Native to Vietnam, the saola is a horned species so illusive, it’s been nicknamed the Asian unicorn.
Researchers reconstructed the genomes of 26 saola using samples from hunting trophies.
A breeding program could be the best chance of the species’ survival … if researchers can even find 12 saola.
Scientists discover about 18,000 new species every year, yet some still evade researchers’ watchful eyes. While the saola is by no means “new,” the species avoids human contact so well that scientists aren’t even sure if they still exist. In fact, the horned mammal is so elusive it’s been nicknamed the Asian unicorn. Not all hope is lost for the species, however. Published in the journal Cell, a new study suggests a captive breeding program could save the saola from extinction—if they’re still out there.
“Right now, the existence of live saolas can neither be proven nor disproven. The last evidence we have was from 2013, when one was captured on a camera trap,” Nguyen Quoc Dung from the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute in Vietnam said in a press release. “But given the remoteness of its habitat, it is extremely difficult to say for sure whether there are still a few out there. There are some signs and indications that still give us hope.”
Saola’s most distinguishable feature is their parallel long horns, growing up to 20 inches; they are cousins of cattle, but more closely resemble antelope. They are brown with white markings on their face, growing up to 33 inches tall at the shoulder. The World Wildlife Fund currently identifies the saola as critically endangered.
The bovine is native to north-central Vietnam, but since wild saola are so hard to come by, researchers had to get creative to collect their samples. The team went to indigenous hunting villages and gathered degraded skin, hair, and bone samples from remains of saolas kept as game trophies. Using the samples, the researchers were able to generate complete genomes for 26 saola, providing valuable insights into the history of the species.
“We were quite surprised to find that the saola is split into two populations with considerable genetic differences,” lead author Genís Garcia-Erill explained in the press release. “The split happened between 5,000 and 20,000 years ago. That was completely unknown before, and there was also no way we could have known without genetic data. It is an important result because it affects how the genetic variation in the species is distributed.”
The team suggests the genetic variations in each population could complement what the other lacks, meaning the species’ best chance of survival requires mixing the two groups. To start the breeding program researchers would need to find at least 12 saola, which is no easy task, but the new genetic mapping opens many pathways to finding them.
Min Duc Le, co-author of the study, explains in the press release that researchers previously tracked saola through DNA in water and even leeches. These methods rely on detecting tiny DNA fragments, and researchers now have a larger “toolkit” to work with. Still, some doubt the likelihood of finding any saola.
“Scientists have been searching for saolas since the 1990s, and it’s only gotten harder since then, because there were more of them back then,” Rasmus Heller, senior author of the study, said in the press release. “I’m not overly optimistic, I have to admit—but I really hope the saola is still out there.”
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