Gaur

The gaur (pronounced /ˈɡaʊər/) (Bos gaurus, previously Bibos gauris) is a large, dark-coated forest animal of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The largest populations are found today in India. The gaur belongs to the Bovinae subfamily, which also includes bison, domestic cattle, yak and water buffalo. The gaur is the largest species of wild cattle, bigger than the African buffalo, the extinct aurochs (the ancestor of domestic cattle), wild water buffalo or bison. It is also called seladang or, in the context of safari tourism, Indian bison. The domesticated form of the gaur is called gayal or mithun.

 

Gaur are said to look like water buffalo at the front and domestic cattle. They are the heaviest and most powerful of all wild cattle, and are among the largest living land animals; only elephants, rhinos, and hippos grow larger. Males have highly muscular bodies, with distinctive dorsal ridges and large dewlaps, forming a very powerful appearance. Females are substantially smaller, and their dorsal ridges and dewlaps are less developed. Their dark brown coats are short and dense. There are dewlaps under the chin which extend between the front legs. They have shoulder humps, especially pronounced in adult males.

 

Body length: 250–360 centimetres (8–10 ft)

Shoulder height: 170–220 centimetres (6–7 ft) On average, males stand about 180–190 centimetres (5 ft 11 in–6 ft 2.8 in) at the shoulder, females about 20 centimetres (8 in) less.

Tail length: 70–100 centimetres (28–39 in)

Weight: Males often 1,000–1,500 kilograms (2,200–3,300 lb), females 700–1,000 kilograms (1,500–2,200 lb) Weights vary between subspecies. Among the three subspecies, the southeast Asian gaur are the largest, and the Malayan gaur, or seladang, are the smallest. Male Indian gaur average 1,300 kilograms (2,900 lb), and the largest individuals may exceed 2,000 kilograms (4,400 lb)[citation needed]; whereas Malayan gaur usually weigh 1,000–1,300 kilograms (2,200–2,900 lb). The largest of all gaur, the southeast Asian gaur, weigh about 1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb) for an average male.

 

Gaur bull with the typical high dorsal ridgeThe gaur has a high convex ridge on the forehead between the horns, which bends forward, causing a deep hollow in the profile of the upper part of the head. There is a prominent ridge on the back. The ears are very large; the tail only just reaches the hocks, and in old bulls the hair becomes very thin on the back.

 

In colour, the adult male gaur is dark brown, approaching black in very old individuals; the upper part of the head, from above the eyes to the nape of the neck, is, however, ashy gray, or occasionally dirty white; the muzzle is pale coloured, and the lower part of the legs are pure white or tan. The cows and young bulls are paler, and in some instances have a rufous tinge, which is most marked in individuals inhabiting dry and open districts.

 

Horns are found in both sexes, and grow from the sides of the head, curving upwards. They are regularly curved throughout their length, and are bent inward and slightly backward at their tips. The colour of the horns is some shade of pale green or yellow throughout the greater part of their length, but the tips are black. They grow to a length of 32–80 centimetres (13–31 in). A bulging grey-tan ridge connects the horns on the forehead. The horns are flattened to a greater or less degree from front to back, more especially at their bases, where they present an elliptical cross-section; this characteristic being more strongly marked in the bulls than in the cows.

 

The tail is shorter than in the typical oxen, reaching only to the hocks. The animals have a distinct ridge running from the shoulders to the middle of the back; the shoulders may be as much as 12 centimetres (5 in) higher than the rump. This ridge is caused by the great length of the spines of the vertebrae of the fore-part of the trunk as compared with those of the loins. The hair is short, fine and glossy, and the hooves are narrow and pointed

 

Wild Animal Park Escondido Ca.

Done