Mammals Codexery

Gaur

Largest living bovid, native to South and Southeast Asia.

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Gaur

Ghedoghedo · Public domain

Since 1986, the IUCN Red List has classified the gaur (Bos gaurus) as Vulnerable; this large bovine is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.[1] Among wild cattle and the Bovidae family, the gaur holds the distinction of being the biggest species.[2] A 2016 estimate placed the maximum number of mature gaur worldwide at 21,000, with India containing most of them.[2]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. InfraclassPlacentalia
  4. OrderArtiodactyla
  5. FamilyBovidae
  6. SubfamilyBovinae
  7. GenusBos
  8. SpeciesBos gaurus

Named by (Smith, 1827)

Close relatives

Other species of Bos with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Gaur (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Conservation status

Vulnerable (VU)

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU▲ this species
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2016

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

Where the gaur has been recorded

Where the gaur has been recorded2 mapped locations from 2,981 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Sioux Center, IowaSioux Center, Iowa

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (2,981 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 126 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Biology and range

The gaur has a head-and-body length of 250 to 330 cm and is 142 to 220 cm high at the shoulder.[3] The gaur historically occurred throughout mainland South and Southeast Asia, including Nepal, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and China.[1] The gaur is a bovine of great strength and mass, featuring a prominent convex ridge on its forehead situated between the horns.[4] Very old adult males can appear nearly black, while cows and younger bulls display a lighter brown coloration.[5]

Adult males weigh between 588 and 1500 kg and are roughly a quarter larger and heavier than their female counterparts.[3] The gaur's current distribution is heavily fragmented, and it no longer exists in Sri Lanka or Peninsular Malaysia.[1] Gaur habitat consists of expansive, mostly untouched forest areas, hilly terrain up to 1500–1800 m in elevation, and a consistent water source.[6] In locations where gaur herds face no disturbance, their activity is primarily during the daytime.[7]

Documented instances of adult gaur being killed are limited to attacks by tigers and saltwater crocodiles.[8][9]

What the specialist sources record

The Huffman account on ultimateungulate.com notes that three wild subspecies are generally recognized: B. f. gaurus of India, the Indochinese gaur B. f. readei, and the Malayan gaur B. f. hubbacki.[7] The same source states that the gaur is the only member of the subgenus Bibos, which has been elevated to a genus by some authorities.[7] According to Huffman, dominance among male gaur is primarily determined by size, and no serious fights between them have ever been documented.[7] That same encyclopedia indicates that breeding activity is highest from December through June, and the gestation period lasts approximately 275 days.[10][11]

A press release from Advanced Cell Technology states that the first cloned gaur was delivered on January 8, 2001, at Trans Ova Genetics in Sioux Center, Iowa.[12][13]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Gaur" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Duckworth, J. W., "Bos gaurus", 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Gaur" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Duckworth, J. W., "Bos gaurus", 2016; Hubback, T. R., "The Malayan gaur or seladang", Journal of Mammalogy, 1937, p. 267–279 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Gaur" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nowak, "Walker's Mammals of the World", Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999, p. 1158–1159; Ogilvie, C. S., "The behaviour of seladang (Bos gaurus)", Oryx, 1953, p. 167–169 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Gaur" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hassanin, A., "The Genetics of Cattle", Cabi, 2015, p. 1–18 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Gaur" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lydekker, "The new natural history", Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), 1888–1890, p. 175–180 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Gaur" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schaller, "The Deer and the Tiger: a study of wildlife in India", University of Chicago Press, 1967 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Huffman, "Bos frontalis – Gaur", ultimateungulate.com, 2004. facts only, no text reused. ultimateungulate.com
  8. Open Library record, ISBN 9780517070123 ("Alligators & Crocodiles"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Gaur" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour of Wild Cattle: Implications for Conservation", Cambridge University Press, 2014; Guggisberg, "Crocodiles. Their Natural History, Folklore and Conservation", David & Charles Limited, 1972; Penny, "Alligators and Crocodiles", Crescent Books, 1991 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Open Library record, ISBN 9780761472667 ("International Wildlife Encyclopedia (22 Vol. Set)"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Gaur" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Burton, "International Wildlife Encyclopedia", Marshall Cavendish, 2002, p. 936–938 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., "Press Release – First cloned endangered animal was born at 7:30 pm on Monday, 8 January 2001", 2001. facts only, no text reused. advancedcell.com
  13. Wikipedia, "Gaur" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., "Press Release – First cloned endangered animal was born at 7:30 pm on Monday, 8 January 2001", 2001 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Gaur (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Same family (Bovidae)

African buffalo Syncerus cafferAmerican bison Bison bison

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. To which genus does the gaur belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Bos.

2. What is the IUCN Red List category of the gaur?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Vulnerable.

3. To which biological family does the gaur belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Bovidae.

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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