Gaur
Bos gaurus
🐂
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Pecora
Bovidae
Bos
Bos gaurus
The Forest Titan of Southeast Asia, the Gaur is the largest living bovine, a muscular and formidable wild cattle species that still roams the dense forests and hilly terrain of South and Southeast Asia. Revered in local cultures and feared by predators, Bos gaurus is a powerful symbol of wilderness, now increasingly threatened by habitat loss and hunting.
Description
Gaur (Bos gaurus) — Also known as the Indian Bison, the Gaur is the heaviest and tallest of all wild cattle. Males stand about 1.7–2.2 meters at the shoulder, reach 3–3.6 meters in body length, and can weigh 700–1,500 kilograms. Their glossy dark brown or almost black coats, massive muscular humps over the shoulders, and white “stocking” legs are distinctive. Gaurs inhabit tropical deciduous forests, bamboo jungles, and evergreen highlands, grazing on grasses, shoots, and fruits.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
1500
2.2
3.3
3.3
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Grazers
Hunt History
Humans have hunted Gaurs since the late Pleistocene. Early hunter-gatherers in India and Southeast Asia pursued them for meat and hides, using coordinated group hunts. In later millennia, traditional tribal and royal hunts continued, often with spears or early firearms. Their immense size made them a symbol of strength in regional folklore.
Earliest Archaeological Evidence of Human Predation:
Narmada Valley, India (~40,000 BP) — Bos remains associated with Middle Paleolithic tools and cut marks.
Lang Rongrien Cave, Thailand (~35,000 BP) — Fossilized Bos gaurus bones showing evidence of butchery by early humans.
Belan River Valley, India (~10,000 BP) — Remains of wild cattle species, possibly Bos gaurus, found alongside microlithic tools and fire remains.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Regionally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
10000
BP
Late Pleistocene
Asia
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
6
Est. Renderable Fat
90
kg
Targeted Organs
Hump/backfat, marrow, mesenteric fat
Adipose Depots
Hump/backfat, mesenteric, perirenal; marrow
Preferred Cuts
Hump/backfat & marrow
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
4