Editing Gayal (section)

==Characteristics==
The gayal differs in several important particulars from the [[gaur]]:<ref name=Lydekker1888>Lydekker, R. (1888–1890). [https://archive.org/stream/newnatuhist02lyderich#page/178/mode/2up ''The new natural history'' Volume 2]. Printed by order of the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), London. Pages 179–181.</ref>
* It is somewhat smaller, with proportionately shorter limbs, and stands much lower at the [[withers]].
* The ridge on the back is less developed, and bulls have a larger [[dewlap]] on the throat.
* The head is shorter and broader, with a perfectly flat forehead and a straight line between the bases of the [[Horn (anatomy)|horns]].
* The thick and massive horns are less flattened and much less curved than in the gaur, extending almost directly outwards from the sides of the head, and curving somewhat upwards at the tips, but without any inward inclination. Their extremities are thus much farther apart than in the gaur.
* The female gayal is much smaller than the bull, and has scarcely any dewlap on the throat.
* The skin colour of the head and body is blackish-brown in both sexes, and the lower portion of the limbs are white or yellowish.
* The horns are of uniform blackish tint from base to tip.
Some domesticated gayals are parti-coloured, while others are completely white.{{cn|date=June 2019}}

There are two major hypotheses on the origin of the gayal:
* It was domesticated from wild [[gaur]];<ref name=Simoons1984 />
* It is a [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrid]] descendant from crossing of wild gaur and domestic cattle, either ''[[Zebu|Bos indicus]]'' or ''[[Cattle|Bos taurus]]''.<ref name=Payne1970>{{cite book |last1=Payne |first1=W. J. A. |year=1970 |chapter=Breeds and Breeding VI |title=Cattle Production in the Tropics: General introduction and breeds |location=London |publisher=Longman Group Ltd. }}</ref>

In 2020, Ranganathan Kamalakkannan et Al. found "phylogenetic analysis using complete mitochondrial genome sequences unambiguously suggested that gaur is the maternal ancestor of domestic mithun."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kamalakkannan |first1=Ranganathan |title=The complete mitochondrial genome of Indian gaur, Bos gaurus and its phylogenetic implications |journal=Sci Rep |date=20 July 2020 |volume=10 |issue=11936 |page=11936 |doi=10.1038/s41598-020-68724-6 |pmid=32686769 |pmc=7371690 |bibcode=2020NatSR..1011936K }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Uzzaman |first1=M. R. |last2=Bhuiyan |first2=M. S. A. |last3=Edea |first3=Z. |last4=Kim |first4=K.-S. |date=2014 |title=Semi-domesticated and Irreplaceable Genetic Resource Gayal (''Bos frontalis'') Needs Effective Genetic Conservation in Bangladesh: A Review |journal=Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences |volume=27 |issue=9 |pages=1368–1372 |doi=10.5713/ajas.2014.14159 |pmid=25178382 |pmc=4150205 |issn=1011-2367}}</ref>

Analysis of the [[genome]] of the gayal was published in 2017.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Y.-P. |last2=Wu|first2=D.-D. |last3=Dong |first3=Y. |last4=Wang |first4=W. |last5=Yang |first5=M.-M. |last6=Yan |first6=S.-Q. |last7=Qu |first7=K.-X. |last8=Wang|first8=S. |last9=Xiong|first9=Z.-J. |date=2017 |title=Draft genome of the gayal, ''Bos frontalis'' |journal=GigaScience |volume=6 |issue=11 |pages=1–7 |doi=10.1093/gigascience/gix094 |pmc=5710521 |pmid=29048483}}</ref>