Wild cows. Wild forest bull - wild Yak

Biggest wild bull in the world November 2nd, 2013

Typically, herbivorous megafauna are represented as a group consisting of elephants, rhinoceroses and giraffes. However, one of the most specific representatives of megafauna is the Indian bull. With a height of under 3 meters (10 feet), the gaur is a truly gigantic animal, and the largest wild cow in the world. This massive creature with truly enormous horns can tear through the forests and fields of India, sometimes destroying gardens as well.

This species is critically endangered, although it is immune to most threats and weighs up to 1,600 kg (3,500 lb). Among the megafauna that can break their way through tropical vegetation, only elephants, rhinoceroses or giraffes can do more and taller. The gaur is more docile than the African buffalo, but sometimes human casualties occur. There was a case when a tiger attacked a gaur. Gaur literally tore the tiger in half.

Let's find out more about them...

Few wild bulls can compare with the gaur in beauty, strength and size. This is perhaps the most big bull world, and therefore the largest representative of the bovid family, both today and in prehistoric times. The gaur's skull is 68 cm long - larger than any skull of a giant bison. It is not only the largest and strongest, but also the most beautiful of the bulls.

The gaur is sometimes called the Asian bison, and indeed, in its build it is slightly reminiscent of its American relative. Gaura is distinguished from other bulls by its very powerful physique, prominent muscles and impressive appearance.

If the appearance of the African buffalo can symbolize indomitable power, then the gaur personifies calm confidence and strength. The height at the withers of old males reaches 213 cm, weight -800-1000 kg. Thick and massive horns from the base bend slightly down and back, and then up and slightly inward. Their length in males reaches 100-115 spruce, and the distance between the ends is 120 cm. The forehead is wide and flat. Female gaurs are much smaller, their horns are shorter and thinner. Hairline dense, short, adjacent to the body, the color is shiny black, less often dark brown, the animals have white “stockings” on their legs. Although the gaur's range covers a vast area including India, Nepal, Burma, Assam and the Indochina and Malacca peninsulas, the population of this bull is small. In fact, it was preserved only in national parks and reserves. Not only hunters are to blame for this, but also frequent epizootics of foot-and-mouth disease, plague and other diseases.

Is it true, strict ban hunting throughout the entire territory and vigorous quarantine supervision seemed to have marked a certain turning point in the situation of the gaur, and its numbers in last years increased slightly. Gaur inhabits wooded areas, preferring mountain forests up to 2000 m above sea level. However, it avoids continuous forests with dense undergrowth and stays in cleared areas near clearings. However, gaur can also be found in bamboo jungles, as well as on grassy plains with bushes. He resolutely avoids cultivated lands. Gaur's favorite food is fresh grass, young bamboo shoots, bush shoots. It needs regular watering and bathing, but, unlike buffaloes, it does not take mud baths. Gaurs graze early in the morning and before sunset, and sleep at night and at noon. Gaurs live in small groups, which usually include 1-2 adult bulls, 2-3 young bulls, 5-10 cows with calves and teenagers. Along with this, groups consisting only of young bulls are not uncommon. Adult strong males often leave the herd and lead the life of hermits.

In a herd of gaurs, a certain order is always observed. The calves usually stay together, and the whole kindergarten“is under the vigilant protection of mothers. The leader of the herd is often an old cow, which, when the herd runs away, is in the head or, conversely, in the rearguard. Old bulls, as observations have shown, do not participate in defense and do not even react to the alarm signal, which sounds like a high-pitched snort. Hearing such a snort, the remaining members of the herd freeze, raising their heads, and, if the source of the alarm is identified, the nearest animal emits a rumbling moo, according to which the herd takes up a battle formation. The gaur's method of attack is extremely interesting. Unlike other bulls, it attacks not with its forehead, but with its side, and lowers its head low and crouches somewhat on its hind legs, striking to the side with one horn. It has been noticed that in old bulls one of the horns is noticeably more worn than the other. Zoologist J. Schaller believes that this style of attack developed from the usual posture of imposing and threatening for gaurs, when the animal demonstrates its huge silhouette from the most impressive angle.

By the way, Gaur fights, as a rule, do not go further than demonstrations. The rutting period for gaurs begins in November and ends in March - April. At this time, single males join the herds, and fights between them are common. The peculiar calling roar of the gaur during the rut is similar to the roar of stag deer and can be heard in the evening or at night at a distance of more than one and a half kilometers. Pregnancy lasts 270-280 days, calving occurs more often in August - September. At the time of calving, the cow is removed from the herd and in the first days she is extremely cautious and aggressive. Usually she brings one calf, less often twins. The milk feeding period ends in the ninth month of the calf's life. Gaurs willingly form herds with sambars and other ungulates.

They are almost not afraid of tigers, although tigers occasionally attack young animals. The special friendship between gaurs and wild chickens is described by zoologist Olivier, who in 1955 was able to observe how a young rooster cleaned the festering, damaged horns of a female gaur every day for two weeks. Despite the pain of this operation, the cow, when she saw the rooster, laid her head on the ground and turned her horn towards the “orderly”. Ghayal is nothing more than a domesticated gaur. But as a result of domestication, the gayal has changed greatly: it is much smaller, lighter and weaker than the gaur, its muzzle is shorter, its forehead is wider, its horns are relatively short, very thick, straight, conical. Gayal is more phlegmatic and calmer than Gaur. However, gayals are kept differently from domestic cows in Europe.

They always graze on complete freedom, and when you need to catch a gayal, you lure it with a piece of rock salt or tie a cow in the forest. Gayal is used for meat, in some places it is used as a draft force, and among some peoples of South Asia it serves as a kind of money or is used as a sacrificial animal. Gayala cows often mate with wild gaurs.

The ancestor of the domesticated cow is the wild bull aurochs, which, according to scientists, existed on the planet more than 7,000 years ago. This type of livestock began to actively spread in households during the early Neolithic, following sheep, pigs and goats. Later people Other types of cattle also began to be bred. Initially, only the meat of wild cows and bulls was valued, but as it developed Agriculture people began to use cattle as draft power.

Description of the first ancestor of the modern cow

The first domesticated aurochs were incredibly hardy and productive. They had very long and massive horns.

Initially, a wild bull with huge horns served as a carrier of large cargo between the countries of Europe, Africa, Asia Minor and the Caucasus. The appearance of the wild ancestor of cattle had the following data:

• the muscular animal reached a mass of 800 kg;
• height could range from 170 to 180 cm;
• males had a characteristic black color with a narrow strip of white along the back;
• calves and adult females had brown coat color with a reddish tint.

The diet of ancient aurochs consisted of shoots, leaves of bushes and trees, as well as a variety of forest grass. Animals preferred to gather in small groups or live alone, and only in winter could they gather in herds.

The last tour died in 1627.

North American bison

IN North America home to the largest herbivorous species of wild large cattle- North American bison. This animal reaches a height of 2 m and a length of 3 m.

The anterior part of the body is expressed most massively, while the posterior part is characterized by poorly developed muscle mass. The head and part of the back of the animal are framed with felted wool. Bison have large horns, which are developed differently in each individual. Most often, the bison is characterized by a black color, but brown, gray or white representatives can be found.

North American bison are divided into steppe and forest bison. Wild steppe bulls are much smaller than forest bulls, have thicker hair and horns covered with bangs.

North American individuals love space, so they choose for their existence forest plains and clearings that transmit maximum light. Adult bison weigh more than a ton. Female individuals, although they have massive dimensions, do not reach such weight.

European bison

This type of cattle is difficult to distinguish from North American representatives, but if you look closely, you can see the characteristic key points their appearance. The European bison has a well-distinguished head against the background of the body and a square figure with a brownish color.

The body length of the bison reaches 3 m, height - 2 m. The animal has a dark brown coat. Males have a pronounced mane.

The European bison is endowed with excellent hearing and sense of smell, swims and jumps excellently. Its lifespan is from 30 to 40 years.

In ancient times, in the meadows and pastures one could observe the Caucasian subspecies of European cattle, which was distinguished by pronounced curly and thick hair.

Today, in European reserves, Belovezhskaya individuals are kept, which are the only descendants of the ancient European bison. In nature, this subspecies is protected International Union Nature Conservation.

Yak - a wild bull with massive horns

This subspecies of cattle is difficult to study, as it prefers to live away from people. Today, yak can only be found in highland Tibet, but even here there are very few of them left. They prefer to stay in close-knit groups or live in small families. Old individuals choose single image life.

The fierce and strong yak has long and shaggy hair that completely covers its legs. Animals may have different colors, but more often there are brown or black with a grayish tint, individuals with white markings on the head.

Main hallmark This type of cattle has a characteristic hump on its back.

Wild male bulls reach 2 m in height and 4 m in length. Females are 2.8 m long, their height does not exceed 1.6 m. The horns of both sexes are very long (up to 95 cm). From the base of growth they are directed towards opposite sides, as they elongate, they smoothly bend and acquire a cup-shaped shape. The yak can live 25 years.

Tamaraw and Anoa

Tamaraw belongs to the genus of Asian buffalo. Endowed with small stature and short horns. The animal reaches a height of 106 cm, a length of 220 cm, and its weight can range from 180 to 300 kg. Color ranges from black to dark brown.

The Tamaraw is an endangered buffalo species. In captivity, these animals cannot reproduce, so their numbers are noticeably reduced. They prefer a solitary lifestyle in forested areas, but cows and calves live together until the latter become independent. The Tamaraw are under the strictest security.

The smallest representative of cattle is the Anoa bull. The weight of a male individual does not exceed 300 kg, a female – 150 kg. The body length does not exceed 160 cm, height – 80 cm. These are hairless animals with dark brown or black skin. Just like the tamaraw, the anoa are endangered and protected by law. From 1079 to 1994, the Anoa population declined by 90%.

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The phrase “wild bull” combines several varieties of these beautiful undomesticated animals. We will tell you about the most interesting of them in today’s publication.

Anoa

These small animals belonging to the bovid family are conventionally divided into two groups - mountain and lowland. Both of them live in the forests of the island of Sulawesi. But the former inhabit higher areas, while the latter live in the lowlands. Outwardly they are very similar to each other. They can only be distinguished by their horns. In lowland anoa they are triangular, while in mountain anoa they are round. The body length of this wild bull is about 170 centimeters with a height not exceeding 80 cm. The weight of adult individuals varies from 150 to 300 kilograms. The entire almost hairless body of the anoa is colored black or brown.

The diet of these herbivores is based on fruits, ginger, aquatic plants, leaves and young trees. As for drinking, they calmly drink not only fresh, but also salty sea ​​water. Anoa are very cautious and rarely move alone. Most often they can be seen in pairs, and sometimes they even gather in small herds.

Gaur

These are the largest representatives of the genus of real bulls. They live in grassy plains and mountain forests. They can most often be found in Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, India and southern Vietnam. Gaurs come out to the plains and forest edges only to feast on fresh grass. In all other cases, they stay away from open areas.

Height adult is 2.2 meters with a mass of about 1000-1200 kilograms. In addition to their impressive dimensions, gaurs have a correctly proportioned, harmonious body. Oddly enough, this huge wild bull has a calm, balanced disposition. He has practically no natural enemies.

The body of the gaur is covered with dark brown hair. And males have white “stockings” on their legs. The feeling of power is achieved not only due to its impressive appearance, but also due to the presence of massive long horns, each of which grows to 90-115 centimeters. The diet of these animals is based on bush shoots, bamboo shoots and young grass. They are most active in the morning and evening hours.

Watussi

These ancient animals originated from the primitive aurochs. They inhabit savannas and open fields. Despite the fact that their historical homeland is Africa, they quickly spread throughout the world. The weight of an adult varies between 400-750 kilograms. And the total length of the horns of a wild bull, pierced by numerous blood vessels, is about 2.4 meters.

These animals are unpretentious when it comes to food. Special structure digestive system allows Watussi to eat even very rough food that has a low nutritional value. The stomach of these creatures is capable of absorbing useful substances from everything eaten. This wild bull leads a herd lifestyle and is distinguished by a developed instinct to protect the young. When settling down for the night, the Watussi lie down in a circle, into the center of which all the calves are herded.

Yak

This unique animal is capable of climbing to dizzying heights. It never descends below two and a half kilometers above sea level. The higher the yak climbs, the better it feels. It is often called the long-haired wild bull. It lives in Turkmenistan, Mongolia and Tibet.

Externally, the yak is very similar to several animals at once. It resembles a ram, goat, horse and bison at the same time. Due to its fluffy tail and beautiful rounded shape, it is often compared to a horse. His muscular body strongly resembles the body of a bison, and his massive head with huge horns gives him a resemblance to a bull.

Yak hunting is a very dangerous activity. In addition to the fact that a person will have to possess the skills of a climber, he must also try to kill a powerful animal with a single shot. A wounded wild bull in anger is capable of destroying an unlucky hunter.

Despite the formidable nature of the yak, they managed to tame it. Mongolia and Tibet already have large herds of these animals. They are often used to transport heavy loads. One yak is capable of carrying a two hundred kilogram load.

Bison

This artiodactyl animal is on the verge of extinction, so it is listed in the Red Books of the countries in which it lives. The height of an adult wild forest bull is about 192 centimeters and weighs 450-640 kilograms. The weight of individual individuals can reach 820 kg.

The entire life of bison is directly related to the forest and relatively mild climate. He has a well-developed sense of smell and hearing. They are able to detect the scent of a person from a distance of five hundred steps.

Bison lead a gregarious lifestyle, gathering in groups of up to twenty individuals. The basis of them plant food. They winter successfully in areas where the altitude snow cover up to fifty centimeters. Bison have no natural enemies except humans. And their life expectancy in the wild is about twenty-seven years.

Wild bull tour

In historical times, these animals could be found almost throughout Europe. They also lived in Asia Minor, North Africa and in the Caucasus. Their disappearance is associated with intensive deforestation that began in the 9th-11th centuries. In addition, it was during this period that they were actively hunted. When the animals were on the verge of extinction, they were taken under the protection of the law. They lived in the royal parks. But, unfortunately, this did not save them from extinction. The last aurochs on the planet was destroyed in 1627.

The height of the extinct animal reached 180-200 centimeters at the withers with a mass of about 600-800 kilograms. However, in nature there were individuals that weighed a whole ton. Externally, the tur gave the impression of a fairly light animal. It had a not too massive front part of the body, huge horns and high dry limbs. The body of the extinct bull was covered with short, smooth, dark hair.

Turs ate mainly shoots, grass, leaves of bushes and trees. They lived alone or in small groups, and for the winter they united in numerous herds. These aggressive and powerful bulls easily dealt with any predators, so they had practically no natural enemies.

Evolution is an amazing mechanism invented by nature. Thanks to it, thousands of species of animals were born, very similar to each other, but at the same time having hundreds of differences. The wild bull was also no exception, because its family has many subspecies.

These proud animals live in almost every corner. Representatives of wild bulls can be found both in the desert savannas of Africa and in the snowy expanses of Tibet. What do we know about these animals? What makes them special? And why is their fate considered one of the most tragic on the planet?

The sad fate of the horned giant

Once upon a time in the vastness modern Europe There was a wild bull aurochs. It was a majestic beast, weighing just under a ton. His horns made numerous enemies, except humans, tremble in fear. Indeed, it was thanks to the latter that this species of wild bulls has not survived to this day.

The wild bull aurochs was a good source of meat and skin, because of this, given the slowness of the animal, even the weakest hunter could kill it. According to historical data, the last tour died in 1627. And yet the memory of him has not disappeared, because this mighty handsome man is the ancestor of almost all known species bulls, including domestic ones.

The bison is the closest relative of the aurochs

One of the most popular species is the bison. This is a large animal, reaching almost 2 m at the withers. At the same time, the weight of the giant sometimes exceeds the limit of one ton, which makes it one of the most major representatives of its own kind. The bison has dark brown fur, which can keep it warm in severe frosts.

Previously, this wild bull lived throughout the territory of modern Europe, Russia, and also in the Caucasus. But, as in the case of people, they were often attacked. This led to a sharp decline in the number of bison, and at the beginning of the 20th century they found themselves on the verge of complete extinction.

They were saved from oblivion by environmental organizations who took up the task of restoring the bison population. They placed these animals in reserves, where they are still under close supervision and protection.

Wild bulls of North America

Another relative of the tur, but this time already overseas, is the bison. This wild forest bull lives in North America and its appearance strongly resembles a bison. True, the bison’s hair is much longer than that of its relative, and sometimes reaches 50 cm in length.

And yet, as with the bison, this wild bull was also subject to tyranny at the hands of man. So, if in early XIX century, their population numbered more than 60 million heads, but a century later this number dropped to 1 thousand. What was the reason for this? The answer is simple - immigrants.

The new colonialists began to kill animals in order to feed the workers who built railways. A little later, hunting bison began to look more like fun than getting food. There were even promotions according to which those who bought train tickets could shoot from the windows at poor animals.

Fortunately, over time people came to their senses, at least some of them. The buffaloes were taken under protection and provided with everything the necessary conditions for population growth. Now this wild bull is safe, but environmentalists continue to closely monitor their numbers.

In the cold mountains of Tibet

The snow-capped mountains of Tibet served as a haven for one of the most amazing animals - the yak. This is a wild bull with huge horns that reach 80 cm in length. Thick brown fur protects it from frost and snowfall. And muscular legs allow you to easily move from one cliff to another.

And although the yak can be found in other regions Central Asia, such as Altai and Kyrgyzstan, yet only in Tibet do these animals feel at home. After all, here their contact with people is minimized, which means nothing threatens their freedom.

Lovers of hot countries: gaur and buffalo

The gaur, a wild bull that amazes with its size, lives in India. Cases have been recorded when adult individuals reached a weight of 1.3-1.4 tons. The height of an adult animal ranges from 1.8-2.2 m at the withers. The gaur's horns are not too large, at least smaller than those of its relatives. The coat has a dark brown color, and with age it darkens and becomes almost black.

Another lover of hot climates is the buffalo. This animal lives in areas where the temperature sometimes exceeds 40 degrees in the shade. This animal has strong horns, almost fused at the bottom.

And although this wild bull has impressive size, yet he has enemies among the local inhabitants. Lions and crocodiles hunt them quite often, and, nevertheless, the population of these animals is not in danger.

The smallest wild bull

Among the wild bulls there are also dwarfs. For example, anoa. This tiny creature has a height of 0.8-1 m. Moreover, its weight ranges from 150-300 kilograms. The smallest part of the body is the horns. In Anoa they reach only 30-40 cm in length.

These bulls live in Indonesia. Since these animals are found only here, they are protected World Organization for the protection of animal rights.

Buffalo

A large animal of the bovid family with a long soft wool; wild North American bull.

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• - early version of the PP-19 "Bison" with an auger magazine for 64 rounds of 9x18mm PM caliber Caliber: 9x18 mm PM/PMM; 7.62x25mm...

  Encyclopedia small arms

• - type of bull. It reaches 2.5-2.8 meters in length and up to 1.5 meters in height. - Its thick fur is gray-brown in color, on the head and neck it is black-brown. The front of the body is covered more long hair...

  encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Euphron

• - a wild bull of the bovid family of the artiodactyl order. Lives in North America. Close to the European Bison; some zoologists consider B. a subspecies of bison...

  Big Soviet encyclopedia

• - an artiodactyl animal of the bovid family. Close to the bison. Body length up to 3 m, weighs up to 720 kg. Lived on the northern prairies. America. K con. 19th century almost completely destroyed...

  Large encyclopedic dictionary

• - ; pl. bison/s, R....

  Spelling dictionary of the Russian language

• - husband. wild American bull, black-brown, shaggy; it is mistakenly confused with our bison and with the musk ox, living in the very north of America...

  Dictionary Dahl

• - BISON, husband. A large bovid-horned artiodactyl animal with soft fur, a wild North American bull. | adj. buffalo, -ya, -ye and bison, -aya,...

  Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

• - BISON, bison, husband. ...

  Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

• - bison m. A large animal of the bovid family with long soft hair...

  Explanatory Dictionary by Efremova

• - biz...

  Russian orthographic dictionary

• - bison from French. bison, Middle Latin bison from Greek βίσων...

  Vasmer's Etymological Dictionary

• - BISON a, m. bison m. 1. North American wild bull, lived in countless herds for another 40-50 years. our century; now destroyed almost without a trace. Pavlenkov 1911. Sl. nat. ist. 1788 1 37...

  Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

• - BISON, a, m. A big, strong man...

  Dictionary of Russian argot

• - ...

  Word forms

• - a strong man, a big man...

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"Bison" in books

Bison is an ally of the Redskins!