"coarse pelt deer") (Capricornis crispus)[a] (羚羊) is a Japanese goat-antelope, an even-toed ungulate.

Japanese serow are found in dense mountain forests where they eat leaves, shoots, and acorns.

In 1955, the Japanese government passed a law designating it a "Special National Monument" to protect it from poachers.

Populations have since grown so greatly that the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals ranks it "least concern".

[b] Pierre Marie Heude proposed many new genera and species in a system published in 1898; Capricornis became Capricornulus, which included crispus, pryerianus, and saxicola.

[7] The Taiwan serow is smaller and shorter-haired, with browner fur and a white patch under the chin and throat.

In the past, the Japanese word kamoshika[c] was written using the Chinese character for shika, meaning "deer".

[18] Compared to mainland serow, the ears are shorter and the coat is typically longer and woollier—about 10 centimetres (3.9 in) on the body.

[25] Differentiation between the sexes is not well developed;[1] body size, growth, survival, and feeding habits show negligible difference.

[4] Hearing is sensitive[29] and eyesight is strong—the serow is able to detect and react to movement from a distance, and it can see well in low lighting.

[27] The animal is found solitary, in pairs, or in small family groups[1] in open grassland and forests at an elevation of about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft),[19] and uses caves to rest in.

[35] The diurnal[1] Japanese serow is a browser[36] that feeds in early morning and late afternoon, primarily on fleshy or coniferous leaves, plant shoots, and acorns.

[44] In a courtship ritual resembling that of goats or gazelles, the male Japanese serow licks the female's mouth, strikes her on the hindlegs with his forelegs, and rubs her genitalia with his horns.

[7] The earliest record of human contact with the serow is of a small number of prehistoric Jōmon period bones unearthed by archaeologists, primarily in mountainous regions.

Japan's earliest extant medical work, the Daidōruijuhō [ja] (808), appears to record the use of serow horn and flesh for medicinal purposes.

[48] Following the Meiji Restoration in 1868, realistic depictions appeared of the serow, beginning with one in Keisuke Ito's Fauna Japonica (1870).

[i] Its waterproof hides were used for rafters' backflaps, its horns were ground as a preventive against diseases such as beriberi, and a cure for stomach-aches was made from the serow's small intestines and gall bladder.

[49] An animal that once inhabited deep forests far from populated areas, the Japanese serow has increasingly penetrated the outskirts of villages.

[j][1] Poaching continued, leading the government to declare the Japanese serow a "Special Natural Monument" in 1955,[k][10] at which point overhunting had brought its numbers to 2000–3000.

[19] Populations grew as the police put an end to poaching, and post-War monoculture conifer plantations created favourable environments for the animal.

By the 1980s, population estimates had grown to up to 100,000 and serow range had reached 40,000 square kilometres (15,000 sq mi).

[1] Conflicts with agriculture and forestry led to a 1978 repeal of the full protection the animal received under the 1955 designation.

[1] The IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals ranked the Japanese serow as "least concern" in 2008, as it has wide distribution in Japan, and a large, stable or increasing population.

The measures were met with resistance from conservationists, naturalist organizations, and some biologists, as the animal had previously been fully protected.

[54] Frustration with the government and conservationists led 400 foresters to launch a lawsuit in the 1980s over serow damage to timber plantations.

[57] They have accused the government and wildlife experts of undercounting serows, while conservationists have counteraccused that foresters may inflate population numbers and levels of forestry damage to promote their own interests.

The situation is temporary, though, and after regrowth of trees leads to the forest canopy closing over after 15–20 years, the herbivore populations are displaced as the herbaceous growth ceases to flourish.

Concern instead turned to damage caused by sika deer, wild boars, and Japanese macaques.

In Kyushu in particular, increased grazing and browsing competition from sika deer may be slowing growth of serow populations.

It is seen as a relic species harking back to the formation of the Japanese archipelago as distinct from mainland Asia.