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'{{Short description|Species of mammal}} {{For|typhoons named Saola|Typhoon Saola (disambiguation){{!}}Typhoon Saola}} {{Speciesbox | name = Saola | image = Pseudoryx nghetinhensis, b.PNG | status = CR | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |title=''Pseudoryx nghetinhensis'' |amends=2016 |name-list-style=amp |author=Timmins, R. J. |author2=Hedges, S. |author3= Robichaud, W. |page=e.T18597A166485696 |date=2016 |access-date=16 January 2022}}</ref> | status2 = CITES_A1 | status2_system = CITES | status2_ref = <ref name=IUCN/> | taxon = Pseudoryx nghetinhensis | display_parents = 2 | parent_authority = Dung, Giao, Chinh, Tuoc, Arctander & MacKinnon, 1993 | authority = Dung, Giao, Chinh, Tuoc, Arctander & MacKinnon, 1993 | range_map = Pseudoryx nghetinhensis distribution.png | range_map_caption = Range in Vietnam and Laos }} The '''saola''' ('''''Pseudoryx nghetinhensis'''''), also called '''spindlehorn''', '''Asian unicorn''', or infrequently, '''Vu Quang bovid''', is one of the world's rarest large [[mammals]], a forest-dwelling [[bovine]] native to the [[Annamite Range]] in [[Vietnam]] and [[Laos]]. It was described in 1993 following a discovery of remains in [[Vũ Quang National Park]] by a joint survey of the Vietnamese Ministry of Forestry and the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]].<ref name=dung>{{cite journal |doi=10.1038/363443a0 |title=A new species of living bovid from Vietnam |year=1993 |last1=Dung |first1=V. V. |last2=Giao |first2=P. M. |last3=Chinh |first3=N. N. |last4=Tuoc |first4=D. |last5=Arctander |first5=P. |last6=MacKinnon |first6=J. |name-list-style=amp |journal=Nature |volume=363 |issue=6428 |pages=443–445 |bibcode=1993Natur.363..443V |s2cid=4243603}}</ref><ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3 Artiodactyla |id=14200705 |pages=695 |heading=Species ''Pseudoryx nghetinhensis''}}</ref><ref name=stone2006>{{cite journal |doi=10.1126/science.314.5804.1380 |title=The Saola's Last Stand |year=2006 |last1=Stone |first1=R. |journal=Science |volume=314 |issue=5804 |pages=1380–1383 |pmid=17138879 |s2cid=130425782}}</ref> Saolas have since been kept in captivity multiple times, although only for short periods as they died within a matter of weeks to months.<ref name="stone18">{{cite magazine |title=Mystery in Vietnam| last=Stone| first=Richard| magazine=Smithsonian| date=August 2008| pages=18–20}}</ref> The species was first reported in 1992 by Do Tuoc, a forest [[ecologist]], and his associates.<ref name=stone18/> The first photograph of a living saola was taken in captivity in 1993. The most recent one was taken in 2013 by a movement-triggered camera in the forest of central Vietnam.<ref>{{cite news |title=Saola sighting in Vietnam raises hopes for rare mammal's recovery: Long-horned ox photographed in forest in central Vietnam, 15 years after last sighting of threatened species in wild |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2013 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/13/saola-sighting-vietnam-rare-mammal}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Saola Rediscovered: Rare Photos of Elusive Species from Vietnam |publisher=World Wildlife Federation |date=2013 |url=http://worldwildlife.org/stories/saola-rediscovered-rare-photos-of-elusive-species-from-vietnam}}</ref> It is the [[monotypic taxon|only species]] in [[genus]] '''''Pseudoryx'''''. ==Taxonomy== [[File:Saola skin.jpg|thumb|left|Some of the first known saola remains, [[Zoological Museum of Copenhagen]]]] In May 1992, the Ministry of Forestry, [[Vietnam]] sent a survey team to examine the biodiversity of the newly established [[Vu Quang National Park]]. On this team were Do Tuoc, Le Van Cham and Vu Van Dung (of the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute); Nguyen Van Sang (of the Institute of Ecological and Biological Resources); Nguyen Thai Tu (of [[Vinh University]]); and John MacKinnon (of the [[World Wildlife Fund]]). On 21 May, the team procured a skull featuring a pair of strange, long and pointed [[horn (anatomy)|horn]]s from a local hunter. They came across a similar pair in the [[Annamite Range]] in the northeastern region of the reserve the following day. The team ascribed these features to a new [[bovid]] species, calling it the "saola" or the "Vu Quang ox" to avoid confusion with the [[sympatric]] [[serow]]. The WWF officially announced the discovery of the new species on 17 July 1992.<ref>{{cite news|title=Saola still a mystery 20 years after its spectacular debut|url=http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?204726|access-date=12 April 2016|work=[[World Wildlife Fund]]|date=21 May 2012}}</ref> According to biodiversity specialist Tony Whitten, though Vietnam boasts a variety of flora and fauna, many of which have been recently described, the discovery of as large an animal as the saola was quite unexpected. The saola was the first large mammal to be discovered in the area for 50 years.<ref name="Report2004">{{cite report|last1=Cox|first1=S.|last2=Dao|first2=N.T.|last3=Johns|first3=A.G.|last4=Seward|first4=K.|editor1-last=Hardcastle|editor1-first=J.|title=Proceedings of the "Rediscovering the saola – a status review and conservation planning workshop", Pu Mat National Park, Con Cuong District, Nghe An Province Vietnam, 27-28 February 2004|date=2004|url=https://assets.panda.org/downloads/saolaproceedingenglish.pdf|publisher=WWF Indochina Programme, SFNC Project, Pu Mat National Park|location=Hanoi, Vietnam|pages=1–115}}</ref> Observations of live saola have been few and far between, restricted to the [[Annamite Range]].<ref name=BBC>{{cite news|last1=Moskvitch|first1=K.|title=Rare antelope-like mammal caught in Asia|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-11328123|access-date=17 April 2016|work=[[BBC]]|date=16 September 2010}}</ref> The [[scientific name]] of the saola is ''Pseudoryx nghetinhensis''. It is the sole member of the [[genus (biology)|genus]] ''[[Pseudoryx]]'' and is classified under the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Bovidae]]. The [[species]] was first [[scientific description|described]] in 1993 by Vu Van Dung, Do Tuoc, biologists Pham Mong Giao and Nguyen Ngoc Chinh, Peter Arctander of the [[University of Copenhagen]] and John MacKinnon.<ref name=dung/> The discovery of saola remains in 1992 generated huge scientific interest due to the animal's special physical traits. The saola differs significantly from all other bovid genera in appearance and morphology, enough to place it in its own genus (''Pseudoryx''). A recent sequencing study of [[ribosome|ribosomal]] [[mitochondrial DNA]] of a large taxon sample divides the bovid family into two major subfamilial clades. The first clade is the subfamily [[Bovinae]] consisting of three tribes: [[Bovini]] (cattle and buffaloes, including the saola), Tragelaphini ([[Strepsicerotini]]) (African spiral-horned bovids) and [[Boselaphini]] (the [[nilgai]] and [[four-horned antelope]]). The second clade is the subfamily [[Antilopinae|Antelopinae]], which includes all other bovids. Antelopinae is composed of the three tribes: [[Caprini]] (goats, sheep, and muskox), [[Hippotragini]] (horse-like antelopes), and [[Antilopini]] (gazelles). Since its physical traits are so complex to classify, ''Pseudoryx'' had been classified variously as member of the subfamily [[Caprinae]] and as belonging to any of the three tribes of the subfamily Bovinae: Boselaphini, Bovini and Tragelaphini. DNA analysis has led scientists to place the saola as a member of the tribe Bovini.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1098/rspb.1999.0720 |title=Evolutionary affinities of the enigmatic saola (''Pseudoryx nghetinhensis'') in the context of the molecular phylogeny of Bovidae |year=1999 |last1=Hassanin |first1=A. |last2=Douzery |first2=E. J. P. |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=266 |issue=1422 |pages=893–900 |pmid=10380679 |pmc=1689916}}</ref> The morphology of its horns, teeth and some other features indicate it should be grouped with less-derived or more ancestral bovids.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1186/1741-7007-8-50 |title=Unraveling bovin phylogeny: Accomplishments and challenges |year=2010 |last1=Bibi |first1=Faysal |last2=Vrba |first2=Elisabeth S |journal=BMC Biology |volume=8 |pages=50 |pmid=20525112 |pmc=2861646}}</ref> Scientific consensus may lead to classifying the saola as the sole member of a proposed new tribe, Pseudorygini. ===Etymology=== The name 'saola' has been translated as "[[spindle (textiles)|spindle]][-horned]", although the precise meaning is actually "spinning-wheel post horn". The name comes from a [[Tai peoples|Tai]] language of Vietnam.<ref name="ม้า">{{cite news|title="ม้ายูนิคอร์น" แห่งเวียดนามกลับมาให้เห็นอีกครั้งหลังจากหายหน้า 15 ปี|url=http://www.manager.co.th/IndoChina/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9560000142685&Html=1&TabID=3&|date=November 16, 2013|access-date=July 2, 2016|work=[[ASTV Manager]]|language=th}}</ref> The meaning is the same in [[Lao language]] ({{Lang|lo|ເສົາຫລາ}}, also spelled {{Lang|lo|ເສົາຫຼາ}} /sǎo-lǎː/ in Lao). The specific name ''nghetinhensis'' refers to the two Vietnamese provinces of [[Nghệ An Province|Nghệ An]] and [[Hà Tĩnh Province|Hà Tĩnh]], while ''Pseudoryx'' acknowledges the animal's similarities with the Arabian or African [[oryx]]. The [[Hmong people]] in Laos refer to the animal as ''saht-supahp'', a term derived from Lao ({{Lang|lo|ສັດສຸພາບ}} /sàt supʰáːp/) meaning "the polite animal", because it moves quietly through the forest. Other names used by minority groups in the saola's range are ''lagiang'' ([[Bru people|Van Kieu]]), ''a ngao'' ([[Ta Oi people|Ta Oi]]) and ''xoong xor'' ([[Co Tu people|Katu]]) <ref name=Report2004/> In the press, saolas have been referred to as "Asian unicorns",<ref name=BBC/> an appellation apparently due to its rarity and reported gentle nature, and perhaps because both the saola and the oryx have been linked with the [[unicorn]]. No known link exists with the Western unicorn myth or the "Chinese unicorn", the [[qilin]].{{Verify source|date=July 2016}} ==Description== [[File:Saola horns.jpg|thumb|upright|Horns in the University of Copenhagen Zoological Museum]] In a 1998 publication, William G. Robichaud, the coordinator of the [[Saola Working Group]], recorded physical measurements for a captive female saola he dubbed 'Martha', in a Laotian menagerie.{{sfnp|DeBuys|2015|p=138}} She was observed for around 15 days until she died from unknown causes. Robichaud noted the height of the female as {{convert|84|cm|in}} at the shoulder; the back was slightly elevated, nearly {{convert|12|cm|in}} taller than the shoulder height. The head-and-body length was recorded as {{convert|150|cm|ft}}.<ref name="jstor">{{cite journal |last1=Robichaud |first1=W.G. |jstor=1382970 |title=Physical and behavioral description of a captive saola, ''Pseudoryx nghetinhensis'' |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=79 |issue=2 |year=1998 |pages=394–405 |doi=10.2307/1382970|doi-access=free }}</ref> The general characteristics of the saola, as shown by studies during 1993–5 as well as the 1998 study, include a chocolate brown coat with patches of white on the face, throat and the sides of the neck, a paler shade of brown on the neck and the belly, a black dorsal stripe, and a pair of nearly parallel horns, present on both sexes.<ref name=dung/><ref name=jstor/><ref name=Schaller/> Robichaud noted that the hair, straight and {{convert|1.5|–|2.5|cm|in}} long, was soft and thin–a feature unusual for an animal that is associated with montane habitats in at least a few parts of its range. While the hair was found to be short on the head and the neck, it thickened to woolly hair on the insides of the forelegs and the belly. Studies before 1998 reported a hint of red in the inspected skins. The neck and the belly are a paler shade of brown compared to the rest of the body. A common observation in all the three aforementioned studies is a {{convert|0.5|cm|in}} thick stripe extending from the shoulders to the tail along the middle of the back. The tail, which measured {{convert|23|cm|in}} in Robichaud's specimen, is divided into three horizontal bands, brown at the base, black at the tip and white in the middle.<ref name=dung/><ref name=jstor/><ref name=Schaller/> Saola skin is {{convert|1|–|2|mm|in}} thick over most of the body, but thickens to {{convert|5|mm|in}} near the nape of the neck and at the upper shoulders. This adaptation is thought to protect against both predators and rivals' horns during fights.<ref name="Huffman">{{cite web|last1=Huffman|first1=B.|title=Saola (''Pseudoryx nghetinhensis'') - Detailed information|url=http://www.ultimateungulate.com/artiodactyla/Pseudoryx_nghetinhensisFull.html|publisher=Ultimate Ungulate|access-date=18 April 2013}}</ref> Saolas weigh between approximately 80-100 kg (176-220 lbs).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saola {{!}} Species {{!}} WWF |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/saola |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=World Wildlife Fund |language=en}}</ref> [[File:Saola skull.jpg|thumb|left|Skull fragments, also in the University of Copenhagen Zoological Museum]] The saola has round [[Pupil (eye)|pupil]]s with dark-brown [[Iris (eye)|iris]]es that appear orange when light is shone into them; a cluster of white whiskers about {{convert|2|cm|in}} long with a presumably tactile function protrude from the end of the chin. The specimen Robichaud observed could extend its tongue up to {{convert|16|cm|in}} and reach its eyes and upper parts of the face; the upper surface of the tongue is covered with fine, backward-pointing barbs. Robichaud observed that either of the two maxillary glands ([[Sinus (anatomy)|sinus]]es) had a nearly rectangular hollow with the dimensions {{convert|9|*|3.5|*|1.5|cm|in}}, covered by a {{convert|0.8|cm|in}} thick flap. The maxillary glands of the saola are probably the largest among those of all other animals. The glands are covered by a thick, pungent, grayish green, semi-solid secretion beneath which lies a sheath of few flat hairs. Robichaud observed several pores, used probably for secretion, on the upper surface of the lid. Each white facial spot shelters one or more nodules from which originate {{convert|2|–|2.5|cm|in}} long white or black hairs. These secretions are typically rubbed against the underside of vegetation, leaving a musky, pungent paste. The [[Spoor (animal)|spoor]] of the forelegs measured {{convert|5|–|6|cm|in}} long by {{convert|5.3|–|6.4|cm|in}} wide, and {{convert|6|cm|in}} long by {{convert|5.7|–|6|cm|in}} for the hindlegs.<ref name="jstor"/> Both sexes possess slightly divergent horns that are similar in appearance and form almost the same angle with the skull, but differ in their lengths. Horns resemble the parallel wooden posts locally used to support a spinning wheel (thus the familiar name "spindlehorn").<ref name=stone2006 /> These are generally dark-brown or black and about 35–50&nbsp;cm long; twice the length of their head.<ref name="jstor" /> Studies in 1993 and 1995 gave the maximum distance between the horn tips of wild specimens as {{convert|20|cm|in}},<ref name=dung/><ref name=Schaller/> but the female observed by Robichaud showed a divergence of {{convert|25|cm|in}} between the tips. Robichaud noted that the horns were {{convert|7.5|cm|in}} apart at the base. While studies prior to Robichaud's claim the horns are uniformly circular in cross-section, Robichaud observed his specimen had horns with a nearly oval cross-section. The sides of the base of the horns is rugged and indented.<ref name=jstor/> == Distribution and habitat == The saola has one of the smallest ranges of any large mammal.<ref>Saola. WWF. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2022, from https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/wildlife_practice/profiles/mammals/saola/</ref> It inhabits wet evergreen or deciduous forests in eastern Southeast Asia, preferring river valleys. Sightings have been reported from steep river valleys at {{convert|300–1800|m}} above sea level. In Vietnam and Laos, the species' range appears to cover approximately {{cvt|5000|km2}}, including four [[nature reserve]]s. During the winters, it migrates to the lowlands.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = The Saola (''Pseudoryx Nghetinhensis'') in Vietnam - New Information on Distribution and Habitat Preferences, and Conservation Needs|last = Burgess|first = Neil|date = 1997|journal = GreenFile}}</ref> In the northern [[Annamite Mountains]], it was sighted mostly near streams at elevations of {{convert|592-1112|m}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Phommachanh |first1=C. |last2=Ngoprasert |first2=D. |last3=Steinmetz |first3=R. |last4=Savini |first4=T. |last5=Gale |first5=George A. |date=2017 |title=Habitat use of the Saola ''Pseudoryx nghetinhensis'' (Mammalia; Bovidae) based on local sightings in the northern Annamite Mountains of Lao PDR |doi=10.1177/1940082917713014 |journal=Tropical Conservation Science |volume=10 |pages=194008291771301 |doi-access=free}}</ref> ==Ecology and behaviour== [[File:Saola hooves.jpg|thumb|Hooves in the University of Copenhagen Zoological Museum]] Local people reported that the saola is active in the day as well as at night, but prefers resting during the hot midday hours. Robichaud noted that the captive female was active mainly during the day, but pointed out that the observation could have been influenced by the unfamiliar surroundings the animal found herself in. When she rested, she would draw her forelegs inward to her belly, extend her neck so that her chin touched the ground, and close her eyes.<ref name=jstor/> Though apparently solitary, saola have been reported in groups of two or three<ref name=dung/> as well as up to six or seven. Grouping patterns of the saola resemble those of the [[bushbuck]], [[anoa]], and [[sitatunga]].<ref name="Schaller">{{cite journal|last1=Schaller|first1=G.B.|last2=Rabinowitz|first2=A.|title=The saola or spindlehorn bovid ''Pseudoryx nghetinhensis'' in Laos|journal=Oryx|date=1995|volume=29|issue=2|pages=107–114|author-link=George Schaller|doi=10.1017/S0030605300020974|doi-access=free}}</ref> Robichaud observed that the captive female was calm in the presence of humans, but was afraid of dogs. On an encounter with a dog, she would resort to snorting and thrust her head forward, pointing her horns at her opponent. Her erect ears pointed backward, and she stood stiffly with her back arched. Meanwhile, she hardly paid any attention to her surroundings. This female was found to urinate and defecate separately, dropping her hind legs and lowering her lower body – a common observation among bovids. She would spend considerable time grooming herself with her strong tongue. Marking behaviour in the female involved opening up the flap of the maxillary [[gland]] and leaving a pungent secretion on rocks and vegetation. She would give out short bleats occasionally.<ref name=jstor/> ===Diet=== Robichaud offered [[spleenwort]] (''Asplenium''), ''[[Homalomena]]'', and various species of broad-leaved shrubs or trees of the family [[Sterculiaceae]] to the captive animal. The saola fed on all plants, and showed a preference for the Sterculiaceae species. She did not pull at leaves, she would rather chew or pull them into her mouth using her long tongue. She fed mainly during the day, and rarely in the dark.<ref name="jstor" /> The saola is also reputed to feed on ''[[Schismatoglottis]]'', unlike other herbivores in its range.{{sfnp|DeBuys|2015|p=163}} ===Reproduction=== Very little information is available about the reproductive cycle of the saola. The saola is likely to have a fixed [[mating]] season, from late August to mid-November; only single calf births have been documented, mainly during summer between mid-April and late June.<ref name=jstor/><ref name="Huffman" /> In the absence of more specific data, the [[gestation]] period has been estimated as similar to that of ''[[Tragelaphus]]'' species, about 33 weeks.<ref name=jstor/> Three reports of saola killings from nearby villagers involved young accompanying mothers. One possessed {{convert|9.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} long horns, another an estimated {{convert|15|cm|in|abbr=on}}, and the third {{convert|18.8|cm|in|abbr=on}}; these varying horn lengths suggest a birth season extending over at least two to three months.<ref name=Schaller/> ==Conservation== The saola is currently considered to be [[critically endangered]].<ref name=IUCN/> Its restrictive habitat requirements and aversion to human proximity are likely to endanger it through [[habitat loss]] and [[habitat fragmentation]]. Saola suffer losses through local [[hunting]] and the illegal trade in furs, traditional medicines, and for use of the meat in restaurants and food markets.<ref>[http://worldwildlife.org/species/saola "Saola | Species | WWF." WWF - Endangered Species Conservation] World Wide Fund for Nature. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 April 2013</ref> They also sometimes get caught in snares that have been set to catch animals raiding crops, such as [[wild boar]], [[sambar (deer)|sambar]], and [[muntjac]]. More than 26,651 snares have so far been removed from saola habitats by conservation groups.<ref>[http://www.savethesaola.org/ " Home - Saola Working Group ."] N.p., n.d. Web. 18 April 2013</ref> The key feature of the area occupied by the saola is its remoteness from human disturbance.<ref name=":2" /> Saola are shot for their meat, but hunters also gain high esteem in the village for the production of a carcass. Due to the scarcity, the locals place much more value on the saola than more common species. Because the people in this area are traditional hunters, their attitude about killing the saola is hard to change; this makes conservation difficult. The intense interest from the scientific community has actually motivated hunters to capture live specimens. Commercial logging has been stopped in the nature reserve area of Bu Huong, and there is an official ban on forest clearance within the boundaries of the reserve.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|title = The saola (''Pseudoryx nghetinhensis'') in Vietnam - new information on distribution and habitat preferences, and conservation needs|url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227717740|journal = Oryx|pages = 37–44|volume = 31|issue = 1|doi = 10.1046/j.1365-3008.1997.d01-86.x|first1 = Neville|last1 = Kemp|first2 = Michael|last2 = Dilger|first3 = Neil|last3 = Burgess|first4 = Chu Van|last4 = Dung|date = 2003|doi-access = free}}</ref> Species of conservation concern are frequently hard to study; there are often delays in implementing or identifying necessary conservation needs due to lack of data.<ref name=":3" /> Because the species is so rare, there is a continuous lack of adequate data; this is one of the major problems facing saola conservation. Trained scientists have never observed saola in the wild. Unfortunately, because it is unlikely that intact saola populations exist, field surveys to discover these populations are not a conservation priority.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |title = Interview-based sighting histories can inform regional conservation prioritization for highly threatened cryptic species |journal = Journal of Applied Ecology|date = 2015-04-01 |issn = 1365-2664 |pmc = 4407913 |pmid = 25926709| pages = 422–433 |volume = 52| issue = 2| doi = 10.1111/1365-2664.12382 |first1 = Samuel T. |last1 = Turvey |first2 = Cao Tien |last2 = Trung |first3 = Vo Dai |last3 = Quyet |first4 = Hoang Van |last4 = Nhu |first5 = Do Van |last5 = Thoai |first6 = Vo Cong Anh |last6 = Tuan |first7 = Dang Thi |last7 = Hoa |first8 = Kouvang |last8 = Kacha |first9 = Thongsay |last9 = Sysomphone}}</ref> The [[Saola Working Group]] was formed by the [[IUCN]] Species Survival Commission's Asian Wild Cattle Specialist Group, in 2006<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iucn.org/about/union/secretariat/offices/asia/asia_where_work/lao/news_and_events/?7580/Priorities-for-Success--2nd-Meeting-of-the-Saola-Working-Group-wraps-up-in-Vietnam |title = Priorities for Success: 2nd Meeting of the Saola Working Group wraps up in Vietnam |publisher = [[IUCN]] |date = 2011-05-31 }}</ref> to protect the saolas and their [[habitat]]. This coalition includes about 40 experts from the forestry departments of Laos and Vietnam, Vietnam's Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vinh University, biologists and conservationists from [[Wildlife Conservation Society]], and the World Wide Fund for Nature.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2009/09/02/experts-on-the-saola-the-last-chance-to-save-one-of-the-worlds-rarest-mammals/ |title = Experts on the saola: The "Last chance" to save one of the world's rarest mammals |work= [[Scientific American]] }}</ref> A group of scientists from the [[Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology]] in central Hanoi, within the Institute of Biotechnology, investigated a last resort effort of conserving the species by cloning, an extremely difficult approach even in the case of well-understood species.<ref name=stone2006/> However, the lack of female saola donors of [[Enucleation (microbiology)|enucleated]] [[ovocyte]]s and receptive females, as well as the interspecific barriers, greatly compromise the potential success of the cloning technique.<ref>{{Cite journal| title = Attempts at Applying Cloning to the Conservation of Species in Danger of Extinction| url = http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0717-95022005000400008&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en |journal = International Journal of Morphology |issn = 0717-9502 |pages = 329–336 |volume = 23 |issue = 4 |doi = 10.4067/S0717-95022005000400008 |first1 = Mariana |last1 = Rojas |first2 = Felipe |last2 = Venegas |first3 = Enrique |last3 = Montiel |first4 = Jean Luc |last4 = Servely|first5 = Xavier |last5 = Vignon |first6 = Michel |last6 = Guillomot |date = 2005|doi-access = free }}</ref> ==Culture== The mascot of the [[2021 Southeast Asian Games]] is ''Sao La''. This design by Ngô Xuân Khôi defeated 557 other mascot submissions to emerge as the winner of the 2019 searching contest.<ref name="contestwinner">{{cite web |title=Công bố và trao giải cuộc thi sáng tác biểu trưng, biểu tượng vui SEA Games 31 và ASEAN Para Games 11 năm 2021, tại Việt Nam |url=http://tdtt.gov.vn/article/cong-bo-va-trao-giai-cuoc-thi-sang-tac-bieu-trung-bieu-tuong-vui-sea-games-31-va-asean-para-games-11-nam-2021-tai-viet-nam |website=Vietnam Sports Administration |access-date=20 November 2020 |language=vi}}</ref> ==See also== * [[Leaf muntjac]] (''Muntiacus putaoensis'') * [[Truong Son muntjac]] (''Muntiacus truongsonensis'') * [[Giant muntjac]] (''Muntiacus vuquangensis'') * [[Annamite striped rabbit]] (''Nesolagus timminsi'') ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==Sources== * {{cite book |last=DeBuys |first=William |year=2015 |title=The Last Unicorn: A Search for One of Earth's Rarest Creatures |publisher=Back Bay Books |isbn=978-0-316-23287-6}} ==Further reading== * Shuker, Karl P.N. ''The New Zoo: New and Rediscovered Animals of the Twentieth Century'', House of Stratus, 2002 {{isbn|978-1842325612}} ==External links== {{Commons category|Pseudoryx nghetinhensis}} {{Wikispecies|Pseudoryx nghetinhensis}} * [https://www.saolafoundation.org/ Saola Foundation] * [http://www.savethesaola.org/ savethesaola.org], Saola Working Group Website * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11328123 Rare antelope-like mammal caught in Asia] at [[BBC News]] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060922221625/http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Pseudoryx_nghetinhensis/ Images and movies of the saola ''(Pseudoryx nghetinhensis)''] at [[ARKive]] * [http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Pseudoryx_nghetinhensis.html Saola factsheet] at [http://www.ultimateungulate.com/ Ultimate Ungulate] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930161632/http://www.unep-wcmc.org/index.html?http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unep-wcmc.org%2Fspecies%2Fdata%2Fspecies_sheets%2Fvuquang.htm~main Vu Quang Ox - ''Pseudoryx nghetinhensis''] from the [[United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre]] * [https://www.amnh.org/research/center-for-biodiversity-conservation/research-and-conservation/biodiversity-exploration-and-monitoring/past-projects/the-saola Saola Conservation in Central Vietnam]—Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, [[American Museum of Natural History]] {{Artiodactyla|R.4}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q218792}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Bovines]] [[Category:Mammals described in 1993]] [[Category:Mammals of Laos]] [[Category:Mammals of Vietnam]]'