What are the most beautiful ungulate species in your opinion ?

Onychorhynchus coronatus

Onychorhynchus coronatus

Well-Known Member
What are the most beautiful / impressive / interesting ungulate species in your opinion and why ?

You may choose five examples from either the odd toed or the even toed ungulates for your examples.

Please feel free to also include any other information in your comment such as personal experiences with the species etc as these are always interesting for me to read.

I look forward to reading your replies !
 
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Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Thanks for you reply @twilighter !

Interestingly all of the species on your list with the exception of the saola are IUCN vulnerable species.

So a question for you, is it the appearance or the rarity of the saola which puts it at the top of your list ?
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It is mostly the unique appearance and morphology, that put Saola very high on my list. It has a grace and beauty of a forest antilope, but at the same time is closer relative to the Wild Cattles.

The rarity and enigmatic status of Saola also make it very intriguing species for me, but are not the main reasons to put it in the list. I was thinking to mention my favourite Ungulate, the Kouprey, but most probably it left this World already.
 
birdsandbats said:
Did something happen recently? I had no idea Saolas were possibly extinct.
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Nothing has happened per se, other than the already-present pressures of hunting, habitat loss and population fragmentation - but given how seldom the species is sighted alive (the last two sightings in the wild were in 1998 and 2013 I believe) and how low the population is estimated to be (possibly the low double-figures) it might well have slipped away quietly without our notice, much as the Kouprey did.
 
Only 5?? Hmm. I'm going to ignore horses and cetaceans, to make it slightly easier.

Pronghorn
Addax
Beisa
Bontebok
Bongo
Bushbuck
Sitatunga
Nyala
Roan
Nilgai
Himalayan Tahr
Beira

All the duikers
All the gazelles

Marsh Deer
Chital
White-tailed Deer
Sika Deer

.. that's my short list :)
 
My list of the most beautiful ungulates would be:

zebra duiker
African water chevrotain
bushbuck
Prince Alfred's deer
Grevy's zebra

However my favourites would have to be:

common hippopotamus
white-tailed gnu
Indian rhinoceros
saiga antelope
takin

although I don't think these could be described as "beautiful".
 
Jurek7 said:
My girlfriend wearing cow slippers.
And the gerenuk.
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Thank you for your comment @Jurek7 !

Lol !

The gerenuk is a very interesting choice. Those incredibly lanky physical proportions that have evolved to help them browse on leaves like the acacia and for extra agility in escaping predators are very elegant looking.

I don't think I've ever actually seen one of these antelopes (neither captivity or the wild) so all I know about the species comes from reading and documentaries but I would certainly like to see one in the flesh one day.

Have you seen this species in a zoo or the wild?
 
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twilighter said:
It is mostly the unique appearance and morphology, that put Saola very high on my list. It has a grace and beauty of a forest antilope, but at the same time is closer relative to the Wild Cattles.

The rarity and enigmatic status of Saola also make it very intriguing species for me, but are not the main reasons to put it in the list. I was thinking to mention my favourite Ungulate, the Kouprey, but most probably it left this World already.
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I agree, the saola does have a singular appearance / morphology doesn't it ?

I like the way you have described it there as it does seem to be almost antelope like (a little like a bongo perhaps) in appearance but it does also strongly remind me of the lowland anoa too.

Have you read the book "The Last Unicorn: A Search for One of Earth's Rarest Creatures" by William duBuy's ?

If you haven't already then you should definitely check it out as it is a beautifully written non-fiction travelogue about the species and its conservation and I'm sure you would enjoy it.

Sadly, I do think that the Kouprey is already extinct, yes. I know it is still listed by the IUCN as being "critically endangered" but I just don't think there is any real substantial evidence that suggests that it is still extant.

Dassie rat said:
Lesser kudu
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Thank you for the comment @Dassie rat !

I've seen this species in zoos and I also think it is a very majestic looking animal with those beautiful stripes and spiral horns.

Have you seen it in the wild by any chance ?
 
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TeaLovingDave said:
Of course, the same may well apply to the Saola now too :(
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TeaLovingDave said:
Nothing has happened per se, other than the already-present pressures of hunting, habitat loss and population fragmentation - but given how seldom the species is sighted alive (the last two sightings in the wild were in 1998 and 2013 I believe) and how low the population is estimated to be (possibly the low double-figures) it might well have slipped away quietly without our notice, much as the Kouprey did.
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Sadly I also tend towards thinking this species might be extinct too.

Robinchaud still thinks that there might be some out there in South-East Asia and of course they are very cryptic animals so the rarity of any sightings is perhaps not exactly unusual.

However, I really think that given the pressures that the saola was / is under that the population will have declined to the point of functional extinction and there is a good chance that it is now totally extinct too.
 
I think the most beautiful has to be the Okapi, It is like the zebra and giraffe combined.
I think onagers and przewalski's horse are also very nice looking
Malayan tapirs also are what I consider 'beautiful'
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
I agree, the saola does have a singular appearance / morphology doesn't it ?

I like the way you have described it there as it does seem to be almost antelope like (a little like a bongo perhaps) in appearance but it does also strongly remind me of the lowland anoa too.

Have you read the book "The Last Unicorn: A Search for One of Earth's Rarest Creatures" by William duBuy's ?

If you haven't already then you should definitely check it out as it is a beautifully written non-fiction travelogue about the species and its conservation and I'm sure you would enjoy it.

Sadly, I do think that the Kouprey is already extinct, yes. I know it is still listed by the IUCN as being "critically endangered" but I just don't think there is any real substantial evidence
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I have the book, thank you!

The recent actions by the Saola WGroup give some hope, but William Robichaud plans to resign and Covid-19 could hold the progress back.

The Saola probably will be the Vietnam's mascot of the SEA games, but the Kouprey was named national animal of Cambodia too late and this didn't save him. Which reminds me that the Tamaraw is one of the Philippines national animals...

I remember the late 80's and early 90's when the Kouprey Action Plan came out and the species still was considered extant and there were hopes for it's survival. As @TeaLovingDave said, it slipped away quietly without our notice...

There is a nice book written by the ZooChater Bret Newton called The Lost Ox, which follows the Kouprey steps on its way out.
 
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