Gaur

This article is about the bovine animal. For other uses, see Gaur (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Gaur, West Bengal.

Gaur
Bos gaurus
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Subfamily:	Bovinae
Genus:	Bos
Species:	B. gaurus
Binomial name
Bos gaurus Smith, 1827
Synonyms
Bos gour Hardwicke, 1827 Bos cavifrons Hodgson, 1837, Bibos subhemachalanus Hodgson, 1837 Bos gaur Sundevall, 1846 Bos asseel Horsfield, 1851 Bubalibos annamiticus Heude, 1901

The gaur (Bos gaurus), also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations. Population trends are stable in well-protected areas, and are rebuilding in a few areas which had been neglected.^[1]

The word gaur is pronounced  /ˈɡaʊər/.

The gaur is the largest species of wild cattle, bigger than the African buffalo, the extinct aurochs, and wild water buffalo. The domesticated form of the gaur, Bos frontalis, is called gayal or mithun.

The Malayan gaur is called seladang, and the Burmese gaur is called pyoung.^[2]

Characteristics

Gaur bull with the typical high dorsal ridge

Dimensions of gaur horns

The gaur has a body length of 250 to 330 cm (8.2 to 10.8 ft) with a 70 to 105 cm (28 to 41 in) long tail, and is 165 to 220 cm (5.41 to 7.2 ft) high at the shoulder. Weight is 650 to 1,000 kg (1,400 to 2,200 lb). Males are about one-fourth larger and heavier than females.^[3] Body weight may reach 1,500 kg (3,300 lb).^[4]

The 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.^[5]

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 spinous processes 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.^[5]

Horns grow to a length of 60 to 115 cm (24 to 45 in).^[3] Both sexes carry horns, which 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.^[5] 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 is more strongly marked in the bulls than in the cows.

Gaur have highly muscular bodies, with distinctive dorsal ridges and large dewlaps, forming a very powerful appearance. Dorsal ridges and dewlaps of females are less developed.

Gaur are said to look like water buffalo at the front and domestic cattle at the back due to their heavily muscled and enlarged forequarters compared to their relatively small hindquarters. They are the heaviest and most powerful of all wild cattle, and are among the largest living land animals. Only elephants, rhinos and hippos consistently grow larger, and the weight of the largest subspecies of gaur roughly matches that of the giraffe.

Distribution and habitat

Malayan gaur locally called seladang

Indian gaur

Gaur bull in Nagarhole National Park

Gaur historically occurred throughout mainland South and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, China, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and India. Today, the species is seriously fragmented within its range, and regionally extinct in Sri Lanka.^[1]

They are largely confined to evergreen forests or semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, but also occur in dry deciduous forest areas at the periphery of their range. Gaur habitat is characterized by large, relatively undisturbed forest tracts, hilly terrain below an altitude of 5,000 to 6,000 ft (1,500 to 1,800 m), availability of water, and an abundance of forage in the form of grasses, bamboo, shrubs, and trees. Their apparent preference for hilly terrain may be partly due to the earlier conversion of most of the plains and other low-lying areas to croplands and pastures.^[6] They occur from sea level up to at least 2,800 m (9,200 ft) altitude. Low-lying areas seem to comprise optimal habitat.^[7]

In Vietnam, several areas in Dak Lak Province were known to contain gaur in 1997.^[8] Several herds persist in Cat Tien National Park and in adjacent state forest enterprises.^[9] The current status of the gaur population is poorly known; they may be in serious decline.^[1]

In Cambodia, gaur declined considerably in the period from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. The most substantial population of the country remained in Mondulkiri Province, where up to 1000 individuals may have survived in a forested landscape of over 15,000 km² (5,800 sq mi).^[10] Results of camera trapping carried out in 2009 suggested a globally significant population of gaur in the Mondulkiri Protected Forest and the contiguous Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary.^[11]

In Laos, up to 200 individuals were estimated to inhabit protected area boundaries in the mid–1990s.^[12] They were reported discontinuously distributed in low numbers. Overhunting had reduced the population, and survivors occurred mainly in remote sites. Fewer than six National Biodiversity Conservation Areas held more than 50 individuals. Areas with populations likely to be nationally important included the Nam Theun catchment and the adjoining plateau.^[13] Subsequent surveys carried out a decade later using fairly intensive camera trapping did not record any gaur any more, indicating a massive decline of the population.^[1]

In China, gaur occur in heavily fragmented populations in Yunnan and southeast Tibet. By the 1980s, they were extirpated in Lancang County, and the remaining animals were split into two populations, viz. in Xishuangbanna–Simao and Cangyuan. In the mid-1990s, a population of 600–800 individuals may have lived in Yunnan Province, with the majority occurring in Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve.^[1]

In Thailand, gaur were once found throughout the country, but less than 1,000 individuals were estimated to have remained in the 1990s. In the mostly semi-evergreen Dong Phayayen – Khao Yai Forest Complex, they were recorded at low density at the turn of the century, with an estimated total of about 150 individuals.^[14]

In Bangladesh, a few gaur were thought to occur in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Sylhet, and Mymensingh areas in the early 1980s, but none had been seen in Pablakhali Wildlife Sanctuary situated in the Hill Tracts since the early 1970s.^[15] Individuals from Mizoram and Tripura cross into Bangladesh.^[7]

In Bhutan, they apparently persist all over the southern foothill zone, notably in Royal Manas National Park, Phipsoo Wildlife Sanctuary and Khaling Wildlife Sanctuary.^[7]

In Nepal, the gaur population was estimated to be 250–350 in the mid-1990s, with the majority in Chitwan National Park and the adjacent Parsa Wildlife Reserve. Population trends appeared to be relatively stable.^[1] The Chitwan population has increased from 188 to 296 animals in the years 1997 to 2007; a census conducted in Parsa Wildlife Reserve confirmed the presence of 37 gaur in May 2008.^[16]

In India, the population was estimated to be 12,000–22,000 in the mid-1990s. The Western Ghats and their outflanking hills in southern India constitute one of the most extensive extant strongholds of gaur, in particular in the Wynaad – Nagarahole – Mudumalai – Bandipur complex.^[17] The populations in India, Bhutan and Bangladesh are estimated to comprise 23,000–34,000 individuals.^[7] Major populations of about 2,000 individuals have been reported in both Nagarahole and Bandipur National Parks, over 1,000 individuals in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project, 500–1000 individuals in both Periyar Tiger Reserve and Silent Valley and adjoining forest complexes, and over 800 individuals in Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary.^[1]

Ecology and behaviour

Wild gaur at a salt lick in Nagarhole National Park at Kabini

Where gaur have not been disturbed, they are basically diurnal. In other areas, they have become largely nocturnal due to molestation by people. In central India, they are most active at night, and are rarely seen in the open after 8 o'clock in the morning. During the dry season, herds congregate and remain in small areas, dispersing into the hills with the arrival of the monsoon. While gaur depend on water for drinking, they do not seem to bathe or wallow.^[3]

In January and February, gaur live in small herds of eight to 11 individuals, one of which is a bull. In April or May, more bulls may join the herd for mating, and individual bulls may move from herd to herd, each mating with many cows. In May or June, they leave the herd and may form herds of bulls only or live alone. Herds wander 2–5 kilometres (1.2–3.1 mi) each day. Each herd has a nonexclusive home range, and sometimes herds may join in groups of 50 or more.^[18] The average population density is about 0.6 animals per square kilometre (1.5 animals per square mile), with herds having home ranges of around 80 square kilometres (31 sq mi).

Gaur herds are led by an old adult female (the matriarch). Adult males may be solitary. During the peak of the breeding season, unattached males wander widely in search of receptive females. No serious fighting between males has been recorded, with size being the major factor in determining dominance. Males make a mating call of clear, resonant tones which may carry for more than 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi). Gaur have also been known to make a whistling snort as an alarm call, and a low, cow-like moo.^[19]

In some regions in India where human disturbance is minor, the gaur is very timid and shy. When alarmed, gaur crash into the jungle at a surprising speed. However, in Southeast Asia and South India, where they are used to the presence of humans, gaur are said by locals to be very bold and aggressive. They are frequently known to go into fields and graze alongside domestic cattle, sometimes killing them in fights. Gaur bulls may charge unprovoked, especially during summer, when the heat and parasitic insects make them more short-tempered than usual. To warn other members of its herd of approaching danger, the gaur lets out a high whistle for help.^[20]

Due to their formidable size and power, gaur have few natural enemies. Leopards and dhole packs occasionally attack unguarded calves or unhealthy animals, but only the tiger and the saltwater crocodile have been reported to kill a full-grown adult. When confronted by a tiger, the adult members of a gaur herd often form a circle surrounding the vulnerable young and calves, shielding them from the big cat. A herd of gaur in Malaysia encircled a calf killed by a tiger and prevented it from approaching the carcass.^[6] In Nagarahole National Park, upon sensing a stalking tiger, a herd of gaur walked as a menacing phalanx towards it, forcing the tiger to retreat and abandon the hunt. Gaur are not as aggressive toward humans as wild Asian water buffaloes.^[21]

There are several cases of tigers being killed by gaur. In one instance, a tiger was repeatedly gored and trampled to death by a gaur during a prolonged battle.^[22] A large male tiger carcass was found beside a small, broken tree in Nagarahole National Park, having been fatally struck against the tree by a large bull gaur a few days earlier.^[23]

Feeding

Adina cordifolia (Haldina) tree leaves

Wild gaur graze and browse on a wider variety of plants than any other ungulate species of India, with a preference for the upper portions of plants, such as leaf blades, stems, seeds and flowers of grass species, including kadam.^[24]

During a survey in the Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park, 32 species of plants were identified as food for gaur. They consume herbs, young shoots, flowers, fruits of elephant apple with a high preference for leaves. Food preference varies by season. In winter and monsoon, they feed on preferably fine and fresh grasses and herb species of the legume family, such as tick clover, but also browse on leaves of shrub species such as karvy, Indian boxwood, mallow-leaved crossberry, East-Indian screw tree and chaste tree. In summer, they also feed on bark of teak, on fruit of golden shower tree, and on the bark and fruit of cashew. Gaur spent most of their daily time feeding. Peak feeding activity was observed between 6:30 and 8:30 am and between 5:30 and 6:45 pm. During the hottest hours of the day, 1:30 to 3:30 pm, they rest in the shade of big trees.^[25]

They may debark trees due to shortages of preferred food, and of minerals and trace elements needed for their nutrition, or for maintaining an optimum fiber/protein ratio for proper digestion of food and better assimilation of nutrients. They may turn to available browse species and fibrous teak bark in summer as green grass and herbaceous resources dry up. High concentrations of calcium (22400 ppm) and phosphorus (400 ppm) have been reported in teak bark, so consumption of teak bark may help animals to satisfy both mineral and other food needs. Long-term survival and conservation of these herbivores depend on the availability of preferred plant species for food. Hence, protection of the historically preferred habitats used by gaur is a significant factor in conservation biology.^[25]

Reproduction

Gaur have one calf (or occasionally two) after a gestation period of about 275 days, about nine months, a few days less than domestic cattle. Calves are typically weaned after seven to 12 months. Sexual maturity occurs in the gaur's second or third year. Breeding takes place year-round, but typically peaks between December and June. The lifespan of a gaur in captivity is up to 30 years.^[18]

Threats

In Laos, gaurs are highly threatened by poaching for trade to supply international markets, but also by opportunistic hunting, and specific hunting for home consumption.^[13] In the 1990s, they were particularly sought by Vietnamese poachers for their commercial value.^[12]

In Thailand, gaurs are highly threatened by poaching for commercial trade in meat and trophies.^[14]

Conservation

Bos gaurus is listed in CITES Appendix I, and is legally protected in all range states.^[1]

Taxonomy

Illustration of bull gaur^[5]

In his first description of 1804, Aylmer Bourke Lambert applied the binomial Bos frontalis to a domestic specimen probably from Chittagong. In 1827, Charles Hamilton Smith applied the binomial Bos gaurus to the wild species occurring near Mainpat in the Sarguja Tributary States of India. Later authors subordinated the species under either Bos or Bibos.^[26]

In 2003, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature has fixed the first available specific name based on a wild population that the name for this wild species is valid by virtue of its being antedated by a name based on a domestic form. Most authors have adopted the binomial Bos gaurus for the wild species as valid for the taxon.^[27]

Traditionally, three subspecies of Bos gaurus have been recognized:

• B. g. gaurus described by Smith in 1827 from central India;^[26] ranging to Nepal and Bhutan;^[28]
• B. g. readei described by Lydekker in 1903 from the hill forests of Upper Burma as ranging to Tenasserim;^[28]
• B. g. hubbacki described by Lydekker in 1907 from Pahang as ranging in peninsular Malaysia and probably northward to Tenasserim.^[28]

This classification, based largely on differences in coloration and size, is no longer widely recognized.^[29]

In recognition of phenotypic differences between Indian and Southeast Asian specimens, the trinominals Bos gaurus gaurus and Bos gaurus laosiensis are provisionally accepted pending further morphometric and genetic study.^[1]

Cloning

At 7:30 pm on 8 January 2001, the first successful birth of a cloned animal that is a member of an endangered species occurred, a gaur named Noah at Trans Ova Genetics in Sioux Center, Iowa. He was carried and brought successfully to term by a surrogate mother from another more common species, in this case a domestic cow named Bessie. While healthy at birth, Noah died within 48 hours of a common dysentery, likely unrelated to cloning.^[30]

Miscellaneous

The word gaur (Sanskrit: gau) is cognate with the English word "cow".

The gaur is the mascot for Malaysian football team, Perak FA.

The popular energy drink "Red Bull" is made by an Austrian firm under licence from a Thailand company who originally invented and marketed it in Southeast Asia. The original name of the drink in Thai is "Gratin Daang" which means "Red Gaur" (gratin is "gaur" in Thai).

On 2nd August 2011, a 17-year old male gaur named "Mani" was found gored to death in his enclosure, by a younger male allegedly over fight for mate at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Chennai. The zoo officials reported Mani was the oldest of the herd of gaur living in the zoo, and added that this is an unusual incident.^[31]

See also

• Anoa
• Wild water buffalo
• Drawings by Douglas Hamilton
• Domestic Asian water buffalo
• Banteng
• Zebu, the common type of cattle from India: gaur may have contributed to some breeds.
• Aurochs
• Largest organisms
• Manjampatti white bison

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} "Bos gaurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. International Union for Conservation of Nature. 2008. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/2891. 
2. ^ Hubback, T. R. (1937) The Malayan gaur or seladang. Journal of Mammalogy 18: 267–279
3. ^ ^{a b c} Nowak, R. M. (1999) Walker's Mammals of the World. Volume 1. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA and London, UK. Pages 1158–1159.
4. ^ Smith, A. T., Xie, Y. (eds.) (2008) A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton Oxforshire. Page 472.
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Lydekker, R. 1888–1890 The new natural history Volume 2. Printed by order of the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), London
6. ^ ^{a b} Schaller, G. (1967) The Deer and the Tiger: a study of wildlife in India. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
7. ^ ^{a b c d} Choudhury, A. (2002) Distribution and conservation of the Gaur Bos gaurus in the Indian Subcontinent. Mammal Review 32: 199–226.
8. ^ Le Xuan Canh, Pham Trong Anh, Duckworth, J. W., Vu Ngoc Thanh, Lic Vuthy (1997) A survey of large mammals in Dak Lak Province, Viet Nam. Unpublished report to IUCN and WWF. Hanoi, Viet Nam.
9. ^ Polet, G..Ling, S. (2004) Protecting mammal diversity: opportunities and constraints for pragmatic conservation management in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam. Oryx 38 (2): 186
10. ^ Tordoff, A. W., Timmins, R. J., Maxwell, A., Huy Keavuth, Lic Vuthy, Khou Eang Hourt (eds.) (2005) Biological assessment of the Lower Mekong Dry Forests Ecoregion. WWF Greater Mekong Programme. Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
11. ^ Channa, P., Sovanna, P., Gray, T. N. E. (2010) Recent camera trap records of globally threatened species from the Eastern Plains Landscape, Mondulkiri. Cambodian Journal of Natural History 2010 (2): 89–93.
12. ^ ^{a b} Timmins, R. J., Evans, T. D. (1996) Wildlife and Habitat Survey of the Nakai-Nam Theun National Biodiversity Conservation Area, Khammouan and Bolikhamsai Provinces, Lao PDR. A report to Centre for Protected Areas and Watershed Management, Department of Forestry, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
13. ^ ^{a b} Duckworth, JW, Salter, RE and Khounboline, K. (compilers) (1999) Wildlife in Lao PDR: 1999 Status Report. Vientiane: IUCN – The World Conservation Union / Wildlife Conservation Society / Centre for Protected Areas and Watershed Management.
14. ^ ^{a b} Lynam, A. J., Round, P. and Brockelman, W. Y. (2006) Status of birds and large mammals of the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, Thailand. Biodiversity Research and Training Program and Wildlife Conservation Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
15. ^ Khan, M. A. R. (1985) Future conservation priorities for Bangladesh. Paper prepared for the 25th working session of IUCN's Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas, 4–8 February 1985. Corbett National Park, India
16. ^ WWF Nepal (2008) Gaur count in Parsa Wildlife Reserve. EcoCircular Newsletter Vol. 44 No. 8, June 2008
17. ^ Ranjitsinh, M. K. (1997) Beyond the Tiger: Portraits of Asian Wildlife. Birajbasi Printers, New Delhi, India.
18. ^ ^{a b} Burton, Robert (2002). International Wildlife Encyclopedia (3 ed.). Marshall Cavendish. pp. 936–938. ISBN 9780761472667. http://books.google.com/books?id=P0_AD0v7vl0C&lpg=PA937&pg=PA937#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
19. ^ Huffman, Brent (2004). "Bos frontalis – Gaur". ultimateungulate.com. http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Bos_frontalis.html. 
20. ^ Sanderson, George P. (1907). "XVIII, XVIV". Thirteen Years Among the Wild Beasts of India: Their Haunts and Habits from Personal Observation (6th ed.). Edinburgh: John Grant. pp. 243–265. http://books.google.com/?id=6CGNlxDn-GUC&pg=PA1&dq=%22Thirteen+years+among+the+wild+beasts+of+India:+their+haunts+and+habits%22+Indian+Bison&q=. 
21. ^ Perry, R. (1965). The World of the Tiger. pp. 260. ASIN: B0007DU2IU. 
22. ^ Sunquist, M., Sunquist, F. (2002) Wild Cats of the World. University Of Chicago Press, Chicago
23. ^ Karanth, U., Nichols, J., Kumar, N. S., Link, W. A., Hines, J. E. (2002) Monitoring Tigers and Their Prey: a manual for researchers, managers, and conservationists. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101 (14): 4854–4858.
24. ^ Shukla, R., Khare, P.K. (1998) Food habits of wild ungulates and their competition with live stock in Pench Wildlife Reserve central India. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 95(3): 418–421.
25. ^ ^{a b} Gad, S. D.; Shyama, S. K. (2009). "Studies on the food and feeding habits of Gaur Bos gaurus H. Smith (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Bovidae) in two protected areas of Goa". Journal of Threatened Taxa 1 (2): 128–130. http://threatenedtaxa.org/ZooPrintJournal/2009/February/o158926ii09128-130.pdf. 
26. ^ ^{a b} Ellerman, J. R., Morrison-Scott, T. C. S. (1966) Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals 1758 to 1946. Second edition. British Museum of Natural History, London
27. ^ Gentry, A. Clutton-Brock, J., Groves, C. P. (2004) The naming of wild animal species and their domestic derivatives. Journal of Archaeological Science 31: 645–651
28. ^ ^{a b c} Lydekker, R. (1913) Catalogue of the ungulate mammals in the British Museum (natural history) Volume 1. Printed by order of the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), London.
29. ^ Corbet, G.B., Hill, J.E. (1992) The mammals of the Indomalayan Region: a systematic review. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198546939
30. ^ Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (1-12-2001). "Press Release - First cloned endangered animal was born at 7:30 pm on Monday, 8 January 2001". Archived from the original on 31 May 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080531142827/http://www.advancedcell.com/press-release/advanced-cell-technology-inc-announced-that-the-first-cloned-endangered-animal-was-born-at-730-pm-on-monday-january-8-2001. 
31. ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Bison-lock-horns-in-Vandalur-zoo-older-one-gored-to-death/articleshow/9462484.cms

External links

• Video of tigers and gaurs
• Video of gaur
• ARKive: images and movies of the gaur (Bos frontalis)
• Images of Indian gaur
• Gaur in Bandhipur