Description
One of the rarest and biggest creatures on the planet is the saola (Pseudoryx ngethinhensis). It is the only known species in a genus of bovids, and it was discovered in 1992. Females and males have long, gently curving horns and a distinctive pattern of white markings on their heads, and adults weigh 80–100 kg. Saola's genus name comes from its resemblance to oryxes, which are antelopes native to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. However, wild cattle and buffaloes are the Saola's closest living relatives.
Facts:
1) The Saola, pronounced sow-la and meaning "spindle horns" in Vietnamese, is exclusively found in the Annamite Mountains woods on the Vietnamese-Laos border.Human awareness of this creature dates back barely two decades, until May 1992, when the Vietnamese Ministry of Forestry and the World Wide Fund for Nature discovered the skull of an unidentified two-horned mammal in a hunter's home.
2) The discovery of the Saola was the first large mammal found in 50 years, and it was a remarkable contribution to the century's zoological record.
3) A saola's look is similar to that of an antelope, but cattle are closer genealogically. The scientific classification of this uncommon combination was made so tough that a new biological tribe was formed. Both females and males of Saola have two simultaneous tall, straight, pointy horns that can grow up to 20 inches (50 cm) in length, more than double the size of their heads. Aside from the distinguishing attractive white patches over their eyes, like eyebrows, beside the nose, along the jaw line, their smooth, soft fur is a dark brown colour. A lighter cream coloration can also be noticed on the chest and just above the hooves.
4) It has a small tail with three stripes that look like a zebra crossing: brown on top, cream in the middle, and black at the fluffy end.
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