Gaur
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Gaur
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With its rich dark coat and long white socks, the guar is the largest and most impressive of all the wild cattle. The rare animal lives in a few mountainous forest areas in Asia. The gaur is a wild ox that lives mainly in small herds of no more than a dozen animals. Active during the day and most of the night, the gaur alternates between grazing, chewing cud, and sleeping for short spells.
Habits: the gaur lives in herds to protect itself. Its main enemy is the tiger, which can kill a full grown adult. Related females and their young make up the largest herds. They are joined by a mature bull during breeding season. Individual bulls sometimes say with the cows all year and keep watch for predators. The gaur benefits from sharing its range with wild pigs, deer, and birds that give loud warnings if there is an enemy approaching.
The gaur favors upland tropical forests. In the high mountain areas where it resides, cold is not a problem. But this wild ox needs woodland to protect it from the burning midday sun. In place of the long, hairy coat of yak and bison from cold climates, the gaur has folds of loose skin that hang from the neck, known as dewlaps. It also has a hairy hump called the dorsal ridge. Both disperse body heat to cool the animal.
Breeding: The gaur mates in summer, and the young are born in spring when grass is plentiful. A bull knows when a cow is in heat (ready to mate) by sniffing her genitals and her urine. He then challenges his rivals for a chance to mate with her. Fighting is rare. Instead, the winner is usually the one that threatens loudest. The dominant bull may mate with 10 cows in one season, but the hierarchy of bulls changes regularly. A cow leaves her herd to give birth alone. She keeps a careful watch for predators, since unattended calves are often killed by tigers.
About four days after birth, the mother and calf rejoin the herd. The calf soon copies its mother's feeding posture. It noses the ground but does not yet nibble the grass. The calf remains close to its mother and nurses for about two months. The young are very playful, Chasing each other and leaping around. But they are closely guarded on all sides by the cows. Young cows mature in the herd. At three years the bull joins a bachelor group.
Food & Feeding: The gaur grazes most of the day, although it takes time off early in the morning and in the afternoon to sleep and to chew cud (regurgitated food). Glades within the forest provide grass, but the gaur may also feed on lower slopes in the cool of the evening. Despite its size and bulk, the gaur is agile and can climb down steep gullies for food. The gaur grazes at night as well. Research suggests that wild cattle rarely sleep longer than an hour in any 24 hour period. Even this short period of sleep is made up of a large number of short, five minute naps. In area where a herd is constantly disturbed, this timetable may be confused.
Key Facts:
Sizes:
Length: 8 to 10 ft
Height: About 5 ft
Horn Length: Male, up to 31/2 ft
Weight: Female, 1,500lb, Males, 2,100
lbs
Breeding:
Sexual maturity: Female, 3 years, Males,
much later
Breeding season: Summer
Gestation: 9 months
No. of young: 1
Lifestyle: Habit: Forms
small herds
Diet: Grass, herds, and shrubs
Calls: Sharp, loud snort for alarm. Long,
loud bellow for bull's mating call.
Related Species: The gayal is a domesticated
form of the gaur. It is slightly smaller and is highly valued for the quality
of its meat and hide.
Distribution: Scattered herds on the Indian
peninsula, Mayanmar, Nepal, western Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand,
and Vietnam.
Conservation: The gaur is threatened
by a reduction in its upland forest habitat. There have probably never
been large numbers of gaur because their habitat requirements ar very specific.
Features of the Gaur:
Forehead: Raised ridge of bone between
horns. Lowered against opponent in threat display.
Dorsal hump: Flexed and displayed by the
bull to impress a rival with his bulk. In this way males can establish
dominance without fighting.
Dewlap: Lose folds of skin that give off
body heat and cool the animal.
Horns: 2 to 31/2 feet long, curing upward
and inward. Horns of old bulls are sometimes shorter because they are broken
or have worn down.
Did you know?
Wild cattle species often synchronize their actions.
When threatened, a herd of gaur all thump the ground with their forelegs
a in unison.
At one time the gaur was prized by big game hunters,
who considered it a challenging quarry because of its elusive habits.
Cattle farmers sometimes allow their herds to
share pastures with the gaur. This practice can endanger the wild herd,.
which may catch diseases, such as foot and mouth disease.
The gaur can attack a predator tiger and gore
it on its massive horns.