Gaura animal. Gaur - the largest wild bull

These bulls walk peacefully in Southeast and South Asia - India, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia. They are also found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Nepal. They prefer dense forests and rarely go out into open areas. Lives in the mountains at an altitude of 2500m above sea level.

Appearance

Of all the artiodactyls, the gaur is the largest. Its body length is 2.3 - 3.3 m, height at withers 1.7 - 2.1 m, weight 90 - 150 kg. Males are larger than females. The color of the skin ranges from dark brown to brown, and even black. Legs up to the knees are white. The coat is short and dense.

The body is muscular and strong, it is better not to meet it in nature. The horns of males are powerful, reaching a length of 90 cm, and the approximate distance at the ends between them is 120 cm. Females have more elegant horns - they are shorter and thinner. The forehead of bulls is flat and wide, slightly depressed.

Lifestyle. Nutrition

Gaurs live in small family groups (females and their young, rarely one or two adult bulls). Usually in such a family group there are 9 - 30 animals. The leader of the herd is a female with “life experience.” Young males stay in a separate group. There are also single bulls. Gaurs often associate with groups of other animals, such as deer.

They lead a diurnal lifestyle; if disturbed, they hide in the forest. They rest and sleep at night. Gaurs feed on plant foods - grass, leaves of trees and shrubs, and eat young shoots and bark. It needs a watering hole and loves to swim, thereby cooling itself and getting rid of midges for a short time.

Reproduction

The mating season begins in November and lasts until April. Several males show interest in a group of females. Of course, a showdown begins. Usually this is a show of force, snorting and other warning sounds. Most often, everything is resolved peacefully, the strong in the harem, the defeated leaves. Offspring are born once a year.

The female's pregnancy lasts about 9 months. As a rule, she gives birth to one cub. The calf feeds on mother's milk for 8 months. The younger generation is given special attention and protection. Calves are always under the watchful eye of cows. Males do not protect the herd.

Red International Book

Gaur is a vulnerable taxon. In the wild, the number of bulls ranges from 13 to 30 thousand heads. Local residents hunt animals, sell horns and skins, and eat meat. Gaurs often get sick and die.

Appearance

The body length of the gaur reaches more than three meters. The height at the shoulders reaches 2.2 m, and its weight can reach 1200 kg, in some cases up to 1500 kg. A normal adult male weighs about 1000 kg. The coat is brown, with shades from reddish to black. The horns are on average 90 cm in length and curved upward in the shape of a crescent.

Spreading

The gaur's range covers India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, southern Vietnam and Malaysia, Nepal, where the gaur lives in dense forests. Sometimes it goes to the edges of forests or clearings in search of food, but in most cases it avoids open areas.

Behavior

Gaurs are naturally active during the day, but near human settlements they often switch to a nocturnal lifestyle. They feed on grasses, but can also eat foliage. Herds of gaurs consist of ten to twelve animals, in some cases they can even reach forty individuals. They contain mainly females with young calves, accompanied by one male. Males often change the herd; the right to be the leader of the herd is won in fights, which, however, do not lead to injury. Young males, not yet able to challenge a mature opponent to a duel, form separate herds. Older males live alone.

Threats

Gaurs are considered an endangered animal. Due to hunting and cow epidemics, the gaur population has declined greatly. Today, about 20 thousand gaurs live in the wild, scattered across various limited areas. The development of the number of gaurs in different countries varies greatly: in India, populations have been able to increase slightly since the 1990s and today account for 90% of all gaurs. In the countries of Southeast Asia, the situation is critical; all populations are in danger of extinction.

Domestication

Gaurs are one of the five species of bulls that have been domesticated by humans. The domestic form of gaur is called gayal or mitan. Ghayal is considered more docile than gaur. It is noticeably smaller than its wild ancestor, possessing a wider forehead and thicker cone-shaped horns. It is used as a work animal and as a source of meat. Guyals are kept in the border regions of Myanmar, in Manipur and Nagaland. In other parts of its range, the gaur has never been domesticated. In some places, gayals have been successfully crossed with cows. Guyal-cow hybrids are used in many parts of India and have typical properties of a domestic animal.

Taxonomy

Sometimes the Latin name is used for gaur Bos gaurus. Previously, this was the name of wild gaur, while gayal was called Bos frontalis. However, since both are the same species, the name applies to both Bos frontalis. The words gaur and gayal come from Hindi. In Southeast Asia they are sometimes also called by the Malay word "seladang".

Notes

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See what "Gaur" is in other dictionaries:

A wild bull in India, considered a sacred animal among some tribes. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. gaur (lat. bibos gaurus) is a large artiodactyl animal of the bovine genus, living in the mountain... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

gaur- Gaur. gaur (Bos gaurus), a mammal of the bovine genus. The body length of bulls is about 3 m, the height at the withers is up to 2.2 m. The horns are massive, up to 83 cm long. G. lives in India, Nepal, and the Indochina Peninsula. Lives in herds in mountain forests at an altitude of 600 x 1700 m... Agriculture. Large encyclopedic dictionary

Artiodactyl animal of the bovid family; wild bull. Height up to 2.2 m. Horns are especially large in males (length up to 83 cm). Lives in the forests of India, Nepal, Indochina Peninsula, Malacca Peninsula. In the past, the object of hunting (meat and skin). Mainly preserved... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

The largest wild bull in the world November 2nd, 2013

Typically, herbivorous megafauna are represented as a group consisting of elephants, rhinoceroses and giraffes. However, one of the most specific representatives of megafauna is the Indian bull. With a height of under 3 meters (10 feet), the gaur is a truly gigantic animal, and the largest wild cow in the world. This massive creature with truly enormous horns can tear through the forests and fields of India, sometimes destroying gardens as well.

This species is critically endangered, although it is immune to most threats and weighs up to 1,600 kg (3,500 lb). Among the megafauna that can break their way through tropical vegetation, only elephants, rhinoceroses or giraffes can do more and taller. The gaur is more docile than the African buffalo, but sometimes human casualties occur. There was a case when a tiger attacked a gaur. Gaur literally tore the tiger in half.

Let's find out more about them...

Few wild bulls can compare with the gaur in beauty, strength and size. This is perhaps the largest bull in the world, and therefore the largest representative of the bovid family, both today and in prehistoric times. The gaur's skull is 68 cm long - larger than any giant bison skull. It is not only the largest and strongest, but also and the most beautiful of bulls.

The gaur is sometimes called the Asian bison, and indeed, its build is somewhat similar to its American relative. Gaura is distinguished from other bulls by its very powerful physique, prominent muscles and impressive appearance.

If the appearance of the African buffalo can symbolize indomitable power, then the gaur personifies calm confidence and strength. The height at the withers of old males reaches 213 cm, weight -800-1000 kg. Thick and massive horns from the base bend slightly down and back, and then up and slightly inward. Their length in males reaches 100-115 spruce, and the distance between the ends is 120 cm. The forehead is wide and flat. Female gaurs are much smaller, their horns are shorter and thinner. The hair is dense, short, adjacent to the body, the color is shiny black, less often dark brown, and the animals have white “stockings” on their legs. Although the gaur's range covers a vast area including India, Nepal, Burma, Assam and the Indochina and Malacca peninsulas, the population of this bull is small. In fact, it has been preserved only in national parks and reserves. Not only hunters are to blame for this, but also frequent epizootics of foot-and-mouth disease, plague and other diseases.

True, a strict ban on hunting throughout the entire territory and vigorous quarantine supervision seem to have marked a certain turning point in the situation of the gaur, and its numbers have increased somewhat in recent years. Gaur inhabits wooded areas, preferring mountain forests up to 2000 m above sea level. However, it avoids continuous forests with dense undergrowth and stays in cleared areas near clearings. However, gaur can also be found in bamboo jungles, as well as on grassy plains with bushes. He resolutely avoids cultivated lands. The gaur's favorite food is fresh grass, young bamboo shoots, and shoots of bushes. It needs regular watering and bathing, but, unlike buffaloes, it does not take mud baths. Gaurs graze early in the morning and before sunset, and sleep at night and at noon. Gaurs live in small groups, which usually include 1-2 adult bulls, 2-3 young bulls, 5-10 cows with calves and teenagers. Along with this, groups consisting only of young bulls are not uncommon. Adult strong males often leave the herd and lead the life of hermits.

In a herd of gaurs, a certain order is always observed. Calves usually stay together, and the entire “kindergarten” is under the vigilant protection of their mothers. The leader of the herd is often an old cow, which, when the herd runs away, is in the head or, conversely, in the rearguard. Old bulls, as observations have shown, do not participate in defense and do not even react to the alarm signal, which sounds like a high-pitched snort. Hearing such a snort, the remaining members of the herd freeze, raising their heads, and, if the source of the alarm is identified, the nearest animal emits a rumbling moo, according to which the herd takes up a battle formation. The gaur's method of attack is extremely interesting. Unlike other bulls, it attacks not with its forehead, but with its side, and lowers its head low and crouches somewhat on its hind legs, striking to the side with one horn. It has been noticed that in old bulls one of the horns is noticeably more worn than the other. Zoologist J. Schaller believes that this style of attack developed from the usual posture of imposing and threatening for gaurs, when the animal demonstrates its huge silhouette from the most impressive angle.

By the way, Gaur fights, as a rule, do not go further than demonstrations. The rutting period for gaurs begins in November and ends in March - April. At this time, single males join the herds, and fights between them are common. The peculiar calling roar of the gaur during the rut is similar to the roar of stag deer and can be heard in the evening or at night at a distance of more than one and a half kilometers. Pregnancy lasts 270-280 days, calving occurs more often in August - September. At the time of calving, the cow is removed from the herd and in the first days she is extremely cautious and aggressive. Usually she brings one calf, less often twins. The milk feeding period ends in the ninth month of the calf's life. Gaurs willingly form herds with sambars and other ungulates.

They are almost not afraid of tigers, although tigers occasionally attack young animals. The special friendship between gaurs and wild chickens is described by zoologist Olivier, who in 1955 was able to observe how a young rooster cleaned the festering, damaged horns of a female gaur every day for two weeks. Despite the pain of this operation, the cow, when she saw the rooster, laid her head on the ground and turned her horn towards the “orderly”. Ghayal is nothing more than a domesticated gaur. But as a result of domestication, the gayal has changed greatly: it is much smaller, lighter and weaker than the gaur, its muzzle is shorter, its forehead is wider, its horns are relatively short, very thick, straight, conical. Gayal is more phlegmatic and calmer than Gaur. However, gayals are kept differently from domestic cows in Europe.

They always graze in complete freedom, and when it is necessary to catch a gayal, they lure it with a piece of rock salt or tie a cow in the forest. Gayal is used for meat, in some places it is used as a draft force, and among some peoples of South Asia it serves as a kind of money or is used as a sacrificial animal. Gayala cows often mate with wild gaurs.

Gaur- the largest representative of the bovid family. Unfortunately, this mighty beauty is in danger of complete extinction, as deforestation reduces the habitat of the species.

HABITAT

Several populations of gaur are scattered throughout India, occurring in Myanmar (formerly Burma), Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. Gaur, as a rule, prefers tropical forests, under the shade of which one can hide from the scorching sun and eat fresh greens all year round. The animal feels best in the mountains, where it is found at altitudes of up to 2000 m. The abundance of green food in these areas allows the gaur to lead a sedentary lifestyle.

SECURITY

The number of gaurs in the wild is steadily declining, and their populations are becoming increasingly dispersed. At the beginning of the 20th century, this mighty bull was considered a valuable hunting trophy, and later uncontrolled deforestation led to a sharp reduction in the number of gaurs, and in some places they survived only in national parks. In some regions where human economic activity disturbs the daytime rest of animals, they have changed their daily rhythm and graze at night. Fortunately, gaurs reproduce well in artificial conditions. Nowadays, the Berlin Zoo maintains an international studbook for gaurs, listing all animals born in captivity in it.

LIFESTYLE

Gaurs are social animals. Their basic social unit is a herd consisting of adult females and their offspring. A typical herd numbers 10-12 animals. Outside the rutting period, he can be joined by an adult bull, who takes upon himself the protection of cows and calves. Young bulls leave their native herd for bachelor groups until they gain strength to compete for possession of a harem. The gaur devotes most of the day and night to grazing. Being a vegetarian, he eats grass with appetite and plucks leaves from trees. A mandatory item in his schedule is a daily watering hole. Despite its enormous strength, the gaur is timid and, sensing danger, tries to hide in the forest without a fight. The most formidable enemy of the gaur is the tiger, which attacks even adult males. When attacked, the animal desperately defends itself with its horns and sometimes gains the upper hand over the predator. When the nights become cold, herds of gaurs descend into the valleys, and at dawn they go back to the mountains. The massive body does not in any way prevent the animals from easily moving along steep slopes.

REPRODUCTION

The rutting period among gaurs is confined to the summer months: at this time, adult males start fights for the right to own females. When starting a duel, the bulls fill the forest with a loud roar, after which, standing sideways, they show each other their humps in an attempt to scare the opponent. Having found out that no one will leave the battlefield, the bulls rush to the attack and forcefully collide their foreheads. After the skirmish, the weak opponent leaves, and the strongest male joins the herd of cows and vigilantly guards his harem until the end of the rut. From time to time, he sniffs the genitals of females to find out which of them has gone into heat, and, having found a suitable partner, pursues her until she allows him to mate with her. Having covered all the cows in the harem, the bull goes away and returns to the life of a hermit, but sometimes remains with his herd and protects it from enemies. Pregnancy among Gaurs lasts 270 days. Calves are born in the spring, when there is plenty of fresh greenery around. Shortly before calving, the female moves away from the herd to a secluded place. The birth occurs quickly, the calf is born strong, well developed and immediately tries to stand on its feet. The mother continuously monitors the surroundings to protect the baby from danger, and on the fourth day she brings the calf to the herd. The cub is constantly kept with the mother, and during the first two months it feeds only on milk. Later, the young gaur gradually switches to solid food, although for a long time it supplements it with milk. As the calf grows, it becomes more independent, spends less time with its mother and plays more often with peers. The female reaches sexual maturity at 3 years of age and remains in the mother's group. A three-year-old male leaves his native herd and joins a group of bachelors. By the age of 5-6 years, a young bull is already strong enough to fight for the right to continue his race.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The gauru requires almost no sleep. During the day, the animal often takes a nap for a few minutes - in total no more than an hour.
• A large fold of skin under the neck acts as a thermostat, helping the animal remove excess heat from the body.
• Gaurs use two types of sounds to communicate: a loud snort warns of danger, and during the rutting season, bulls roar deafeningly.
• Thousands of years ago, people domesticated many species of bovids and to this day breed them for meat, milk, hides and wool, and also as draft animals. A domesticated variety of gaur is the gayal, found in India and Indochina. Local residents breed it for its tasty, fat-rich meat.
• Gaurs often graze with herds of livestock, exposing themselves to great danger. Having no immunity to diseases of domestic animals, they easily become infected and die in droves from epizootics of foot-and-mouth disease or plague.
• A close relative of the gaur, the kouprey (Bos sauveli) was first described only in 1935. According to scientists, the kouprey comes from a wild variety of the domesticated buffalo. It is somewhat smaller than the gaur and lighter in build, and its horns are curved upward, like those of a yak.

RELATED SPECIES

The family of bovid animals is part of the order Artiodactyla. All representatives of this family, when walking, rely on a pair of middle toes protected by horny hooves. Most bovids form herds and only a few species form pairs or lead a solitary lifestyle.

Common hartebeest(Alcelaphus buselaphus) lives in almost all of Africa, except for its northern regions. The ribbed horns of an animal are spiral or lyre-shaped. Large herds of hartebeest roam the savannah along with other bovid species.

(Bos javanicus) lives in Southeast Asia. In the dry season it stays in the lowlands, and in the rainy season it moves to the mountains. Its horns are short and sharp. Lives in groups of up to 30 individuals, consisting of males and females with calves.

Gaur (Bos gaurus) , also known as the Indian bison, is the largest extant representative of the genus true bulls (Bos), native to South and Southeast Asia. The gaur has been included in the IUCN Red List of Vulnerable Species since 1986. Population declines in some parts of the range have been more than 70% over the last three generations. The species' demographic trends are stable in well-protected areas, and are also recovering in several areas that have been placed under protection.

Description

The body length of the gaur, including the head, is 2.5-3.3 m, the length of the tail ranges from 0.7 to 1.05. The height at the withers ranges from 1.65 to 2.3 m. The body weight of the gaur is 650-1500 kg. Adult males are approximately 25% larger and heavier than females. Males and females have paired horns, ranging from 0.6 to 1.15 m in length. The coat color varies from dark brown to reddish brown with white stockings on the legs. A characteristic hump is noticeable on the shoulders, which is the result of the process of lengthening the vertebrae.

Area

The geographical range of the gaur includes Nepal, India, Indochina and the Malay Peninsula.

Natural habitat

Prefers forested hills and nearby grassy meadows. Found at altitudes up to 1800 meters.

Nutrition

Classified as a herbivore. Gaur prefers green grass, but when there is a shortage of food, it can consume coarse, dry grasses, forbs and leaves.

Behavior

Gaur herds usually number from 8 to 11 individuals, but sometimes reach 40 individuals. The average habitat area is 78 square kilometers. Herds typically consist of one adult bull, several cows and offspring. Bulls can form their own herds when they reach sexual maturity, or become solitary. Hierarchy is present in all gaur herds.

Ritualized aggressive behavior is characteristic of both sexes to maintain their dominant status. Aggressive behavior is expressed by horizontal and vertical head movements. The degree of head movement activity indicates different levels of aggression.

Danger-signaling vocalizations include snorting and high-pitched moos. Bulls have two auxiliary sounds. One sound signals other members of the herd to stop and gather together. Another roaring sound that lasts up to several hours is made by gaur bulls during the mating period. Gaurs also use licking to communicate. Females lick their young to form strong bonds with them. Individuals lower in the hierarchy of the herd lick superior individuals. In addition, the male and female lick each other during mating.

Daily behavior of the gaur includes walking from the forest to grassy areas for morning feeding. In the afternoon, the gaurs rest. The next feeding occurs in the evening, and at night the herd returns to the forest to rest and sleep.

Reproduction

Gaurs breed at any time throughout the year, although females have a gap of 12 to 15 months between births. The estrus cycle is three weeks, the duration of estrus is from one to four days. Females leave the herd during childbirth. Usually, on days 270-280 of pregnancy, one calf is born, weighing about 23 kg. Calves feed on their mother's milk for up to nine months. Females become sexually mature at the age of two to three years. Although lifespan in the wild is unknown, one gaur in captivity has lived to be 26 years old.

Security status

The gaur population is in decline due to uncontrolled hunting, habitat modification and destruction. Among animals, the main threat comes from. It has been estimated that there are about 1,000 individuals left in the wild. Gaurs are also very sensitive to diseases in cattle. Diseases are spread by farm livestock that intersect with the gaur's habitat.