ANIMAL: Gaur Bos gaurus Type of Animal: Cattle Habitat: Grassland, hill forest, evergreen/semi-evergreen forest, deciduous forest, savanna forest, savanna, wet forest, monsoon forest, grassy clearings, jungle Location(s): India, S.E. Asia, Nepal, Bhutan Appearance: Bull dark brown-black w/ distinctive dorsal ridge, cow brown, upwardly curved horns smaller on cow, cows have much less prominent hump. Largest wild cattle species. Food/Diet: Grass, browse, herbs, leaves, creepers, twigs, fruit, seeds, bark, bamboo, corn, cassava, young trees Status in Wild: Threatened Conservation: Breeding from zoos, wildlife parks, & breeding centers. Domesticated gaur called gayal or mithun are raised for meat. Lifestyle: Cows & calves live in herds of 8-10, accompanied by a bull. Other bulls live in separate bachelor herds. Additional Info: Called: Male-Bull Female-Cow Young-Calf Group-Herd Weight: Male-2,200-3,300 lbs Female-1,500-2,200 lbs Young-900 lbs Gestation: 8.5-9 months Height: Male-5.11-6.28 ft Female-5-6.2 ft Body Length: Male-10 ft Female-8 ft Life Span: 20 years in wild, up to 30 years in captivity Tail Length: Male-3 ft Female-2.98 ft Main predators of adults are tigers, crocodiles, & dholes. Leopards prey on calves. Fights between bulls fierce, sometimes resulting in death. Threatened due to logging/deforestation, habitat loss, hunting for meat/horns/sport, diseases transmitted by domestic cattle, & hybridization w/ domestic cattle. They’ve been known to gore predators to death w/ their sharp horns. Sexually mature at 2 years old. Bulls make roaring call during rut that carries on for more than 1 mile. They make whistling snort as an alarm call. Sometimes called the Asian Bison. Fun Fact(s): Famous drink “Red Bull” based on Thai drink “Gratin Daang” meaning “red gaur.” They’ve been known to produce fertile hybrids w/ Banteng (another wild cattle species). A gaur was cloned in 2001 but calf died of dysentery 2 days layer. Known as seladang in Malaysia & pyoung in Burma. Known to be extremely dangerous & unpredictable, especially cows w/ calves & bulls in breeding season (rut).
