Large and dwarf wild bulls. Large and dwarf wild bulls Rare wild yaks

Bulls are the largest of the bovids. These are powerful and strong animals. Their massive body rests on strong limbs, their heavy, wide, low-set head in both males and females is crowned with horns, thick and short in some species, flattened and long in others. The shape of the horns is also very variable among different representatives: in some cases the horns resemble a simple crescent, in others they are S-shaped. There are no intercoffin glands. The tail is relatively thin, with a brush at the end. The hair is short, close to the body, or thick and shaggy.

Representatives of the subfamily are distributed in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. The subfamily includes 4 genera with 10 species, of which one in the wild was exterminated by humans in historical time, but exists in the form of numerous breeds of domestic cows, which were also introduced to South America and Australia.

Anoa, or dwarf buffalo(Bubalus depressicornis) is the smallest of modern wild bulls: height at the withers is barely 60-100, weight is 150-300 kg. The small head and slender legs make the anoa look somewhat like an antelope. The horns are short (up to 39 cm), almost straight, slightly flattened, curved up and back.

The color is dark brown or blackish, with white markings on the face, throat and legs. Calves with thick golden-brown fur. Distributed only on the island of Sulawesi. Many researchers classify anoa into a special genus Anoa (Apoa).

Anoa inhabit swampy forests and jungles, where they live alone or in pairs, rarely forming small groups. They feed on herbaceous vegetation, leaves, shoots and fruits that they can pick up on the ground; often eat aquatic plants. Anoa usually graze in the early morning, and spend the hot part of the day near the water, where they willingly take mud baths and swim. They move at a slow pace, but in case of danger they switch to a fast, albeit clumsy, gallop. The breeding season is not associated with a specific season of the year. Pregnancy lasts 275-315 days.

The Anoa do not tolerate agricultural transformation of the landscape well. In addition, they are intensively hunted for their meat and skin, which some local tribes use to make ritual dance outfits. Therefore, the number of anoa is catastrophically declining, and now the species is on the verge of complete extinction. Fortunately, they breed relatively easily in zoos, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature maintains a studbook of animals kept in captivity in order to create at least a minimum reserve stock of animals of this species.

Indian buffalo(Bubalus apriae), on the contrary, is one of the largest bulls: the height at the withers is up to 180 cm, the weight of males is up to 1000 kg. The flattened, backward-turned horns of the Indian buffalo are huge - they reach a length of 194 cm. The body is covered with sparse and coarse blackish-brown hair

The range of the Indian buffalo has already been greatly reduced in historical times: if relatively recently it covered a vast territory, from North Africa and Mesopotamia to Central China, it is now limited to small areas of Nepal, Assam, Bengal, the central provinces of India, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and southern China. The Indian buffalo is preserved in the far north of Ceylon and the northern part of Kalimantan. The number of Indian buffalo, despite conservation measures, continues to decline. Most wild buffalos remain in Indian reserves. Thus, in the wonderful Kaziranga Nature Reserve (Assam) in 1969 there were about 700 animals. The reason for the decline in numbers is not only poaching, although it plays a significant role. The main problem is that wild buffalo easily interbreed with feral domestic ones and the “pure” species, as such, is lost.

On the island of Mindoro (Philippines) in the special reserve Iglit lives a special, dwarf subspecies, slightly larger than anoa, which has a special name Tamaraw(B. a. mindorensis). Unfortunately, the tamaraw is in danger of complete extinction: by 1969, about 100 animals survived.

The Indian buffalo inhabits heavily swampy jungles and river valleys covered with dense bushes. It is more closely associated with water than other representatives of the subfamily, and outside river systems or there are no swamps. In the diet of the Indian buffalo, aquatic and coastal plants play an even greater role than terrestrial grasses. Buffalo graze at night and at dawn, and all day, starting from 7-8 a.m., they lie immersed in liquid mud.

Indian buffaloes usually live in small herds, which include an old bull, two or three young bulls and several cows with calves. The hierarchy of subordination in the herd, if observed, is not too strictly. The old bull often stays somewhat aloof from the other animals, but when fleeing from danger, he monitors the herd and brings back stray cows with the blows of his horns. When moving, a certain order is observed: old females go in the head, calves in the middle, and the rear guard is made up of young bulls and cows. In case of danger, the herd usually hides in the thickets, describes a semicircle and, stopping, waits for the pursuer on its own tracks.

The Indian buffalo is a serious opponent. Old bulls are especially quarrelsome, aggressive and dangerous; the young bulls are driven out of the herd and are forced to lead the life of hermits. They often lead away herds of domestic buffaloes, and when pursued they even attack tame elephants. On the contrary, herds of buffalo willingly rest side by side with rhinoceroses. Tigers rarely attack buffaloes, and even then only young ones. In turn, the buffaloes, sensing the trail of a tiger, go into a frenzy and pursue the predator in close formation until they overtake or lose the trail. Cases of death of tigers have been reported several times.

Like most of the inhabitants tropical zone, the rutting and calving periods of Indian buffaloes are not associated with a specific season. Pregnancy lasts 300-340 days, after which the female gives birth to only one calf. A newborn buffalo is dressed in fluffy yellow-brown fur. The milk feeding period lasts 6-9 months.

Man domesticated the buffalo in ancient times, presumably in the 3rd millennium BC. e. Along with the zebu, the domestic buffalo is one of the most important animals of the tropics. According to the most rough estimate, its population in South Asia now reaches 75 million. Domestic buffalo have been introduced to Japan, Hawaii, Central and South America, and Australia. There are a lot of domestic buffaloes in the UAR, Sudan and countries East Africa, including Zanzibar, and on the islands of Mauritius and Madagascar. Buffalo have been cultivated for a very long time Southern Europe and here in Transcaucasia. The buffalo is used mainly as draft power, especially when cultivating rice fields. Dairy breeding of buffaloes is also promising. In Italy, with stall housing, the annual milk production per cow is 1970 liters. Buffalo milk contains 8% fat, significantly exceeding cow's milk in protein content. In India, where cows are sacred animals, the buffalo does not fall under this category and constitutes the main source meat products. The domestic buffalo is extremely unpretentious, resistant to many cattle diseases, and has a peaceful character.

African buffalo(Syncerus caffer) is the most powerful of the modern wild bulls. A powerful body, relatively low muscular legs, a blunt, short, low-set head on a strong neck and small, as if blind eyes, looking suspiciously from under a canopy of horns, give the animal an indestructible and gloomy appearance. The horns of the African buffalo are brought together by wide bases, forming continuous armor on the forehead, then they diverge downward - to the sides and, finally, bend upward and slightly inward with sharp, smooth ends. The distance between the ends of the horns sometimes exceeds a meter. The African buffalo is somewhat smaller in size than the Indian buffalo, but due to its denser build it surpasses it in weight: old males reach 1200 kg. The buffalo's body is covered with sparse, coarse hair that barely covers the dark brown or black skin.

The above applies, however, only to animals living in the savannas of the Eastern, Southeastern and South West Africa. Buffaloes, found from Senegal to the middle Nile, form another, somewhat smaller and short-horned subspecies.

Finally, the forests of the Congo Basin and the coast of the Gulf of Guinea are inhabited by a third subspecies, the so-called red buffalo, distinguished by its very small size (height at the withers 100-130 cm), bright red thick hair and even weaker horns.

The habitats of the African buffalo are varied: it can be found in all landscapes, ranging from tropical forests and ending with arid shrub savannas. In the mountains, the African buffalo rises to a height of 3000 m or more above sea level. However, everywhere it is closely associated with water and does not live far from bodies of water.

In addition, buffalo do not thrive in agricultural landscapes. Therefore, despite the significant area of distribution, the buffalo survived in large numbers only in a few places, mainly in national parks. Only there does he form herds numbering hundreds of animals. For example, in the Lake Manyara National Park (Tanzania) a herd of 450 animals is constantly kept. Usually there are groups of 20-30 animals that gather in herds only during the dry season. Such groups differ in composition: in some cases these are cows with calves, in others - only bulls, and finally, in still others - bulls with cows. Old strong bulls often live alone or in pairs.

In the way of life of the African buffalo there are many features that make it similar to the Indian one. It feeds on herbaceous vegetation, often eats coastal plants and only occasionally branches and foliage, grazes from evening until dawn, and usually spends the day standing in the shade of a tree or lying in swamp mud or reed thickets. Buffaloes are cautious animals. Cows and calves are especially sensitive. A slight noise or an unfamiliar smell is enough for the entire herd to become wary and freeze in a defensive position: males in front, females with calves behind. At such a moment, the heads of the animals are raised, the horns are thrown back; a moment - and the herd takes flight together. Despite its heavy build, the buffalo is very agile and fast: when running, it reaches speeds of up to 57 km/h. As studies in the Congo have shown, adult males living alone have an individual territory to which they are very attached. They rest every day, graze, make transitions in strict certain places area and leave it only when they begin to be disturbed or there is a lack of food. If a herd of foreign buffaloes enters the site, the owner does not show aggression, but joins him and even plays the role of leader. However, when the herd leaves, he remains on the site again.

With the beginning of the rut, such singles join the herds of cows. Ritual fights then arise between the bulls for dominance in the herd. The first phase of the fight is intimidation: rivals with their heads held high, snorting and exploding the ground with their hooves, head towards each other and stop a few meters away, shaking their horns menacingly. Then, bowing their heads, the opponents rush forward and collide with the massive bases of their horns with a deafening crash. After several such blows, the one who admits himself defeated turns and runs away.

Pregnancy lasts 10-11 months; Mass calving, when cows retire from the general herd, occurs at the end of the dry period and the beginning of the rainy period. The calf suckles from its mother for about six months.

Buffaloes have few enemies. Only lions regularly collect tribute from them, attacking cows and young animals in a whole pride. Of the three cases where we ourselves were lucky enough to see lions foraging, in two the victim was a buffalo. At the same time, lions do not dare to attack old bulls, much less with small forces. There are many cases where buffaloes, acting as a friendly herd, put lions to flight, seriously wounded them, or even killed them. Leopards occasionally attack stray calves.

Buffaloes do not associate with other ungulates. But you can always see Egyptian herons near them, which often sit on the backs of grazing or resting buffaloes. Frequent on buffaloes and voloklyuy.

It is curious that buffaloes have a sense of mutual assistance. The Belgian zoologist Verheyen observed how two bulls tried to raise their mortally wounded brother to his feet with their horns, prompted to do so by his death moo. When this failed, both quickly attacked the hunter, who barely managed to escape.

A lot has been written in hunting books about the fact that the buffalo is dangerous to humans and ferocious. Indeed, many people died from the horns and hooves of buffalo. A wounded buffalo, running away, describes full circle and hides in his own tracks. In the thick of thickets, a suddenly attacked person usually does not even have time to shoot. However, such provoked self-defense can hardly be regarded as special aggressiveness or ferocity.

The man has been chasing the buffalo for a long time. The Maasai, who do not recognize the meat of most wild animals, make an exception for the buffalo, considering it a relative of the domestic cow. Of great value to Africans was buffalo leather, from which they made military shields. And among European and American sports hunters, the head of a buffalo is still considered an honorable trophy. However, much greater devastation among buffaloes was caused by epizootics of rinderpest, brought to Africa at the end of the last century with the cattle of white settlers.

Genus of real bulls(Bos) has 4 modern looking, common in Asia.

Gaur(V. gaurus) stands out among bulls with its special beauty, size and some kind of completeness of build. 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 cm, and the distance between the ends is 120 cm. The forehead is wide and flat. Female gau-ra are much smaller, their horns are shorter and thinner. The hair is 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 has been 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. True, a strict ban on 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 have increased recent 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, gaura 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 the Gautians, 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, when the cow saw the rooster, she laid her head on the ground and turned her horn towards the “orderly”.

Gayal 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 in complete freedom, and when it is necessary to catch a gayal, they lure it with a piece of rock salt or tie a cow in the forest. Guyala 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.

Banteng(B. javanicus) - the second wild representative of the bulls themselves, inhabits the islands of Kalimantan, Java and the Indochina and Malacca peninsulas west to the Brahmaputra. Banteng numbers are low and falling throughout. According to the latest information, no more than 400 animals have survived in Java; in some areas of Kalimantan, the banteng has been completely exterminated.

The Banteng is noticeably smaller than the Gaur: height at the withers is 130-170 cm, weight -500-900 kg. The Banteng is slimmer, lighter and taller. The dorsal crest characteristic of the gaur is absent in the banteng. The horns are flattened at the base, first diverge to the sides, and then more or less steeply bend upward. The color of the banteng is variable. Most often, bulls are dark brown or black with white “stockings” and “mirror”, while females are reddish-brown

The banteng's favorite habitats are swampy forests with well-developed undergrowth, grassy plains with bushes, bamboo jungles or light mountain forests with clearings. In the mountains, the banteng rises up to 2000 m. Like the gaur, the banteng avoids the cultural landscape and is increasingly pushed deeper into forests and mountains.

Bantengs usually live in groups, which include two or three young bulls and up to two dozen cows, calves and growing young animals. Old strong bulls stay separately and join the herd only during the rutting season. In terms of ease and beauty of movements, these bulls are not inferior to many antelopes. Like the gaur, the banteng feeds on fresh grass, young shoots and leaves of shrubs, and bamboo shoots. Pregnancy lasts 270-280 days, the newborn calf is dressed in yellow-brown fur, and sucks mother's milk until it is nine months old.

In Bali and Java, banteng has been domesticated for a very long time. By crossing banteng with zebu, unpretentious cattle were obtained, which are used as draft power and as a source of meat and milk on numerous islands of Indonesia.

In the early 30s, the director of the Paris Zoo A. Urben traveled to Northern Cambodia. In the house of the veterinarian Savel, to his great amazement, he saw horns that could not belong to any of the known wild bulls. Questions did not shed any light on this find, and Urbain was forced to leave with nothing. A year later, he received a live calf of this bull from Savel. Based on this specimen, which lived in the zoo until 1940, Urbain described new look, naming it in Latin in honor of Dr. Savel. This is how I entered science kuprey(V. sauveli). It was a sensational discovery.

Kuprey smaller than the gaur, but somewhat larger than the banteng: the height of the bulls at the withers is up to 190 cm, weight up to 900 kg. The build is lighter and more graceful than that of the gaur. The kouprey's legs are higher. He has a strongly developed dewlap and a heavy fold of skin on his throat, reaching to his chest. The kouprey's horns are long, rather thin, sharp, similar to the horns of a yak; from the base they first go obliquely to the sides and back, then forward and upward, while the ends are bent inward. The color is dark brown, and the legs, like those of the gaur, are white.

Kouprey's horns have interesting feature: in old males, not far from the sharp end of the horn, there is a corolla, consisting of split parts of the horny sheath. It is formed during the growth of the horn, and this phenomenon is known for other bovids. However, in all of them this corolla is quickly erased, and only in the kouprey it persists throughout its life. It is believed that the complex shape of the horns does not allow the animal to butt, as other bulls do when excited, and that is why the corolla, which is the remains of a “children’s” horn, is not worn off.

The range of the kouprey is limited to a small area on both sides of the Mekong, administratively included in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

According to estimates made in 1957, 650-850 animals lived in this area. Surveys conducted by zoologist P. Pfeffer in 1970 showed that only 30-70 animals survived in Cambodia. Perhaps, in the border areas of Laos and China, in the forests of Sasinpan, several dozen more heads have survived. One way or another, kuprei should be considered one of the most rare species bulls

Information about the kouprey's lifestyle is scanty. Like the banteng, it inhabits forests with dense undergrowth, park savannas with bushes scattered here and there, and light forests with clearings. On pastures, herds of koupreys often team up with bantengs. However, both species in united herds do not completely mix, maintaining a certain distance. The herd consists of an old bull and several cows and calves. As a rule, one of the cows leads the herd, and the bull leads the rear guard. Some adult bulls, like the gaur, live alone. The Kuprei rut falls in April - May. Calving occurs in December - January. Cows and calves retire from the herd and return after a month or two. As observations have shown, kuprei do not take mud baths. They are very sensitive, careful and at the slightest danger they try to leave unnoticed. For the first time in 1969, zoologist P. Pfeffer managed to photograph Kouprey in nature.

Yak(B. mutus) stands apart among the bulls themselves, and sometimes experts distinguish it into a special subgenus (Pophagus). This is a very large animal with long body, relatively short legs and a heavy, low-set head. Height at the withers is up to 2 m, weight in old bulls is up to 1000 kg. The yak has a small hump at the withers, which makes the back appear very sloping. The horns are long, but not thick, widely spaced, directed to the sides from the base, and then curved forward and upward; their length is up to 95 cm, and the distance between the ends is 90 cm. The most remarkable feature in the structure of the yak is its hair. While on most of the body the fur is thick and even, on the legs, sides and belly it is long and shaggy, forming a kind of continuous “skirt” that almost reaches the ground. The tail is also covered with long, stiff hair and resembles a horse's

The yak's range is limited to Tibet. It may have previously been more widespread and reached the Sayan Mountains and Altai, but the information on which such assumptions are based may refer to a domesticated, secondarily feral yak.

The yak inhabits treeless, high-mountain, gravelly semi-deserts intersected by valleys with swamps and lakes. It rises to the mountains up to 5200 m. In August and September, the yaks go to the border of eternal snow, and spend the winter in the valleys, content with the sparse herbaceous vegetation that they can get from under the snow. They need water and eat snow only in extreme cases. Yaks usually graze in the morning and before sunset, and at night they sleep, sheltered from the wind behind a rock or in a hollow. Thanks to their “skirt” and dense fur, yaks easily endure the harsh climate of the Tibetan highlands. When the animal lies down on the snow, the “skirt,” like a mattress, protects it from the cold below. According to the observations of zoologist E. Shefer, who made three expeditions to Tibet, yaks even in cold weather They love to swim, and during snowstorms they stand motionless for hours, turning their rump to the wind.

Yaks do not form large herds. Most often they live in groups of 3-5 animals, and only the young ones gather in slightly larger herds. Old bulls lead a solitary lifestyle. However, as evidenced by the remarkable traveler N. M. Przhevalsky, who first described the wild yak, even a hundred years ago, herds of yak cows with small calves reached several hundred, or even thousands of heads.

It should be noted that adult yaks are well armed, very strong and ferocious. Wolves decide to attack them only when exceptional cases in a large flock and in deep snow. In turn, bull yaks, without hesitation, attack the person pursuing them, especially if the animal is wounded. The attacking yak holds its head and tail high with a flowing plume of hair. Of the sense organs, the yak has the best developed sense of smell. Vision and hearing are much weaker.

The yak rut occurs in September - October. At this time, bulls join groups of cows. Violent fights take place between the bulls, completely unlike the ritualized fights of most other bovids. During a fight, rivals try to hit each other in the side with a horn. True, the fatal outcome of these battles is rare, and the matter is limited to injuries, sometimes very serious. During the rutting period, the calling roar of the yak can be heard, at other times it is extremely silent.

Yak calving occurs in June, after a nine-month pregnancy. The calf is not separated from its mother for about a year.

Like most other wild bulls, the yak belongs to the category of animals that are rapidly disappearing from our planet. Perhaps his situation is especially deplorable. The yak cannot stand places that have been occupied by people. In addition, the yak is an enviable prey for hunters, and direct persecution completes what the herders began, pushing the yaks out of their pastures. The yak is listed in the Red Book, but the low accessibility of its habitats makes control over its protection almost impossible.

Even in ancient times, in the 1st millennium BC. e., as domesticated by humans. Domestic yaks are smaller and more phlegmatic than wild ones; hornless individuals are often found among them; their color is very variable. Yak is used in Tibet and other parts Central Asia, in Mongolia, Tuva, Altai, Pamir and Tien Shan. The yak is an indispensable pack animal in the highlands. It produces excellent milk, meat and wool without requiring any maintenance. Domestic yak is crossed with cows, and the resulting hainyki very convenient as draft animals.

Unfortunately, only in the past tense can we talk about bull tour(B. primigenius). The last representative of this species died less than 350 years ago, in 1627. In folklore, in ancient books, in ancient painting and sculpture, the aurochs, however, has survived to this day, and we can not only clearly imagine its appearance, but also speak with great confidence about its former distribution and way of life.

The tur was much slimmer and lighter than its relatives, although it was almost as big as them

Tall-legged, muscular, with a straight back and a high-set head on a powerful neck, with sharp and long light horns, the aurochs was unusually beautiful. The bulls were matte black with a narrow white “belt” along the back, the cows were bay, reddish-brown.

There was a tour throughout almost all of Europe, in North Africa, in Asia Minor and the Caucasus. However, in Africa it was exterminated already in 2400 BC. e., in Mesopotamia - by 600 BC. e., in Central and Western Europe - by 1400. Turs lasted the longest in Poland and Lithuania, where they had already lived under protection for the last centuries, almost in the position of park animals.

IN last period During their existence in Europe, the Turs lived in damp, swampy forests. In all likelihood, attachment to forests was forced. Even earlier, aurochs apparently inhabited forest-steppes and sparse forests, interspersed with meadows, and often even entered real steppes. It is possible that they migrated to the forests only in winter, preferring meadow pastures in the summer. Turs ate grass, shoots and leaves of trees and shrubs, and acorns. The aurochs' rut occurred in September, and calving occurred in the spring. Turs lived in small groups and alone; for the winter they gathered in larger herds. They had a wild and evil disposition, were not afraid of humans and were very aggressive. They had no enemies: the wolves were powerless against the tours. Mobility, lightness and strength made the aurochs a very dangerous animal indeed. Prince Vladimir Monomakh, who left behind interesting notes and was an excellent hunter, reports that “two tours met me on roses (horns) and with a horse.” The fact that during excavations of Paleolithic and even Neolithic sites almost no tur bones are found, some researchers are inclined to explain the difficulty and danger of hunting for it.

The tour, so to speak, provided a huge, invaluable service to the person. It was he who turned out to be the ancestor of all modern breeds of cattle - the main source of meat, milk and leather. The domestication of the aurochs occurred at the dawn of modern humanity, apparently sometime between 8000 and 6000 BC. BC e. Some breeds of domestic cows, such as Camargue cattle and Spanish fighting bulls, retain the basic characteristics wild tour. They can also be easily traced in other breeds: in English park and Scottish cattle, in Hungarian steppe cows, in gray Ukrainian cattle.

Information regarding the place of domestication of the tur is contradictory. Apparently, this process occurred independently and non-simultaneously in different places: in the Mediterranean, Central Europe, and South Asia. In all likelihood, domestic bulls were originally cult animals, and then they began to be used as draft power. The use of cows for milk came a little later.

Cattle play a huge role in the economy of modern humanity and are distributed throughout the world. It is not surprising, therefore, that, based on special needs and climatic conditions, the man brought out very large number breeds

In the Soviet Union, Western Europe and North America, dairy and combined breeds are cultivated, and less often - meat breeds. Among dairy breeds, the most famous are the Yaroslavl, Kholmogory, Red Danish, Red Steppe, Ostfriesian, and Angell breeds. The annual milk yield of these cows is 3000 - 4000 liters with a fat content of about 4%. Combined breeds that produce both dairy and meat products are even more widely bred. Combined breeds include Kostroma, Simmental, Red Gorbatov, Schwitz, Shorthorn, Red and Pied German. Pure beef cattle farming is practiced on a smaller scale in Europe and North America. Main meat breeds can be considered Hereford, Astrakhan, Aber Dino-Anguish. Beef cattle breeding is predominantly developed in South America, Argentina and Uruguay, where local, relatively unproductive, but unpretentious breeds are cultivated.

In South and Southeast Asia dominates humpback zebu cattle, also introduced to Africa and South America. Zebu are significantly less productive than European cows (the annual milk yield from one zebu does not exceed 180 liters), but they are faster on the move, and therefore are often used as draft power and even for riding. In India, zebu cows are sacred animals and cannot be killed. This leads to a paradoxical fact: for every 500 million people there are about 160 million cows that produce no meat and almost no milk.

Highly interesting livestock Watussi one of the East African tribes. Bulls and cows of this breed have colossal horns, the girth of which reaches half a meter at the base. These cattle have a purely cult significance, constituting the wealth and glory of the owner. The cattle of the Maasai, Samburu, Karamoja and other pastoral tribes are almost equally unproductive. In addition to milk, these tribes also use blood, which is taken intravitally by making an arrow puncture in the jugular vein. This operation is harmless to livestock; from a bull they get 4-5 liters of blood per month, from a cow - no more than half a liter.

About 40 years ago, two zoologists, brothers Lutz and Heinz Heck, simultaneously began the so-called restoration of the wild aurochs at the Berlin and Munich Zoos. They proceeded from the position that the genes of the aurochs are scattered among its domestic descendants and to revive the aurochs it is only necessary to put them back together again. Through painstaking selection work with Camargue cattle, Spanish bulls, English park, Corsican, Hungarian steppe, Scottish cattle and other primitive breeds, they managed to obtain animals that are almost indistinguishable from aurochs in appearance. The bulls have a typical black color, characteristic horns and a light “belt” back, cows and calves are bay. The fact that the Heck brothers were able to restore even the sharp sexual dimorphism of color, which was not present in any of the original breeds, undoubtedly indicates a deep restructuring of the hereditary code in the resulting animal. But the “restored” aurochs are only a form of livestock.

To the family bison(Bison) also include very large and powerful bulls, which are characterized by short, thick, but sharp horns, high, hunched withers, sloping back, thick mane and beard of long hair

In the physique, a sharp disproportion between the powerful front part and the relatively weak croup is striking. The weight of bulls sometimes reaches 850-1000 kg, the height at the withers is up to 2 m. Females are much smaller. The genus includes 2 systematically close and outwardly similar species: European bison(B. bonasus) and American bison (B. bison). It was literally a miracle that both species did not share the fate of the tour, and although the immediate danger has passed, their future is entirely in the hands of man.

Even in historical times, the bison lived in most of Europe, and in the Caucasus there lived a special subspecies (B. bonasus caucasicus), distinguished by a lighter build. The bison inhabited sparse deciduous forests with clearings, forest-steppe and even steppe with floodplain and watershed forests. As humans settled more and more space, bison retreated into the depths of untouched forests. IN steppe zone In Eastern Europe, the bison disappeared in the 16th - 17th centuries, in the forest-steppe - at the end of the 17th - early XVIII V. In Western Europe it was destroyed much earlier, for example in France - in the 6th century. Driven by human persecution, the bison survived longest in continuous, partly swampy or mountain forests. However, even here he did not find salvation: in 1762 the last bison was killed in the Radnan Mountains in Romania, by 1793 it was destroyed in the mountain forests of Saxony. And only in two places - in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and in the Western Caucasus - did the bison survive in its natural state until the beginning of the 20th century. First World War, civil war, intervention and years of devastation had a tragic impact on the remaining bison population: despite the creation of the Caucasus Nature Reserve, despite the protection in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the bison herd quickly melted away. The denouement came soon. “The last free bison of Belovezhskaya Pushcha was killed on February 9, 1921 by the former forester of the Pushcha, Bartolomeus Shpakovich: let his name, like the name of Herostratus, be preserved for centuries!” - wrote Erna Mohr, a prominent German zoologist. The Caucasian bison did not survive their Belovezhsk brothers for long: in 1923 (according to other sources - in 1927), the last of them fell victim to poachers in the Tiginya tract. The bison as a species ceased to exist in natural conditions.

Fortunately, by this time a number of bison remained in zoos and private lands. In 1923 it was created International Society conservation of bison. It conducted an inventory of the remaining bison: there were only 56 of them, of which 27 were males and 29 were females. Painstaking and labor-intensive work began to restore numbers, first in Belovezhskaya Pushcha in Poland, in zoos in Europe, and later here, in the Caucasus and in Askania-Nova. An international stud book was published and each animal was assigned a number. The Second World War interrupted this work; some of the animals died in the catastrophe that befell the world. However, after the end of the war, the struggle to save the bison resumed with new strength. In 1946, bison began to be bred on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, owned by Soviet Union(by this time, 17 bison remained on Polish territory, which were collected in a special nursery). In 1948 in Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve The Central Bison Nursery was organized, where some of the bison were transferred to semi-free housing. From here, part of the breeding material was brought to other reserves of the country (Khopersky, Mordovian, Oksky, etc.). In Belovezhskaya Pushcha and in the Caucasus Nature Reserve, it has become possible to free-range bison, and the Caucasian herd now numbers about 700 animals (some of the animals, however, are of hybrid origin). The total number of purebred bison in all reserves and nurseries in the world in 1969 was more than 900 animals. Outside of protected areas, however, there are no bison anywhere.

Modern bison are true forest animals. However, they adhere to areas with clearings interspersed with small forests, wooded river valleys with water meadows, and in the mountains they prefer the upper belt of forest on the border with subalpine meadows. Depending on the growing season of vegetation in summer and the state of snow cover in winter, bison make seasonal migrations, but their scope is relatively small. They feed on herbaceous and tree-shrub (leaves, shoots, bark) vegetation, and the composition of their food plants is wide (at least 400 species), varies in different habitats and varies with the seasons. Almost everywhere in winter period bison use artificial feeding from hay, regularly go to salt licks. Bison graze in the morning and evening, going out into the clearings, and spend the middle of the day lying down in the forest, chewing cud. IN hot weather bison go to water twice a day. They love to roll in dry, loose soil, but do not take mud baths. When extracting food from under the fine snow, the bison make a hole in it with their muzzle; in deep snow, they often first tear up the snow with their hoofs, and then deepen and widen the hole with their muzzle.

Despite its powerful build, the movements of the bison are light and fast. He gallops very quickly, easily overcomes a 2 m high fence, and moves deftly and fearlessly along steep slopes. Of the sense organs, the main ones are smell and hearing, which are well developed; vision is relatively weak. The bison's voice is a brief, abrupt grunt; when irritated, it growls, and when frightened, it snorts. In general, bison are silent.

Like other bulls, bison live in small groups, which include females with calves and young people under 3 years of age or adult males. Old bulls often lead a solitary lifestyle. In winter, groups gather in larger herds, sometimes up to 30-40 animals, but by spring such herds break up again.

Having seen a person or smelled him, bison usually quickly run away and hide in the thicket of the forest. When the wind blows from the animals, they cannot catch the smell of a person and try to look at him. Being myopic, like all forest animals, bison line up in one line with curved flanks, peering intently. This is often taken by people as preparation for an attack with a deployed front. However, the animals soon turn sharply and disappear into the forest.

In the past, the bison's rut took place in August - the first half of September, but now, with semi-free housing and feeding, its clear seasonal timing has been disrupted. During the rutting season, adult bulls join the herds of females, driving out teenagers over two years old, and guard the harem, which usually contains from 2 to 6 cows. Animals are very excited at this time and often fight among themselves. Fights between strong bulls occur infrequently; issues of dominance in most cases are resolved by demonstrating threatening poses, avoiding a fight, which is very dangerous given the gigantic strength of these animals. However, there are cases of real battles that end in severe injury and even death of one of the opponents. During the rut, bulls hardly graze and lose a lot of weight; they give off a strong smell reminiscent of musk.

Pregnancy in a bison lasts 262-267 days. The cow leaves the herd shortly before calving, but usually not far. A newborn bison weighs 22-23 kg. An hour after birth, he is already on his feet, and another half hour later he can follow his mother. A cow and calf will join the herd in a few days, when the calf is completely strong. Zubrikha, with the little one, is constantly on guard and, seeing a person, arranges a demonstration of an attack. She quickly rushes towards the enemy, but, not having reached a few meters, she stops dead in her tracks, and, turning sharply, runs back to the calf. She feeds the calf with milk for up to 5 months, sometimes up to a year, but it begins to eat grass already at the age of 19-22 days.

Adult bison have virtually no natural enemies, although wolves can pose a danger to young people. Bison often died from epizootics brought by livestock (foot-and-mouth disease, anthrax), helminthiases and other diseases. They also endured snowy winters with great difficulty, suffering greatly from lack of food. The longest life expectancy for bulls, according to observations in nurseries, is 22 years, for cows - 27 years.

The bison is a wonderful monument of nature, and its preservation is the duty of humanity, which has brought the bison to the brink of death.

Buffalo(B. bison) - the closest relative of the bison - is common in North America. Outwardly, it is very similar to the bison, but more massive due to its even lower-set head and especially thick and long hair covering the head, neck, shoulders, hump and partly the front legs. The hair reaches a length of 50 cm and forms a continuous tangled mane, almost covering the eyes and hanging from the chin and throat in the form of a shaggy long beard. Bison horns are short, shaped like bison horns, but usually blunt. The tail is shorter than that of a bison. The weight of old bulls reaches 1000 kg, the height at the withers is up to 190 cm; cows are much smaller and lighter. The so-called forest bison, which live in the north of their range, in the forest zone, are especially large and long-horned. They are classified as subspecies B. b. athabascae.

The extermination of the bison also had another goal - to doom the Indian tribes, who offered fierce resistance to the aliens, to starvation. The goal was achieved. The winter of 1886/87 turned out to be fatal for the Indians; it was incredibly hungry and claimed thousands of lives.

By 1889 it was all over. In a vast area where millions of herds grazed, only 835 bison remain, including a herd of 200 that survived in Yellowstone National Park.

And yet it was not too late. In December 1905, the American Bison Rescue Society was founded. Literally in last days, in the last hours of the bison's existence, society managed to turn the wheel of fortune. First in Oklahoma, then in Montana, Nebraska and the Dakotas, special reserves were established where bison were safe. By 1910, the number of bison had doubled, and after another 10 years there were about 9,000.

A movement to save the bison has also developed in Canada. In 1907, a herd of 709 head was purchased from private hands and moved to Wayne Wright (Alberta), and in 1915, Wood Buffalo National Park was established for the few surviving wood bison, between Great Slave Lake and Lake Athabasca. Unfortunately, there in 1925-1928. brought in more than 6,000 steppe bison, which introduced tuberculosis, and most importantly, freely interbreeding with the wood bison, threatened to “absorb” it as an independent subspecies. It was only in 1957 that a herd of about 200 purebred wood bison was discovered in the remote and inaccessible northwestern section of the park. From this herd, 18 bison were caught in 1963 and transported to a special reserve across the Mackenzie River, not far from Fort Providence, where in 1969 there were about 30 buffalo. Another 43 wood bison were moved to Elk Island National Park, east of Edmonton.

Now in the national parks and reserves of Canada there are more than 20 thousand bison, of which about 230 are forest bison; in the USA - more than 10 thousand heads. Thus, the future of this species is almost unique among bulls! - does not cause anxiety.

It is difficult to talk about the way of life of bison in the past: it was exterminated before it was studied. It is only known that bison made regular long-distance migrations, moving south in the winter and migrating north again in the spring. Now bison cannot migrate: their range is limited to national parks, around which the lands of companies and farmers lie. A variety of habitats are suitable for bison: open prairies, both flat and hilly, open forests, even more or less closed forests. They are kept in small herds, bulls and cows separately, and groups of bulls number up to 10-12 heads, and cows with calves gather in groups of 20-30 animals. There are no permanent leaders in the herd, but the old female leads the herd when moving.

Steppe bison feed on grass, while forest bison, in addition to herbaceous vegetation, widely use leaves, shoots and branches of bushes and trees for food. In winter, the main food is grassy debris, and in the forest - lichens and branches. Bison can feed in snow cover up to 1 m deep: first they scatter the snow with their hooves, and then, like bison, they dig a hole rotational movements heads and muzzles. Once a day, bison visit watering holes, and only in severe frosts, when thick ice completely covers the water, do they eat snow. They usually graze in the morning and evening, but often during the day and also at night.

Of the sense organs, smell is the best developed: bison sense danger at a distance of up to 2 km. They sense water even further away, 7-8 km away. Their hearing and vision are somewhat weaker, but they cannot be called bad. Bison are very curious, especially calves: every new or unfamiliar object attracts their attention. A sign of excitement is a vertically raised tail. Bison willingly roll, like bison, in dust and sand. Bison vocalize frequently: when the herd moves, grunting sounds of different tones are constantly heard; During the rut, bulls emit a booming roar, which in calm weather can be heard 5-8 km away. Such a roar sounds especially impressive when several bulls participate in the “concert.”

Despite their powerful build, bison are exceptionally fast and agile. At a gallop, they easily reach speeds of up to 50 km/h: not every horse could compete with them in a race. The bison cannot be called aggressive, but when driven into a dead end or wounded, it easily switches from flight to attack. It has practically no natural enemies among predators, and only calves and very old people become victims of wolves.

The bison's rut begins in May and lasts until September. At this time, bulls unite with females in large herds, and a certain hierarchy of dominance is observed in them. There are often fierce fights between bulls, during which severe injuries and even deaths are not uncommon. At the end of the rut, the herds again break up into small groups. Pregnancy lasts, like that of bison, about 9 months. Usually, when giving birth, a cow seeks solitude, but sometimes she gives birth to a calf right among the herd. Then all the tribesmen crowd around the newborn, sniff him and lick him. The calf suckles its mother for about a year.

Wikipedia Wikipedia

- (Bovidae)** * * The family of bovids, or bulls, is the largest and most diverse group of artiodactyls, including 45-50 modern genera and about 130 species. Bovids form a natural, clearly defined group. No matter how... ...Animal life

Bovids Common dik-dik ... Wikipedia

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 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 largest bull in the 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 giant bison skull. It is not only the largest and strongest, but also and the most beautiful of bulls.

The gaur is sometimes called the Asian bison, and indeed, its build is somewhat similar to 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. The hair is dense, short, adjacent to the body, the color is shiny black, less often dark brown, and 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 has been 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.

True, a strict ban on hunting throughout the entire territory and vigorous quarantine supervision seem to have marked a certain turning point in the situation of the gaur, and its numbers have increased somewhat in recent years. 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, gaura can also be found in bamboo jungles, as well as on grassy plains with bushes. He resolutely avoids cultivated lands. The gaur's favorite food is fresh grass, young bamboo shoots, and shoots of bushes. 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. Calves usually stay together, and the entire “kindergarten” is under the vigilant protection of their 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, when the cow saw the rooster, she 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 in complete freedom, and when it is necessary to catch a gayal, they lure it with a piece of rock salt or tie a cow in the forest. Guyala 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.

Hearing the phrase wild bull, many people imagine a powerful and beautiful bison, but this name also includes a number of other varieties of these animals that deserve special attention. In fact, on almost all continents there are undomesticated representatives of the bovid family, which, like their ancient ancestors, inhabit the steppes, forests and desert plains, even despite the spread of domesticated livestock by humans and the capture of ever new territories for its development.

Hearing the phrase wild bull, many people imagine a powerful and beautiful bison

For example, the Belovezhskaya bull bison and North American bison long time were on the verge of complete extinction, and only the creation protected areas allowed us to save them from extinction. At the same time, some species of bulls have already become completely extinct due to the loss of natural habitats. This is an irreparable loss for the world's fauna. For example, a wild bull with huge horns known as aurochs, which was distributed throughout Europe and Africa, was quickly displaced from its natural habitat due to the influence of anthropogenic factors and finally became extinct by 1627. Currently, there are only images and reconstructions of the appearance of these animals.

The Belovezhsky bull bison and North American bison were on the verge of complete extinction for a long time, and only the creation of protected areas made it possible to save them from extinction

Rare wild yaks

Some scientists speculate where and when the first cow was domesticated, but there is no exact answer to these questions yet. Some believe that modern breeds used in agriculture, descended from yaks. There is evidence that the first cow was domesticated long before our era, when wild bulls flourished across vast areas of Eurasia and Africa.

Representatives of this species of animals declined as humans spread. They are now extremely little studied, since they live mainly on the high plateaus of Tibet, where the anthropogenic factor is not yet so felt.

True bulls of this species, living in wildlife, are indeed similar to domesticated cows, but they also have differences. They are much larger in size and reach 2 m at the withers and approximately 4 m in length, have large rounded horns, and very thick hair. This subspecies of wild bull has a bad temper, so these animals pose a serious danger to people. Despite the fact that hunting these creatures is prohibited, their numbers are gradually declining, since they cannot survive in territories developed by humans.

Gallery: wild bulls (25 photos)

Pilgrimage to the Asian bulls (video)

African and Indian wild bulls

Many large representatives of the bovid family that have survived to this day live in dense thickets in open spaces untouched by humans. For example, the largest wild bull in India, the gaur, is only thanks to the creation of nature reserves in lately began to increase its population, which has already reached about 30 thousand individuals. The weight of the animal reaches about 700-1000 kg. This wild forest bull reaches about 1.7-2.2 m at the withers. Gaur has huge horns, reaching 90 cm. They are shaped like a crescent. This wild forest bull is distinguished by its large size, although in most cases representatives of the bovid family are usually characterized by more than modest sizes.

Representatives of this species are distinguished by a rather docile disposition, so they have long been domesticated. Another Indian bull, known as Zebu, is revered by the locals as a sacred animal. Such a cow reaches about 600-800 kg. They have a characteristic chest fold and a hump at the withers. In many regions of India, they are crossed with certain types of livestock to increase productivity and hardiness.

Some real bulls that have survived to this day are more modest in size. This helped them avoid complete extinction during the development of territories by humans. For example, a wild forest bull from India, known as tamaraw, has the following parameters:

height at withers - 106 cm;
body length - 220 cm;
weight from 180 to 300 kg;
black skin color.

They are actively exterminated for the sake of high-quality skins. This wild forest bull does not reproduce in captivity, so it is not possible to artificially increase their numbers. Only conservation measures and a ban on shooting save this species from complete extinction.

Another dwarf wild forest bull lives exclusively in the dense forests of the Philippines. They reach only 80 cm at the withers. The body length of such buffaloes is approximately 160 cm. These animals have an elongated muzzle and almost straight horns laid back, so they resemble antelopes in appearance. This body structure is considered an adaptation to living in dense forest thickets. This dwarf forest bull is currently under threat of extinction due to human development of their natural habitat.

African buffalos deserve special attention. These are real bulls, reaching a weight of about 1200 kg. With significant body weight, they are compact in size and rarely exceed 1.5-1.6 m. Real bulls of this breed are distinguished by their black coat color and large rounded horns. These animals are different developed vision. At the same time, like real bulls, they have a rather violent disposition. They can repel even the large predatory cats that dominate the African savannas. Sensing danger, the animal immediately attacks, using not only its huge horns, but also its hooves. Meeting with the Enraged African buffalo can end badly for any predator. These buffaloes usually lead a herd lifestyle. Only large males can move alone for a long time. Large herds provide additional protection.