As most of you guessed correctly, the big humped cattle-like beast from yesterday’s “ID the species” post is a Gaur (Bos gaurus). It is pronounced “gower” (with the “ow” pronounced like the word “cow.”) They are found in the tropical and subtropical forests of southern Asia.
It is the largest species of cow. Indian gaur bulls have been known to weigh more than 4,000 pounds.
It does hybridize with domestic cattle, for it is a close relative of both domestic cattle and the extinct aurochsen. If crossed with cattle, the hybrids are fertile, and it is suspected that gaur genes can be found in some zebu or indicus cattle breeds.
The gayal may is often considered a domestic form of gaur. However, it may have a significant amount of cattle ancestry.
I am going to do a post on the natural history and domestication of cattle in the next week, and this post should be a sign of things to come.
[…] The Answer. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Study: 60% of Species Recovery Plans Identify Global Warming as Extinction …Identify your fish species […]