Although I have never seen a long-tailed goral, and although Beijing Zoo had indeed received long-tailed gorals from North Korea decades of years ago, I think these ones in Beijing Zoo are N. griseus.
The distinguish between Naemorhedus griseus and Naemorhedus caudatus is really a confusion. The authoritative websites have different opinions.
So, before we identify the individuals at Beijing Zoo, let's make it clear first - what is N. griseus and what is N. caudatus?
In my view, Chinese goral (Nemorhaedus griseus) is found in Burma, southeast China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, and possibly Laos; Long-tailed goral (Naemorhedus caudatus) is found in the mountains of eastern and northern Asia, including Russia, China, and Korea.
But N. griseus is also reported to be found in Tanchon, South Hamgyong in North Korea, while N.caudatus was reported as being present in South Tibet(Arunachal Pradesh).
Be careful, the scientific name, English name, Chinese name and the picture always have messy combination...
Although I have never seen a long-tailed goral, and although Beijing Zoo had indeed received long-tailed gorals from North Korea decades of years ago, I think these ones in Beijing Zoo are N. griseus.
The distinguish between Naemorhedus griseus and Naemorhedus caudatus is really a confusion. The authoritative websites have different opinions.
So, before we identify the individuals at Beijing Zoo, let's make it clear first - what is N. griseus and what is N. caudatus?
In my view, Chinese goral (Nemorhaedus griseus) is found in Burma, southeast China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, and possibly Laos; Long-tailed goral (Naemorhedus caudatus) is found in the mountains of eastern and northern Asia, including Russia, China, and Korea.
But N. griseus is also reported to be found in Tanchon, South Hamgyong in North Korea, while N.caudatus was reported as being present in South Tibet(Arunachal Pradesh).
Be careful, the scientific name, English name, Chinese name and the picture always have messy combination...
Indeed I am also confused with the identification of goral species, because I have never seen a long-tailed goral besides photos......
But what I am pretty sure is the distribution of the four goral species. The wiki gives the wrong information, and I think a lot of websites copy the Wiki's introduction. But the two most authoritative resources I can find, i.e. IUCN Red List and "A Guide to the Mammals of China"(edits by A. Smith and Wang Song), all claim that the N. caudatus distributes only in northeast China, Korea and Russia; N. griseus distributes in other parts of China and southeast Asia and northeast India; N. goral distributes along the Himalaya; the red goral N. baileyi distributes in East Tibet, northwest Yunnan and northeast Assam and north Burma.
The N. caudatus may be already very rare in China now, because during my three-years' camera-trap survey in one very good habitat of east Jilin, I have captured tiger, leopard, lynx......but no one goral. and I have neither seen even goral's tracks, nor heard any recent sightings of gorals from locals and other parts of northeast China.
