Cover photo: Saola © William Robichaud
Saola
Pseudoryx nghetinhensis
IUCN status: Critically Endangered
Threats: Illegal hunting (particularly with snares), habitat loss
Size: body mass: 70-100 kg; height at shoulder: 84-95.5 cm; head and body length: 1.43-1.50 m
The saola is one of the world’s rarest mammal species and was only described to science in 1992. It inhabits the forests of the Annamite Mountains in Laos and Vietnam, and currently none exist in captivity. Saola have only been observed in the wild by scientists a handful of times – the saola was last caught on camera in 2013. This elusiveness has led to the saola being known as the ‘Asian Unicorn’.
Saola have horns up to 55 cm in length, and their name means “spindle horn” in Vietnamese. Despite being antelope-like in appearance, genetic research shows that they are a unique species closely related to cattle.
There are fewer than 250 saola left in the world, and the total population possibly numbers only a few dozen. They are particularly threatened by the widespread use of illegal snare traps throughout their range.
More information
Find out more about our work with the Saola Working Group here.
IUCN Red List account
Threats: Illegal hunting (particularly with snares), habitat loss
Size: body mass: 70-100 kg; height at shoulder: 84-95.5 cm; head and body length: 1.43-1.50 m
The saola is one of the world’s rarest mammal species and was only described to science in 1992. It inhabits the forests of the Annamite Mountains in Laos and Vietnam, and currently none exist in captivity. Saola have only been observed in the wild by scientists a handful of times – the saola was last caught on camera in 2013. This elusiveness has led to the saola being known as the ‘Asian Unicorn’.
Saola have horns up to 55 cm in length, and their name means “spindle horn” in Vietnamese. Despite being antelope-like in appearance, genetic research shows that they are a unique species closely related to cattle.
There are fewer than 250 saola left in the world, and the total population possibly numbers only a few dozen. They are particularly threatened by the widespread use of illegal snare traps throughout their range.
More information
Find out more about our work with the Saola Working Group here.
IUCN Red List account