Gaur

Gaur is the wild species of cattle, gaur is also more commonly known as Indian Gaur. as the name suggests these species are primarily found in India. The other geographical location in which they can be found includes Nepal, Myanmar, West Malaysia, and Thailand. The scientific name of the species is Bos gaurus. According to the taxonomical classification they belong to the family of Bovidae. Indian wild Gaur has some characteristic features one such feature is its extraordinary size, the Indian Gaur is considered to be the largest among any wild cattle species. The height of the Gaur can range up to 6 feet, they also have a muscular build. This article focuses on the taxonomical classification, the morphology of Indian Gaur, distribution and habitat of the organism, feeding habits of the animal, reproduction, natural predators, and conservation of the Indian Gaur.

Taxonomical Classification 

Gaur belongs to the Bovidae family, the members of this family are known as bovid. The family is classified under a superfamily named Bovinae. The bovine family is estimated to have evolved almost 20 million years ago that can be dated back to the Miocene period. The family is further classified into genus. The genus that consists of the Gaur is known as Boas. the genus Boas is further classified into a subgenus called Bibos. The subgenus Bibos contains the Gaur and their relative species, there is a total of three species that are identified as sister species of Indian gaur.  Bos gaurus gaurus is found in India and Nepal, B.g. laosiensis is found in a comparatively large range which includes Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Southern China, lastly, the third species is B.g. hubbacki are commonly found in Thailand and Malaysia. 

The complete taxonomical classification of the animal can be summarized as follows,  The Indian wild gaur is categorized under the kingdom called Animalia. The kingdom is further divided into phylum, gaur belongs to the phylum Chordata, whose characteristic feature is the presence of a vertebral column. They are further classified according to the class they belong to class Mammalia, the characteristic feature of this class is the presence of reproduction by giving birth to progeny after completion of gestation period. The class is further classified into order. Indian Gaur is classified under Cetartiodactyla. The order is further classified as family, as mentioned earlier they belong to the Bovidae family, which is classified into dub family they belong to Bovinae subfamily. The family constitutes the genus, which is then classified as species, the basic unit of taxonomical classification. They belong to the Boas, which constitute the species known as Bos gaurs. The common name of the species is Gaur.

Description

The morphological description helps to create a basic understanding of the strength of the wild Gaur. Gaur or Indian Gaur are considered to be the largest among the wild cattle. To be more specific they are considered the tallest oxen and the second heaviest oxen among the wild cattle. The male of the species that is Gaur bull, can have a bodyweight ranging from 600-1000 kg and stand. The height of the Gaur bull can range from 1.6 to 1.9m of the shoulder. The female of the species that is Gaur cow are generally smaller than bulls. They are about 10cm shorter. The weight of the Gaur cow can range from 450 to 800 kg. 

Gaurs are considered as sexually dimorphic species that is the male and the female members of the species can be differentiated on the basis of their morphology. The sexual dimorphism is depicted based on the size of the animal, the size of their horn, and muscular build. Both the male and female members of the species have horns but the horns of the male are larger when compared to Gaur cows. Adult bulls have the characteristic shiny black, short-haired pelage, except for white stockings. They are also marked by the presence of a gray boss between the horns, the inside of the thighs and forelegs have rusty-colored hairs. The young bulls are brown in color, their horns are not as big as adult bulls, the horns are smooth and the tips usually are of orange-yellow color.

The Gaur cows are smaller than the males. Another characteristic feature is, their dorsal ridges and dewlaps are not completely developed. The pelage of the cow is dark brown in color. The cow has more slender horns, they are more upright, with more inward curved than compared to bulls.

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Distribution and Population

The Gaur or the Indian Wild Gaur are primarily found in India. The Wild Gaur historically was an inhabitant of Southeast Asia, India to peninsular Malaysia, occurring in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia.  The wild Gaurs are now slowly declining, they are found in very low numbers in these areas.

India has the highest population of Wild Gaurs among all the countries, the extinct number of the individuals is not known. But it is estimated that the overall population of wild Gaurs is declining. It is important to note that they are considered a vulnerable species. Particularly in India Gaur are found in 124 protected areas, these 124 protected only constitute about 26% of the actual distribution area. In India the Gaur are found in three distinct regions, these are isolated from each other. The three regions are as follows,  South-Western India (SWI), Central India (CI), and North-Eastern India (NEI).

Habitat of Indian Wild Gaur

Habitat can be defined as the area where an organism can survive and reproduce freely. The habitat of the Indian Wild Gaur is generally considered to undisturbed forest tracts. The gaur is generally found at 2800 meters above sea level. It was first considered that Indian wild Gaur was particularly the inhabitant of hills and flourish there best, it was years later that the study suggested that Gaur are more likely to flourish in the lowland. Lowlands were found to have the highest population densities. The Gaur species is largely confined to evergreen, semi-evergreen, and moist deciduous forest but they are also found in dry deciduous forest and thorn forest. It is believed that the Gaur species are forced to move into the hill areas because of human activity and hunting. Even in the forest of hill areas, they are generally found in more grassy open areas of the forest.

Social Organization

Since the Gaur are evolved organisms it is expected of them to exhibit some degree of social organization. Gaur is considered to be a gregarious animal, that they like benign with their kind. The social organization seen in the Indian wild Gaur can be defined as the fluid and dynamic group structure. There are three types of association or social organization seen in Gaur they are, solitary males, bull group, and mixed herds.

Solitary males are adult bulls that have reached their sexual maturity, they remain alone only for a limited time, during this period they are focused on forming associations with other adult bulls. They form a bachelor herd. The second social organization is defined as a bull group or bachelor herd, they are more likely to disperse due to competition and the need to dominate. The mixed herd is the most prominent social structure found in Gaur, they are likely to remain as a group for a very long period of time. Mixed herds contain both females and males of the species. They also include the newborn or the juvenile member of the species. There can be about 50 members in a herd, for example as seen in Mudumalai the herd contains 47 members.

Another social organization is the female herd, this group contains all the female and juvenile members of the species, the members of this group spend the longest time together. The adult male joins the group during mating season and lives as part of the herd for some time. The number of males in the herd varies from time to time during the year. The maximum numberer of make in a herd can be seen during the mating season usually in April. 

Behaviour

The behavior of the Gaur can be defined as the pattern of activity they follow during a typical day that is 24hrs. The activity pattern concluded from the study of Indian Wild Gaur shows a bimodal diurnal activity, this is described specifically as the feeding pattern in the animals. It can be defined as the maximum feeding peaks in the morning and evening hours. The feeding is mostly lowest during the afternoon, during this time period the gaurs perform rumination. During a typical day, afternoons are generally considered as a resting period but during the extreme dry day or the sunny day, the herds of Gaur are seen to move. This movement is because of the search for sade or cooler areas. During the feeling hours (mornings and evenings) the members take turns acting as vigilant. The role of the vigilante is to aware the herd of any potential danger. The social behavior observed in Gaur includes licking, suckling, fighting and playing.  

Reproduction

As seen in almost all the cattle the mating pattern is common to the Indian Gaur too. They follow seasonal mating. The mating season usually ranges from November to March each year.  All the mating occurs during this period. The gestation period of the Gaur is 9 months, they reproduce a single calf with each reproduction. These animals show a high level of parental care. Sexual maturity among Gaur is achieved at the age of 2 years.

Typical behavior seen in the Gaur herd is the movement of the pregnant Gaur away from the herd prior to days before the birth. The mother and the newborn remain separated from the herd for few days after which they rejoin the same herd. The calf is dependent on the mother’s milk for about 5 to 8 months. After this time they switch to the normal diet, grasses, and plants.

The peak of rutting behavior among adult males is seen during March and April, suggesting the highest rate of mating during this period. 

Sex Ratio and Mortality

The sex ratio can be defined as the ratio of the male and female members of the population. In the Indian Gaur population calculated and observed from various sources, it is found that the males are low in number as compared to the female of the species. The reason for this disparity is not completely understood. But of the reason attributed to this difference in male and female ratio is the selective poaching of the male, misclassification of males, and proneness of males from intra-specific aggression. The sex ratio as observed in Mudumalai in research is 33:100 (males: females). The sex ratio differs from one zone to another, but their overall generalization suggests that 5he male number are low in comparison to the female member of the species. 

Mortality is defined as the death rate in a population. It is seen that adult male gaur has a high death rate as compared to the mortality of their female counterparts. Not enough data is present to conclude an overall generalization of mortality in Gaur. it has been reported that the highest mortality was seen during the epidemic of mouth and foot disease, anthrax ingestion. Poaching is also one of the major reasons for mortality, they are prey for tigers and crocodiles.

Predator of Indian Gaur

The Indian wild gaur is strong and has a very muscular build-up, but they are predated by various animals. Apart from poaching the over predation of Gaur is also the cause of the declining population of Gaurs. The list of the natural predator of wild Gaur includes the following

1. Leopards, 

2. Dhole packs

3. Large mugger crocodiles

4. Tigers

5. Saltwater crocodiles 

Threats to the Gaur Population

There are various threats to the Gaur population. Gaur is now classified as a vulnerable group of animals because of the declining population, there are various reasons that act as a threat to the Gaur population.

1. The continuous poaching of the Gaur is one of the major reasons for the decline in population. Indian Wild Gaur are poached for their meat and horns. There is the various incidence of the shooting of Gaur even in the protected area.

2. Another reason for the population decline is habitat fragmentation. Which can be defined as the destruction of the natural habitat of gaurs. Due to excessive human activity, the natural habitat of the animals is now very restricted, they often come close to human civilizations that lead to poaching. 

3. They are also highly susceptible to epidemics. The foot and mouth disease killed hundreds of Indian Gaur. One such famous incidence is the death of hundreds of Gaur due to ingestion of rinderpest from grazing of domestic cattle and Gaur in the same area.

4. One of the major problems faced in the protection of these vulnerable animals is a lack of knowledge about the dynamics and habitat requirements of gaur in the most protected areas.

Conservation

Since Gaur is classified as vulnerable species under the red list of threatened species they subjected to protection. Gaur is listed in CITES Appendix-I, which bans all international trade of gaur products. It is protected under Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 of India

Conclusion

Gaur is a vulnerable species of wild cattle, they are predominantly found in India. The scientific anime of the species is Bos gaurus. They are considered as one of the largest oxen, the population shows sexual dimorphism. The males are usually larger and have larger horns. They are social animals, they prefer living in a herd, a herd can contain up to 50 members. They perform seasonal mating, March and April are the moths when the species are most sexually active. Even though they have a low number of natural predators (tigers, leopards, and crocodiles) the declining population is majorly caused dur to poaching. Adult males are poached for their meat and horns. The conserved according to the Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 of India.