Kting Voar
From The Book of THoTH (Leaves of Wisdom)
The Kting Voar, also known as the Khting Vor, Linh Duong, or Snake-eating Cow (Pseudonovibos spiralis) is a bovid mammal reputed to exist in Cambodia.
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Characteristics
The Kting Voar is normally described as a cow-like animal with peculiar twisting horns about 45 centimetres (20 inches) long. Anecdotal descriptions of the animal mention a spotted pelage. Folklore claims that it has a connection with snakes.
Names
Kting Voar is the animal's Cambodian name. This was erroeneously translated in the West as 'jungle sheep', leading to a mistaken assumption that the animal was related to sheep and goats. In fact the name means 'liana-horned gaur' (a gaur is a species of wild Asian cow).
Adding to the confusion, the Vietnamese name linh dong ('mountain goat') was once reported to refer to this animal. However, this is in fact a local name of the serow.
Other Kampuchean names possibly include kting sipuoh ('snake-eating cattle') and khting pôs.
Controversy
For Western scientists, the first evidence supporting the Kting Voar's existence was a set of horns found by biologist Wolfgang Peter in a Ho Chi Minh City market. The horns were so unusual that Peter believed them to belong to a new species.
All supposed Kting Voar specimens that were subject to DNA analysis to date have turned out to be artificially shaped cattle horns. The most likely explanation, given the DNA testing results and the unusual spotted fur (which is well-known in domesticated, but unknown in wild cattle), seem to be that modern specimens at least are cattle horns shaped by a complicated technique in order to serve as anti-snake talismans.
There is also an earlier report of British tiger-hunters in the first part the 20th century, who observed Kting Voar and shot two as tiger bait.
Sceptical opinion is that the Kting Voar is a mythical animal. Cow horns are often sold as imitation Kting Voar horns in Kampuche markets. However, some scientists, notably American mammalogist Dr. Robert Timm, consider it probable that the root of the folklore is a real, distinct species of wild bovid. If so, this animal would be highly endangered or more probably recently extinct, because rampant hunting and deforestation decimated populations of other big mammals in the region.
The existence of the Kting Voar is far more likely than that of other cryptids. IUCN Red List of threatened species lists it as endangered, stating "The existence and systematic position of Pseudonovibos spiralis is currently being debated. There are undoubtedly manufactured trophies ("fakes") in circulation, but the precautionary principle requires us to assume that the species did exist and may still exist."
References
- Antelope Specialist Group (1996). Pseudonovibos spiralis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Downloaded on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is endangered
- Brandt, J. H. et al. (2001): Debate on the authenticity of Pseudonovibos spiralis as a new species of wild bovid from Vietnam and Cambodia. Journal of Zoology 255:437-444
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - Pseudonovibos spiralis
Categories: Cryptids | Bovines
