Saola

사올라

The saola is a rare forest bovid of the Annamite Mountains in Vietnam and Laos, first found by scientists in 1992. It has two long, nearly straight horns and white face markings, and is among the rarest large mammals.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Mammals
Lives in: Annamite Mountains, Vietnam and Laos
Diet: Plant eater (herbivore)
Weight: about 90 kg
Conservation status: Critically Endangered (IUCN CR)
Habitat: forests, mountains

Quick answers

Where does the Saola live?

It lives in forests, mountains. On the globe you can find it near Annamite Mountains, Vietnam and Laos.

How big is the Saola?

It grows to about 90 kg.

What does the Saola eat?

Its diet: plant eater (herbivore).

Is the Saola endangered?

It is listed as Critically Endangered (IUCN CR).

The saola is a rare forest animal of the Annamite Mountains in Vietnam and Laos. It looks a bit like an antelope, with two long, nearly straight horns and white markings on its face, but it is actually more closely related to cattle and buffalo. People call it the Asian unicorn because it is almost never seen.

Scientists only learned about it in May 1992, when a survey team found a skull with strange horns in Vu Quang National Park in Vietnam, and it was formally described in 1993. The IUCN lists it as critically endangered, with an estimated 50 to 300 left in 2015. Some experts worry it may already be extinct in the wild.

Where does it live?

Saola live in high-altitude, wet evergreen forest in a small area, and they probably always had few animals per area. They have been seen alive very rarely. The last photograph, taken by a camera trap in central Vietnam in 2013, is the most recent record. Attempts to keep saola in captivity all failed, because the animals died within weeks or months.

Why is it in danger?

The biggest threat is snares, simple wire traps that hunters set for other animals in the forest. Saola get caught by accident. Habitat loss is a smaller threat. Its name is said to mean something like spinning-wheel posts. Saola are the only species in their genus, and DNA shows the earliest branch of the group that includes cattle and buffalo.

Fun facts

Discovered by science only in 1992 and rarely seen alive, it is nicknamed the 'Asian unicorn'.
It was the first large mammal found in the area in about 50 years.
Its nickname is the Asian unicorn.
The first photo of a living saola was taken in captivity in 1993.
Every saola kept in captivity died within a short time.