Evolution is an amazing mechanism invented by nature. Thanks to her, thousands of species of animals were born, very similar to each other, but at the same time having hundreds of differences. wild bull also was no exception, because its family has many subspecies.
These proud animals live in almost all corners. Representatives of wild bulls can be found in the desert savannahs of Africa, and in the snowy expanses of Tibet. What do we know about these animals? Why are they 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 open modern Europe there was a wild bull tour. It was a majestic beast, weighing just under a ton. His horns were made to tremble in fear of numerous enemies, with the exception of man. Indeed, it is thanks to the latter that this type of wild bulls has not survived to our times.
The wild bull tour was a good source of meat and skin, because of this, it was on him. And given the slowness of the beast, even the weakest hunter could kill him. According to historical data, the last tour died in 1627. And yet the memory of him has not disappeared, because it is this mighty handsome man who is the ancestor of almost all known species bulls, including domestic ones.
Bison is the closest relative of the aurochs
One of the most tour is 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 largest representatives of its species. The bison has a dark brown coat, which is able to warm it 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 with often attacked by people. This led to the fact that the number of bison declined sharply, 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 that undertook to restore 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 tour, but this time overseas, is the bison. This wild forest bull lives in the territory North America and its appearance strongly resembles a bison. True, the hair of a bison is much longer than that of its relative, and sometimes reaches 50 cm in length.
And yet, as in the case of the aurochs, this wild bull was also subjected to tyranny by man. So, if in early XIX centuries, their population numbered more than 60 million heads, then a century later this number fell to the mark of 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 were building railways. A little later, buffalo hunting began to look more like fun than foraging. There were even actions, 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 bison were taken under guard and provided them with everything the necessary conditions for population growth. Now this wild bull is safe, but still environmentalists continue to closely monitor their numbers.
In the cold mountains of Tibet
The snow-capped mountains of Tibet have 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 wool protects it from frost and snowfalls. And muscular legs allow you to move from one cliff to another without any problems.
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 a person is minimized, which means that nothing threatens their freedom.
Hot country lovers: gaur and buffalo
On the territory of India lives gaur - a wild bull, striking in its size. Cases have been recorded when adults 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 relatives. The coat has a dark brown color, and with age it darkens and becomes almost black.
Another hot climate lover is the buffalo. This animal lives in where the temperature sometimes exceeds the threshold of 40 degrees in the shade. This animal has strong horns, almost fused at the bottom.
And although this wild bull has impressive size, yet among the local inhabitants he has enemies. Lions and crocodiles often prey on them, and yet the population of these animals is out of danger.
The smallest wild bull
Among wild bulls there are also dwarfs. For example, anoa. This tiny creature has a height of 0.8-1 m. At the same time, 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 on what in Indonesia. Since these animals are found only here, they are under protection. World Organization for the protection of animal rights.
Bulls are artiodactyl animals, known and tamed by man since ancient times. Found all over the world, found in northern countries and on hot continents. Allocate several types of bulls: North American, European bison, forest, zebu (Indian), gaur, yak, anoa.
Otherwise known as bison. The main habitat is America, more precisely, its northern part. The largest representative herbivore family. The height of the animal reaches 2 meters, the length reaches 3 meters. The front has a larger mass than the back, there are more muscles on it, it is more pronounced. From the head to the back, everything is covered with wool, in some places felted. The main color is brown, some species come with shades of white or gray.
Bison are divided into two subspecies: steppe and forest.
- steppe is smaller, large quantity wool and the presence of bangs between the horns.
- forest refers to the descendants of the primitive bison Bison priscus.
They live in the sunlit territory: glades, pastures, plains. The weight of an adult bison reaches a ton, females have a slightly smaller mass.
Another subspecies of the wild bull is the bison. They are crossed with bison, bison are obtained. The hybrid is widely distributed in India and Africa. Used for field work.
Kira Stoletova
Domestic cows are familiar to everyone, they are affectionate, obedient, give milk, etc. But a wild bull or a cow is a more exotic phenomenon, but meanwhile they are relatives of domesticated cattle. It is about such wild species will be discussed further.
progenitor tour
Let's start with the strongest representative of the bovids, which, unfortunately, is no longer on our planet. This tour is the ancestor of all modern major cattle. In terms of endurance and productivity, no one can still compare with the tour.
It was called "wild forest bull". Tur lived in Europe, in North Africa, in the Caucasus, in Asia Minor. The last individuals died out in 1627 due to disease.
They lived in forest-steppes and forests, gathered in small herds or existed alone. Grass, shoots, etc. served as food for them.
Description
It was a huge animal, up to 180 cm tall and 800 kg in weight. The body of the males of the tour was covered with black wool, and there was a small stripe on the back. white color. The females, like the young, went brown.
Reason for disappearance
The reason why aurochs no longer live on earth and we see them only in pictures is man. Wild animals were constantly hunted. In addition, their home, forest thickets, were actively cut down as civilization developed.
Scientists do not abandon attempts to revive the lost species of majestic bulls, which, even in the absence of comfortable conditions accommodation and food could become a legend.
bison and bison
Buffalo
Bison is another wild bull, whose power and size surprise even in the photo. Its history is rooted in stone Age. Outwardly, it is very similar to the bison, it is easy to confuse them.
The main characteristics of the bison's appearance are called a hump formed by a high and steep withers, and a low-set head with a very wide frontal area. The ends of his short horns are bent inward. Massiveness is given to it by dense vegetation on the front of the body (on the chin, neck, shoulders), knocked to shreds. The tail is short, decorated with a tassel.
Having a mass of up to 1.2 tons (for females - 700 kg), a body length of 2.5-3 m and a height of 1.9 m, bison is one of the largest of all ungulates on the planet.
Its color is black, gray or brown, with lighter hair on the shoulders, and the calves are usually very light, yellow color, although light-colored adults can occasionally be found.
bison lifestyle
Bison are characterized by measured behavior, non-aggressive outside the danger zone. If you need to save your life, they run at a speed of 50 km/h. Representatives of these wild animals swim, have excellent hearing and smell, but their eyesight is very poor.
Bison feed mainly at night. They eat grass.
Their habitat is North America (Canada, central states).
There are the following subspecies:
- forest (live to the north, in the forest);
- flat or steppe (live in the southern prairies).
Preservation
Today, they try to keep North American bison in protected areas, in zoos, since since the 19th century their numbers have declined sharply. Millions of livestock of their mighty ancestors became vulnerable to European colonizers. They were killed simply for fun or to deprive the local Indians of food. In 1889, only 835 copies remained.
They are listed in the Red Book, but due to the efforts of the authorities of Canada and the United States, today our planet has up to 30 thousand individuals of this species (not counting tamed half-breeds).
bison
Bison brothers, bison, live in Russia, the Caucasus, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Lithuania. In Europe, they are the largest mammals, as well as the last of all wild bulls inhabiting Europe.
The bison's head is more pronounced than that of the bison and somewhat smaller in size. The shape of the body is close to a square, the body is massive, short tail. The color is brown, the hair becomes longer from the back of the head and on the spine.
These animals swim well, jump high, live up to 40 years.
There are Caucasian and Belovezhskaya bisons. The former died out at the beginning of the twentieth century, while the latter are under the auspices of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Because of the outstanding genetic qualities of bison and bison, they are trying to domesticate and use in breeding new breeds.
buffaloes
Another worthy representatives of wild bulls and cows are buffaloes, relatives of bison, yaks, etc.
There are two types of buffaloes:
- Asian (tamarau, mountain anoa, anoa, Asian buffalo);
- African.
Asiatic genus
An individual from the Asian genus is a wild bull with huge horns under 2 m long. His horns look back and resemble a crescent moon. The height of the buffalo is about 2 m, the length of the body is 3 m, and the weight is up to 900 kg.
There are also small specimens among them. This is tamarau. Their height is 106 cm, weight - no more than 300 kg, body length 220 cm. There are also anoas 80 cm high and weighing 300 kg, they do not have wool, they are brown or black, they nibble grass at night, hide from the scorching sun during the day, plunging into the mud.
By the will of man, the species is on the verge of extinction, although it is placed in protected areas. For example, tamarau do not give offspring in captivity. Most Asiatic buffalo are domesticated. They give milk. Live in the area Southern Europe, in Africa, South Asia.
Capturing wild bulls with jeeps and a helicopter
Angry bulls gore 23 people in Spain
All breeds of cows. Over 300 breeds
African genus
The African buffalo is divided into subspecies: Cape, Sudanese, dwarf (red), mountain, Nile. As the name implies, he lives in Africa (mountains, savannas, forest). He likes to live near large sources of water and in fields with dense vegetation, but is able to feed himself on dried bushes.
The weight of Africans sometimes reaches 1200 kg, and the height is 1.6 m. The physique is stocky, the legs are low. The head is decorated with powerful horns, curved upwards. The length between the two ends of the horns is about 1 m. On the forehead of the males, they grow together, turning into a bulletproof helmet.
The color is black or dark brown, the hair is coarse, sparse.
Poor eyesight is compensated by excellent hearing and sense of smell. These are collective animals, ready to come to the rescue of their brother and snatch him from the clutches of a predatory beast.
Zebu, yak and gaur
Zebu
Zebu is a resident of hot regions (Africa, South America, Asia), but India is considered its homeland. The muscle-fat hump is his calling card.
Another feature is that this wild bull is not afraid of bloodsuckers, because grease with a specific aroma is released from the skin, and they are not afraid of high temperatures.
In India, this representative was tamed and used in agriculture for transportation, etc.
Yaks
It is not easy to study the yak, he eschews people, although some of the animals are domesticated, they bring milk, meat, and wool. He is comfortable in the wild. Being strong and ferocious, he can withstand the harshest conditions. On the this moment lives in Tibet.
Its height is about 2 m, body length is 4 m (females are smaller: under 1.6 m tall). Huge horns, 95 cm, adorn his head, diverge to the sides, then bend. A hump flaunts on the back. The coat is shaggy and very long, covering the limbs completely. The color is gray-black, brown, white spots on the muzzle.
Gaur
The Indian gaur is an example of a peaceful giant. With such impressive dimensions (height 2.2 m and above, weight 1000-1500 kg), he is not at all ferocious. Although wild gaur cows are much smaller in size, they are completely fearless. Gyaurs have strong long limbs and large horns growing perpendicular to the ground.
These animals are also called Indian bison, and tamed individuals are called gayals. Their coloration is dark brown, but the legs are light.
The largest number of bulls survived in dense thickets jungles of Indonesia and India.
Domestic cows and bulls have already become part of our lives. Even city dwellers know what they look like, and have seen these animals in the villages grazing along the roads more than once. And who was the ancestor of domestic cows and bulls?
Indian buffalo is widely used in agriculture
Tour
The famous wild forest bull is a tour, the ancestor of domestic cattle.
Habitat
Lived in the Eastern Hemisphere:
- throughout Europe;
- North Africa;
- Asia Minor;
- In the Caucasus.
However, he was exterminated. Only in the forests of Central Europe there are few of these bulls left. In 1400 they were met on the territory of Belarus, Poland, Lithuania. But even there the number of animals decreased every year, in 1627 the last representative of this species died.
Appearance
What did the famous wild forest bull look like? It was an animal weighing up to 800 kg. Its height is 170-180 cm. There were horns on its head. Mature males are black, but along the back there was an ornament - a narrow white stripe. Females and young were brown, with a reddish tint. They preferred to live in the forest-steppes, but gradually moved to the forests. Eat grass, run. Gathered in herds.
Reconstruction appearance tour
Bulls are found everywhere. The famous wild American bull is the bison, which was the master of North America. Huge herds of these animals lived here. They had no natural enemies, except for wolves, and even they could not overcome an adult animal. But the first Europeans killed animals in order to local residents there was no source of food. The number of animals has dropped from 600 million to 835.
Now the number of bison has increased - up to 30 thousand. But you will no longer meet wild individuals in the USA and Canada.
Appearance
Bison is distinguished by strength and size. Its body is up to 3 m long. It is covered with gray-brown fur. It differs in its density and length. Therefore, bison do not freeze in winter. The back is decorated with a hump. The head and neck are darker. The bulls are larger, their weight is up to 1.5 thousand kg.
Habitat and food
They live in North America. They choose flat areas, but are also found in the forest. For them, the main thing is the availability of a source of food. They feed on herbaceous vegetation. In winter, they dig out their food under layers of snow. For life choose those places where dense vegetation. They live in herds: males - separately, females with calves also separately. In the herd, the head is the oldest male.
Bison - North American wild bull
European bison
Appearance
This contemporary of the mammoth is an animal whose body length reaches 3 m, and its height is up to 2 m, and its weight is up to 1 ton. There is a hump. Fur color is dark brown. Curly hairs adorn the head, chest and shoulders, front legs. The mane is striking in males, in cows and calves it is not so pronounced.
About the animal
A bison can easily overcome an obstacle of 2 m. It can swim. He has no natural enemies. They have a keen sense of smell and hearing, but poor eyesight. They eat grass and tree leaves. They live in herds. If there are two candidates for the position of the leader, the issue is resolved by a fight. The loser leaves. Bison live 30-40 years.
European bison can swim and jump high
Yak
The main decoration of animals is horns. A wild bull with huge horns is a yak. This subspecies of the bull was domesticated in the first millennium. Domestic yaks are not as large as wild ones, their character is calmer, their color is different.
Appearance
The height of the yak at the withers is up to 2 m, the length is 4 m in males. Females are smaller: length up to 2.8 m, and height 1.6 m. There is a hump on the back. The horns are long, look to the sides, and then bend, their length is up to 95 cm. The wool is long and shaggy, it completely covers the legs of the bull, brown or grayish-black, but white spots are visible on the muzzle.
About the animal
The wild yak has not been studied, because this subspecies lives only where there are no people. Now they are found only in the highlands of Tibet. But there aren't many of them left. They live in herds or families, old bulls prefer loneliness. Life expectancy - 25 years. wild yaks there is very little left, because they die out in territories developed by people. They are fierce and strong animals. Tibetan chronicles speak of them as animals dangerous to humans. He, without hesitation, attacks the person who attacked him, so such a hunt is deadly. It is not easy to kill him, because. like hardy.
Wild yak carefully avoids people
The largest wild forest bull is the gaur. This is also a rare animal. They live in India, there are 30 thousand gaurs, in other countries there are fewer of them - only a few hundred.
Appearance
The largest bull impresses with its size. Its height at the withers is 1.7 - 2.2 m, and its weight is 700-1000 kg, but there are individuals that weigh 1.3 -1.5 tons. Females are slightly smaller. The horns are also huge, up to 90 cm, shaped like a crescent.
A ridge stands out on the back, which stretches from the shoulders to the middle of the body.
The skin is dark brown, covered with short hair. Older males are black. The top of the head is slightly lighter.
About the animal
They are active during the day, but where there are many people, they prefer to stay awake at night. Females and calves live in herds, while males live alone. They feed on grass, plant shoots and fruits. In the heat, they prefer to hide in the shade of trees. Live up to 30 years. natural enemies are tigers and crocodiles.
Gaur can weigh up to one and a half tons
buffaloes
It's also strong and brave big bulls. There are 4 types of buffalo:
- African.
- Indian.
- Dwarf (anoa).
- Tamarau.
Most large subspecies among the buffaloes. Its weight can reach 1200 kg, but this is rare. The height is relatively small - 1.5-1.6 m. Some subspecies are much smaller than these sizes. Males are always larger than females. Fur color is black. They have poor eyesight and rely on their sense of smell.
The African buffalo does not see well, therefore it focuses on the scent
The length of adults is more than 3 m, and the height reaches 2 m. The average weight is about 900 kg, but sometimes more. The length of the horns reaches up to 2 m, they are directed backwards and look like a crescent. Now there are not so many representatives of this species left, because. humans are destroying their environment. These wild bulls eat grass in the early morning or evening. During the day they prefer to hide from the heat, immersed in liquid mud.
They live in herds, but old bulls prefer loneliness.
Tamarau
This is an animal from the genus of Indian buffalo, which differs from them in its small stature and the shape of the horns. Its height is 106 cm, body length is 220 cm, it weighs from 180 to 300 kg. The color of the skin is black or dark brown, a dark line is visible on the back. This is an endangered species, therefore it is protected by law. In captivity, they do not breed, so the number of animals is rapidly falling every year. The main threat is the lack of habitats for these animals. These are solitary animals, females and calves live in groups that persist throughout the year.
Tamarau - Philippine buffalo
Anoa
The smallest bull is the anoa. The length of his body is only 160 cm, and the height is 80 cm. Males weigh 300 kg, females are 2 times less. They are hairless, the skin is colored brown or black. Under threat of extinction. This animal is protected by law, but poachers shoot them in order to sell them to tourists. Therefore, the population has decreased by 90% (from 1079 to 1994).
Mighty animal wild bull is an ornament wildlife. Let's find out what species exist in nature, how they differ and how they look.
One of the largest herbivores in North America. The height of the body of the animal reaches 2 meters, and the length - up to 2.5 or even 3 meters. The front part of the bison's body is massive, clearly expressed, while the back is much weaker, and muscle mass it has less. The chest, head and part of the back of the North American animal are covered with wool, often matted.
All bison are horned, but the horns are expressed in different ways. The animals have a short tail with a tassel at the end, the color is mostly brown, black, but there are also white, gray individuals. There are steppe and forest bison. The steppe wild bull is usually smaller than the forest bull at the same age, has more wool, the horns are hidden by bangs. Lesnoy is a direct descendant of Bison priscus, the primitive bison.
The wild North American bull loves spacious pastures, semi-desert plains and well-lit areas, forest glades. The mass of an adult male is more than a ton, females weigh much less. Within the species, zoologists distinguish another variety, the closest relative of the bison - the bison. Bison and bison interbreed among themselves, and their offspring - bison are used by populations different countries to work in the fields. For example, in India or Africa, fields are plowed with their help.
European bison
Another member of the wild bull family. It is very similar to the bison, but the head is more pronounced and has a smaller size. The European bison is the most large mammal throughout Europe. He is also the last representative of the genus of wild ancestors on the European mainland. The animal has a brown coat color, powerful body(the shape is closer to a square), an elongated row of wool along the spine from the withers and a short tail.
Bison are divided into Bialowieza and Caucasian. The Caucasian had a curly and thicker coat than the Bialowieza. Unfortunately, it was finally exterminated in 1927. Its Belovezhsky relative currently lives in European reserves and is protected International Union Nature Protection.
forest bull
The wild forest (forest tour) or Bos taurus primigenius lived in the steppe and forest-steppe regions of the Eastern Hemisphere. The closest relatives of their forest ancestor are now Ukrainian livestock. The forest tur died out as a result of active hunting and deforestation by man. The death of the last representative of this species occurred in 1627. Outwardly, the animal looked massive, its weight reached a ton, its height was 180 cm. The color of the males was black with a white stripe along the back, and the females were brown with a red tint.
They lived in forest tours in small groups or singly, only for the winter uniting in larger herds. Nowadays, scientists from the Ostwardersplasse reserve (Netherlands) introduced the Heck bull, which looks like a wild forest bull. Thanks to the efforts of zoologists-breeders, today we can see what the forest tour looked like in life.
Indian bull (Zebu)
It lives on the lands of India in the tropical and subtropical latitudes of the continent. Zebu belongs to an independent subspecies, not connected in any way with the tour. In India, these bulls are used for household needs - they perform the function of transport (harnessed to carts), assistants to farmers (plow the fields). Not only in India, zebu is held in high esteem, they are especially respected in Madagascar. There, the wild Indian bull is considered sacred.
In some regions of India, zebu are crossed with domestic cows, resulting in hardy hybrids that produce milk and have more strength than an ordinary cow. Average weight such an animal is equal to 600-800 kg, the surface of the body is smooth, there is a characteristic "hump" at the withers and a chest fold. Not only in India there are zebu, they are willingly kept by large zoos and reserves (for example, the zoo in Baku).
Gaur
It is considered the largest wild bull in the world. Gauras are peaceful but very imposing creatures. It reaches a height of 3 meters, weight - more than 1600 kg. In some sources, the gaur is called the Asiatic or Indian bison. The color is dark brown, the legs are light, smooth, short and shiny coat, neat, but big horns located perpendicular to the ground. AT natural environment gaurs form herds, keep independently and fearlessly, since even tigers attack these animals extremely rarely.
The domesticated form of the gaura is the gayal (or mitun). In the same India, these animals are very popular. They differ from the gaur only in their smaller size and larger horns of an altered shape. Guyals can often be found walking freely on Indian streets or harnessed to a cart.
Video "American bison - the history of the species"
An interesting story from National Geographic about the life of bison in the wild, about the enemies of these wild bulls and how these heavyweights survive in nature.
Loading...
