Editing Gaur (section)

== Ecology and behaviour ==
[[File:Indian Gaur at Kanha.jpg|thumb|A gaur herd in [[Kanha National Park]], [[Madhya Pradesh]], India]]
Where gaur have not been disturbed, they are basically [[Diurnal animal|diurnal]]. In other areas, they have become largely [[nocturnal]] due to human impact on the forest. In central India, they are most active at night, and are rarely seen in the open after 8 o'clock in the morning. During the dry season, herds congregate and remain in small areas, dispersing into the hills with the arrival of the [[monsoon]]. While gaur depend on water for drinking, they do not seem to bathe or wallow.<ref name=Nowak1999 />

In January and February, gaur live in small herds of eight to 11 individuals, one of which is a bull. In April or May, more bulls may join the herd for mating, and individual bulls may move from herd to herd, each mating with many cows. In May or June, they leave the herd and may form herds of bulls only or live alone. Herds wander {{Cvt|2|-|5|km}} each day. Each herd has a nonexclusive home range, and sometimes herds may join in groups of 50 or more.<ref name=Burton />

Gaur herds are led by an old adult female, the matriarch. Adult males may be solitary. During the peak of the breeding season, unattached males wander widely in search of receptive females. No serious fighting between males has been recorded, with size being the major factor in determining dominance. Males make a [[mating call]] of clear, resonant tones which may carry for more than {{cvt|1.6|km|mi|frac=16}}. Gaur have also been known to make a whistling snort as an alarm call, and a low, cow-like moo.<ref name=Huffman>{{cite web |url=http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Bos_frontalis.html |title=Bos frontalis – Gaur |last=Huffman |first=B. |year=2004 |publisher=ultimateungulate.com}}</ref>

In some regions in India where human disturbance is minor, the gaur is very timid and shy despite their great size and power. When alarmed, gaur crash into the jungle at a surprising speed. However, in [[Southeast Asia]] and [[South India]], where they are used to the presence of humans, gaur are said by locals to be very bold and aggressive. They are frequently known to go into fields and graze alongside domestic cattle, sometimes killing them in fights. Gaur bulls may charge without provocation, especially during summer, when the intense heat and parasitic insects make them more short-tempered than usual. To warn other members of its herd of approaching danger, the gaur lets out a high whistle for help.<ref name=Sanderson1907 />

=== Feeding ecology ===
[[File:Gaur (Indian Bison) at Periyar National Park & Wildlife Sanctuary.jpg |thumb|A gaur herd in [[Periyar National Park]]]] 
[[File:Wary gaur (51076025126).jpg|thumb|A young gaur eating leaf in Kanha National Park]]
The gaur [[Grazing (behaviour)|grazes]] and [[browsing (herbivory)|browses]] mostly the upper portions of plants, such as leaf blades, stems, seeds and flowers of grass species, including kadam ''[[Adina cordifolia]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Shukla, R. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Khare, P. K. |year=1998 |title=Food habits of wild ungulates and their competition with live stock in Pench Wildlife Reserve central India |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=95 |issue=3 |pages=418–421 |url=https://archive.org/details/journalofbombay951998bomb/page/418/mode/2up}}</ref>
During a survey in the [[Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park]], gaurs were observed to feed on 32 species of plants. They consume herbs, young shoots, flowers, fruits of elephant apple (''[[Dillenia]]'') with a high preference for leaves. Food preference varies by season. In winter and [[monsoon]], they feed on preferably fine and fresh [[true grass]]es and herb species of the [[Fabaceae|legume family]], such as tick clover (''[[Desmodium triflorum]]''), but also browse on leaves of shrub species such as [[Strobilanthes callosus|karvy]] (''Strobilanthes callosus''), [[Gardenia latifolia|Indian boxwood]] (''Gardenia latifolia''), mallow-leaved crossberry (''[[Grewia]] abutifolia''), East-Indian screw tree (''[[Helicteres]]'') and the chaste tree (''[[Vitex negundo]]''). In summer, they also feed on bark of teak (''[[Tectona grandis]]''), on fruit of golden shower tree (''[[Cassia fistula]]''), and on the bark and fruit of cashew (''[[Anacardium occidentale]]''). Gaur spent most of their daily time feeding. Peak feeding activity was observed between 6:30 and 8:30 in the mornings and between 17:30 and 18:45 in the evenings. During the hottest hours of the day, they rest in the shade of big trees.<ref name=Gad>{{cite journal |author=Gad, S. D. |author2=Shyama, S. K. |name-list-style=amp |year=2009 |title=Studies on the food and feeding habits of Gaur ''Bos gaurus'' H. Smith (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Bovidae) in two protected areas of Goa |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=128–130 |doi=10.11609/jott.o1589.128-30 |doi-access=free|s2cid=84861488}}</ref>

They may debark trees due to shortages of preferred food, and of minerals and trace elements needed for their nutrition, or for maintaining an optimum fiber/protein ratio for proper digestion of food and better assimilation of nutrients. They may turn to available browse species and fibrous teak bark in summer as green grass and herbaceous resources dry up. High concentrations of calcium (22400 ppm) and phosphorus (400 ppm) have been reported in teak bark, so consumption of teak bark may help animals to satisfy both mineral and other food needs. Long-term survival and conservation of these herbivores depend on the availability of preferred plant species for food. Hence, protection of the historically preferred habitats used by gaur is a significant factor in [[conservation biology]].<ref name="Gad" />

=== Reproduction ===
[[File:Mother and Cub Guar.jpg|thumb|A gaur with calf]]
Sexual maturity occurs in the gaur's second or third year. Breeding takes place year-round, but typically peaks between December and June. Females have one calf, rarely two, after a [[gestation]] period of about 275 days, a few days less than domestic cattle. Calves are typically weaned after seven to 12 months. The lifespan of a gaur in captivity is up to 30 years.<ref name=Burton>{{cite book |last=Burton |first=R. |title=International Wildlife Encyclopedia |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |year=2002 |edition=3rd |pages=936–938 |isbn=978-0-7614-7266-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P0_AD0v7vl0C&pg=PA937}}</ref>

=== Natural predators ===
Due to their size and power, gaur have few natural predators besides humans. [[Leopard]]s, [[dhole]] packs and large [[mugger crocodile]]s occasionally attack unguarded calves or unhealthy animals. Only [[tiger]]s and [[saltwater crocodile]]s have been reported to kill adult gaur. However, the habitat and distribution of the gaur and saltwater crocodile seldom overlap in recent times, due to the decreasing range of both species. A crocodile likely would need to be a mature adult male (more than {{cvt|3.7|m|ft|disp=or}} and {{cvt|300|kg|lb|disp=or}}) to make a successful attack on healthy adult gaurs.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Melletti |editor1-first=M. |editor2-last=Burton |editor2-first=J. |year=2014 |title=Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour of Wild Cattle: Implications for Conservation |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Guggisberg |first=C. A. W. |year=1972 |title=Crocodiles. Their Natural History, Folklore and Conservation |publisher=[[David & Charles]] Limited |location=[[Newton Abbot]], England}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Alligators and Crocodiles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vOnXAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Crescent Books |date=1991 |isbn=978-0-517-07012-3 |first=M. |last=Penny}}</ref>

[[File:Tiger with gaur kill.jpg|thumb|A tiger with gaur carcass]]
Tigers hunt young or infirm gaur, but have also been reported to have killed healthy bulls weighing at least {{cvt|1000|kg}}.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hunter |first=L. |year=2011 |title=Carnivores of the World |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |location=Princeton, New Jersey |isbn=978-0-6911-5228-8}}</ref> When confronted by a tiger, the adult members of a gaur herd often form a circle surrounding the vulnerable young and calves, shielding them from the big cat. As tigers rely on ambush attacks when taking on prey as large as a gaur, they will almost always abandon a hunt if detected and met in this manner.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sunquist |first1=M. E. |last2=Karanth |first2=K. U. |last3=Sunquist |first3=F. |year=1999 |chapter=Ecology, behaviour and resilience of the tiger and its conservation needs |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbQ8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA5 |title=Riding the tiger: tiger conservation in human-dominated landscapes |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge, UK |isbn=978-0-521-64835-6}}</ref> A herd of gaur in [[Malaysia]] encircled a calf killed by a tiger and prevented it from approaching the carcass.<ref name=Schaller>{{cite book |last=Schaller |first=G. |author-link=George Schaller |year=1967 |title=The Deer and the Tiger: a study of wildlife in India |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |location=Chicago |isbn=9780226736570 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KOVGHXfod0wC}}</ref> Nevertheless, the gaur is a formidable opponent to the tiger and capable of killing tigers in self-defence.<ref name=Gaur39>{{cite book |title=Tigers of the World: The Science, Politics and Conservation of ''Panthera tigris'' |isbn=9780080947518 |last1=Tilson |first1=R. |last2=
Nyhus |first2=P.J. |date=2009 |publisher=Academic Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XFIbjBEQolMC&pg=PA23}}</ref>