs, and this paper does not provide a formal conservation category.