Editing Gaur (section)

== Characteristics ==
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical
 |image1=Gaur Male.jpg |caption1=Gaur bull 
 |image2=Douglas Hamilton, Dimensions of Bison horns.jpg |caption2=Dimensions of the horns}}
The gaur is the largest extant bovid.<ref>{{cite book |author=Hassanin, A. |chapter=Systematics and Phylogeny of Cattle |pages=1–18 |date=2015 |title=The Genetics of Cattle |edition=Second |editor1=Garrick, D. |editor2=Ruvinsky, A. |publisher=Cabi |location=Oxfordshire, Boston |isbn=9781780642215 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RYgXBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA7}}</ref> It is a strong and massively built bovine with a high convex ridge on the forehead between the [[Horn (anatomy)|horns]], which protrudes anteriorly, causing a deep hollow in the profile of the upper part of the head. There is a prominent ridge on the back. The ears are very large. In the old bulls, the hair becomes very thin on the back. The adult male is dark brown, approaching black in very old individuals. The upper part of the head, from above the eyes to the nape of the neck, is ashy grey, or occasionally dirty white. The [[Snout|muzzle]] is pale coloured, and the lower part of the legs are pure white or tan. The cows and young bulls are paler, and in some instances have a rufous tinge, which is most marked in groups inhabiting dry and open areas. The tail is shorter than in the typical [[oxen]], reaching only to the [[Hock (anatomy)|hocks]]. They have a distinct ridge running from the shoulders to the middle of the back; the shoulders may be as much as {{cvt|12|cm}} higher than the rump. This ridge is caused by the great length of the spinous processes of the [[vertebra]]e of the fore-part of the trunk as compared with those of the [[loin]]s. The hair is short, fine and glossy; the hooves are narrow and pointed.<ref name=Lydekker1888>{{cite book |last=Lydekker |first=R. |author-link=Richard Lydekker |year=1888–1890 |chapter=The Gaur (''Bos gaurus'') |pages=175–180 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/newnatuhist02lyderich#page/174/mode/2up |title=The new natural history |volume=2 |publisher=Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History) |location=London}}</ref>

The gaur has a distinct [[dewlap]] on the throat and chest.<ref name="Lydekker1888" /> Both sexes have horns, which grow from the sides of the head, curving upwards. Between the horns is a high convex ridge on the forehead. At their bases they present an elliptical cross-section, a characteristic that is more strongly marked in bulls than in cows. The horns are decidedly flattened at the base and regularly curved throughout their length, and are bent inward and slightly backward at their tips. The colour of the horns is some shade of pale green or yellow throughout the greater part of their length, but the tips are black.<ref name="Lydekker1888" /> The horns, of medium size by large bovid standards, grow to a length of {{Cvt|60|to|115|cm|in|0}}.<ref name=Nowak1999>{{cite book |last=Nowak |first=R. M. |year=1999 |chapter=Gaur |pages=1158–1159 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7W-DGRILSBoC&pg=PA1158 |title=Walker's Mammals of the World |volume=1 |publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]] |location=Baltimore, US and London, UK |isbn=9780801857898}}</ref>
The cow is considerably lighter in colour than the bull. Her horns are more slender and upright, with more inward curvature, and the frontal ridge is scarcely perceptible. In young animals, the horns are smooth and polished. In old bulls they are rugged and dented at the base.<ref name=Sanderson1907>{{cite book |last=Sanderson |first=G. P. |title=Thirteen Years Among the Wild Beasts of India: Their Haunts and Habits from Personal Observation |publisher=John Grant |location=Edinburgh |year=1907 |edition=6th |pages=243–265 |chapter=XVIII, XVIV |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/thirteenyearsamo029922mbp#page/n273/mode/2up}}</ref>

[[File:White bison by N A Nazeer.jpg|thumb|[[Albino gaur]] or ''Manjampatti white bison'' in [[Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary]], Kerala]]

The gaur has a head-and-body length of {{Cvt|250|to|330|cm|ftin}} with a {{Cvt|70|to|105|cm}} long tail, and is {{Cvt|142|to|220|cm}} high at the shoulder, averaging about {{cvt|168|cm|ftin}} in females and {{cvt|188|cm|ftin}} in males. At the top of its muscular hump just behind its shoulder, an average adult male is just under {{cvt|200|cm|ftin}} tall and the male's girth at its midsection (behind its shoulders) averages about {{cvt|277|cm|ftin}}. Males are about one-fourth larger and heavier than females.<ref name=Nowak1999 /> Body mass ranges widely from {{cvt|440|to|1000|kg}} in adult females and {{cvt|588|to|1500|kg}} in adult males.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Ogilvie, C. S. |year=1953 |title=The behaviour of seladang (''Bos gaurus'') |journal=Oryx |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=167–169 |doi= 10.1017/S0030605300036188 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In general, measurements are derived from gaurs surveyed in [[India]]. In a sample of 13 individuals in India, gaur males averaged about {{cvt|1500|kg}} and females weighed a median of approximately {{cvt|700|kg}}.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Johnston, L. A. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Parrish, J. J. |author3=Monson, R. |author4=Leibfried-Rutledge, L. |author5=Susko-Parrish, J. L. |author6=Northey, D. L. |author7=Simmons, L. G. |year=1994 |title=Oocyte maturation, fertilization and embryo development in vitro and in vivo in the gaur (''Bos gaurus'') |journal=Journal of Reproduction and Fertility |volume=100 |issue=1 |pages=131–136 |doi=10.1530/jrf.0.1000131 |pmid=8182580 |doi-access=free}}</ref>{{notinsource|date=June 2024}}<!-- <ref>{{cite journal |author1=Gad, S. D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Shyama, S. K. |year=2011 |title=Diet composition and quality in Indian bison (''Bos gaurus'') based on fecal analysis |journal=Zoological Science |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=264–267 |doi= 10.2108/zsj.28.264 |pmid=21466343 |s2cid=27619949}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Imama, E. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Kushwahab, S. P. S. |year=2012 |title=Modelling of habitat suitability index for Gaur (''Bos gaurus'') using multiple logistic regression, remote sensing and GIS |journal=Journal of Applied Animal Research |volume=41 |issue=2 |pages=189–199 |doi=10.1080/09712119.2012.739089 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Imam, E. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Kushwaha, S. P. S. |year=2013 |title=Habitat suitability modelling for Gaur (''Bos gaurus'') using multiple logistic regression, remote sensing and GIS |journal=Journal of Applied Animal Research |volume=41 |issue=2 |pages=189–199 |doi=10.1080/09712119.2012.739089 |s2cid=85397376 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Rosli, M. K. A. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Shabthar, S. M. F. S. |author3=Ryan, J. J. R. |author4=Zainuddin, R. |author5=Shukor, M. N. |author6=Yaakop, S. |author7=Zain, B. M. M. |year=2016 |title=Phylogenetic relationships of the vulnerable wild cattle, Malayan gaur (''Bos gaurus hubbacki''), and its hybrid, the selembu, based on maternal markers |journal=Turkish Journal of Zoology |volume=40 |issue=3 |pages=369–378 |doi= 10.3906/zoo-1501-57 |doi-access=free}}</ref> --> In China, the shoulder height of gaurs ranges from {{cvt|165|to|220|cm|ftin}}, and bulls weigh up to {{cvt|1500|kg}}.<ref name=Smith>{{cite book |author=MacKinnon, J. |year=2008 |chapter=Gaur |page=472 |title=A Guide to the Mammals of China |editor1=Smith, A. T. |editor2=Xie, Y. |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton |isbn=9781400834112 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ka-9f68nPT4C&pg=PA472}}</ref>