Mammals of Taiwan

The Formosan Rock Macaque is a medium-sized primate (usually 9 -18 pounds, with a body length of 16-22 inches and a tail length of 10-18 inches). It has a reddish face with a fur color that changes with the seasons (brownish in summer, gray and greenish in autumn and winter). They live in groups of 10-20 individuals, mostly mothers and their offspring, with an older male as leader.

The Macaque is mostly active during the daylight hours. They forage for fruits, tender leaves, berries, seeds, and many types of insects. They can fill up their cheek pouches with food. They prefer mountainous areas below 10,000 ft, especially Northeastern and Southwestern parts of the island. They can be found in large numbers in the protected National Parks.

The behavior of the Taiwan Macaque is interesting. The leader curls his tail up when he is on patrol. If another adult male curls his tail up, it means that the leadership is being challenged. The loser has to leave the group. If there is danger, the guard swings branches to warn others or to threaten the enemy.

The Taiwan Macaque population is growing. Some of the native people have asked for permission to shoot them because of the damage they do to the crops. But for now the Macaques are still under protection of the law.

The Formosan Pangolin looks something like an armadillo. This shy, slow-moving insectivore hunts mostly at night. It has large, overlapping scales that provide a good defense against predators. When threatened, pangolins curl up into a ball to protect their scaleless underside. They can even roll down a steep slope this way. Although it is toothless and not aggressive, the pangolin can lash about dangerously with its tail, which is covered with sharp-edged scales. They may also spray a foul-smelling liquid from their anal glands.

Pangolins usually weigh about 10 pounds and measure about 2 feet long (3 feet if you include the tail). They have a prehensile (grasping) tail with which they can even hang. These mammals are stout and well adapted for digging. They dig into anthills and termite mounds with their large, strong, sharp, curved claws. The pangolin draws out the panicked insects and then catches them with its sticky 8-inch tongue.

Armored like a bronze knight, pangolins have relatively poor vision. They probably locate their prey by scent. Hairs accompany their scales, an unusual combination in mammals. The typical pangolin has a small pointed head with a narrow mouth. The skull is smoothly conical, lacking the ridges and crests found on most mammalian crania. The nose is fleshy with nostrils.

Formosan pangolins reproduce during April and May. A single young is born measuring about 1.5 ft and weighing about 1 lb. The young come equipped with scales, although they are soft and flexible for the first two days of life. Although they are able to walk at birth, young pangolins are carried on their mother's tail or back. If the mother is threatened, she folds her offspring under her body with her tail. Male pangolins have been observed to exhibit remarkable parental instincts and share a burrow with the female and young.

Formosan pangolins inhabit tropical deciduous forests and tropical scrub forests up to 3,000 ft. But they are mostly seen from 900 to 1,500 ft. With so much hunting and destruction of habitat, the Formosan pangolin has become an endangered species.

The Formosan Serow is a small goat that is known for its agility. It can jump an amazing 7 feet! They are easy to identify with their distinctive pair of crescent-shaped horns (found on both males and females). The Formosan Serow has dark-brown fur (except for some light-brown around its cheeks and throat). Compared to most goats, they are quite small, measuring only about 3 or 4 feet (80-114cm) in length and weighing only about 55 pounds (25 KGs).

Most serows live deep in the mountain forests, from the foothills up to about 11,500 feet (3,500 m). They can often be found on precipices that offer natural protection and where they can more easily spot their predators. Though it is not easy to see this agile mountain goat, it is not difficult to see their droppings on the trails of Nanhu Mountain, Snow Mountain and Yushan.

Serows eat many different kinds of plants, including firs, ferns, spruce and cypress leaves. They lick rocks in order to get the salt that they need. Serows are territorial. They leave their secretions of their eye's glands on the trees or on the rocks along the trail to declare their ownership. However this behavior makes them more vulnerable to predation.

The Formosan Serow belongs to the bovine or the cattle family. It is Taiwan's only native species of this family. It reproduces from March to June. A single young is born. The female might have a chance to have a second lamb the same year. The young goat will leave its mother sometime between the ages of 6 months and 1 year. The breeding age is around 2 to 4 years. The Formosan Serow can be expected to live more than 15 years.

The Formosan Sambar is a deer. It is the largest native herbivore in Taiwan. The males (and only the males) have a pair of antlers. The older the Sambar, the more branches the antlers have. Its fur color changes with the seasons, providing camouflage. It is yellowish-brown in the summer and dark brown in the winter.

There have never been very many large carnivores in Taiwan. Consequently there used to be great numbers of Formosan Sambar and Formosan Sika deer. But due to the belief that the male antlers and reproductive organs had curative effects, the deer were over hunted by the immigrants who moved to Taiwan. That plus a loss of habitat has led to a decline in their natural distribution and abundance.

Some statistics:
- Shoulder height: 47 inches (male) and 31 inches (female)
- Body length: 70 inches
- Tail length: 6 inches
- Habitat: mountainous areas over 4500 ft. (central range, Hwalien, Taitun); grasslands and near forest streams
- Breeding Time: August and September
- Weight of calves at birth: 8 to 14 pounds

Sambars browse in the early morning and late evening. Being skillful swimmers, they often gather near water to feed or for other activities. Since they are not fast runners, they just run into the dense forest to hide at the sign of a predator. Except during the breeding season, the males prefer to travel alone.

Weighing up to 440 pounds, the stocky Formosan Black Bear is the largest land animal in Taiwan. It has a large, round head, strong forelimbs, short claws evolved for tree climbing, and a white "V" on its chest.

Unlike the American Black Bear, the Formosan Black Bear does not hibernate. It simply moves down to lower elevations where it can feed without interruption. Bears are omnivorous. They eat just about anything they can find. They do their hunting and foraging at dusk and during the night. They rest during the day.

A bear can be a dangerous animal to meet when hiking up in the mountains above 3,000 feet. If this were to happen, it is suggested that the hiker run down a slope. With their short forelimbs, the bears are a bit clumsy running downhill. Don't climb a tree to get away - they are great tree climbers.

Except during the mating and breeding seasons, bears prefer to live alone. But the Formosan Black Bear is becoming "alone" for a more tragic reason. There are only about 200 to 250 of them left in Taiwan. Their only predators, humans, hunt them for their galls and paws. This poaching combined with habitat destruction is decreasing the bear's chance for survival. The government must find a balance between respecting the traditional ways of the island's indiginous people and preserving the natural environment. If hunting continues without restraint, the Formosan Black Bear will soon be extinct.

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