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Bovidae

(Family)

Overview

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A bovid is any of almost 140 species of mammals belonging to the family Bovidae. The family is widespread, being native to all continents except South America, Australia and Antarctica, and diverse: members include buffalo, bison, antelopes, gazelles, both wild and domesticated cattle, sheep, goats, and water buffalo.

Characteristics

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The largest bovid, the Gaur, weighs well over a ton and stand 2.2 metres high at the shoulder; the smallest, the Royal Antelope, weighs about 3 kg and stand no taller than a large domestic cat. Some are thick-set and muscular, others lightly built with small frames and long legs. Many species congregate into large groups with complex social structures, but others are mostly solitary. Within their extensive range, they occupy a wide variety of habitat types, from desert to tundra and from thick tropical forest to high mountains.

Most members of the family are herbivorous, except most duikers, which are omnivorous. All bovids have a four-chambered stomach which allows most of them to digest foods that are too low in nutriment for many other animals, notably grasses. No higher animal directly digests cellulose, but like kangaroos, termites and others, bovids rely on micro-organisms living in their stomachs to break down cellulose by fermentation.

Because of the size and weight of their complex digestive systems, many bovids have a solid, stocky build; the more gracile species tend to have more selective diets, and be browsers rather than grazers. Their upper canine teeth and incisors are missing, and are replaced with a hard, horny pad, that the lower teeth grind against to cut grass or other foliage. The canines are either missing or modified to act as extra incisors. The cheek teeth arelow-crowned and selenodont, and are separated from the forward teeth by a wide gap, or diastema. [1] The dental formula for bovids is similar to that of other ruminants:

All bovids have four toes on each foot – they walk on the central two (the hooves), while the outer two (the dew-claws) rarely touch the ground. All males and many females have horns (except in some domesticated breeds); the size and shape varies greatly but the basic structure is always a single bony protrusion without branches and covered in a permanent sheath of keratin.

Evolution

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The bovid family is known through fossils from the early Miocene, around 20 million years ago. The earliest bovids, such as Eotragus, were small animals, somewhat similar to modern gazelles, and probably lived in woodland environments. The number of bovid species greatly expanded by the late Miocene, when many adapted to more open, grassland, habitat.[2]

The largest number of modern bovids is found in Africa, while substantial but less diverse populations are in Asia and North America. It is thought that many bovid species that evolved in Asia could not survive predation by humans arriving from Africa in the late Pleistocene. By contrast, African species had many thousands or a few million years to adapt to the gradual development of human hunting skills. Yet many of the commonly domesticated bovid species (goats, sheep, water buffalo and yak) originated in Asia. This may be because Asian bovids had less fear of humans and were more docile.

The small number of modern American bovids are relatively recent arrivals over the Bering Land Bridge, but theylong predate human arrival.

Classification

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Photos

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Taxonomy

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The Family Bovidae is a member of the Superfamily Bovoidea. Here is the complete "parentage" of Bovidae:

The Family Bovidae is further organized into finer groupings including:

Genera

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Acelaphus

[more]

Addax

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]

Adenota

Adenota is an alternative or sub-genus within the Reduncinae sub-family of family Bovidae, composed of the species Kobus kob (Kob) and Kobus vardonii (Puku). It was described by Nowak in 1991. [more]

Aegoryx

[more]

Aepyceros

An impala (Aepyceros melampus Greek a?p??, aipos "high" ?e???, ceros "horn" + melas "black" pous "foot") is a medium-sized antelope. The name impala comes from the Zulu language. They are found in savannas and thick bushveld in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, northern Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, southern Angola, northeastern South Africa and Uganda (the source of that country's capital city's name - Kampala). [more]

Alcelaphus

Alcelaphus is a genus of antelope. It contains the , Red Hartebeest and Lichtenstein's Hartebeest. [more]

Ammodorcas

The dibatag, or Clark's gazelle, Ammodorcas clarkei, is an found in sandy grasslands of Ethiopia and Somalia. Not a true gazelle, it is similarly marked, with a long, furry black tail which is raised in flight. This gives rise to its name, which means "erect tail" in Somali. [more]

Ammotragus

The Barbary Sheep (Ammotragus lervia, also called Aoudad, Arui and Waddan (in )) is a species of Caprinae (goat-antelope) found in rocky mountains in North Africa. Six subspecies have been described. Although it is rare in its native North Africa, it has been introduced to North America, southern Europe and elsewhere. [more]

Anoa

Anoa are a subgenus of comprising two species native to Indonesia: the Mountain Anoa (Bubalus quarlesi) and the Lowland Anoa (Bubalus depressicornis). Both live in undisturbed forest, and are essentially miniature water buffalo, are similar in appearance to a deer, weighing 150–300 kg (330–660 lb. They live in deep rainforests. [more]

Antidorcas

The Springbok ( and Dutch: spring = jump; bok = antelope or goat) (Antidorcas marsupialis) is a medium sized brown and white gazelle that stands about 75 cm high. Springbuck males weigh between 33-48 kg and the females between to 30-44 kg. They can reach running speeds of up to 80 km/h. The Latin name marsupialis derives from a pocket-like skin flap which extends along the middle of the back from the tail onwards. When the male springbok is showing off his strength to attract a mate, or to ward off predators, he starts off in a stiff-legged trot, jumping up into the air with an arched back every few paces and lifting the flap along his back. Lifting the flap causes the long white hairs under the tail to stand up in a conspicuous fan shape, which in turn emits a strong floral scent of sweat. This ritual is known as pronking from the Afrikaans, meaning to boast or show off. [more]

Antidorcus

[more]

Antilope

Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) is a species of found mainly in India, but also in parts of Pakistan and Nepal. There are also introduced populations in various parts of the world including numerous ranches in Texas in the United States of America; free-ranging populations also exist in Argentina and in southern Australia [more]

Antilospira

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Aplocerus

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Aragoral

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Beatragus

The Hirola (Beatragus hunteri, sometimes Damaliscus hunteri also known as Hunter's Hartebeest) is found in grassy plains in a pocket on the border between Kenya and Somalia. [more]

Bibos

[more]

Bison

Bison is a taxonomic group containing six species of large within the subfamily Bovinae. Only two of these species still exist: the American bison (B. bison) and the European bison, or wisent (B. bonasus), each with two subspecies. [more]

Boocercus

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Bootherium

[more]

Bos

Bos is the of wild and domestic cattle. Bos can be divided into four subgenera: Bos, Bibos, Novibos, and Poephagus, but the distinction is controversial. The genus has five extant species. However, this may rise to seven if the domesticated varieties are counted as separate species. [more]

Boselaphus

The Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) is an which is one of the most commonly seen wild animals of northern India and eastern Pakistan. The mature males appear ox-like and are also known as Blue bulls. The nilgai is the biggest Asian antelope. [more]

Bubalus

Bubalus is a genus of , the English name of which is buffalo. Species that belong to this genus are: [more]

Budorcas

The Takin (Budorcas taxicolor) is a found in the Eastern Himalayas. There are four subspecies: B. taxicolor taxicolor, the Mishmi Takin; B. taxicolor bedfordi, the Shensi or Golden Takin; B. taxicolor tibetana, the Tibetan or Sichuan Takin; and B. taxicolor whitei, the Bhutan Takin. Mitochondrial research shows that takin are related to sheep, its similarity to the muskox being an example of convergent evolution. The takin is the national animal of Bhutan. [more]

Capra

[more]

Capricornis

The serows are six of small goat-like or antilope-like mammals of the genus Capricornis. [more]

Cephalophus

A duiker is any of about 19 small to medium-sized species from the subfamily Cephalophinae native to Sub-Saharan Africa. [more]

Connochaetes

The wildebeest (plural, wildebeest or wildebeests), also called the gnu ( or of the genus Connochaetes. It is a hooved (ungulate) mammal. [more]

Connochaetus

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Damaliscus

Damaliscus is a genus of in the family Bovidae, subfamily Alcelaphinae. Only two species are currently classified in this genus, the Tsessebe Damaliscus lunatus and the Bontebok Damaliscus dorcas dorcas. Both are relatively robust but fast-moving African antelopes. [more]

Damalops

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Dorcadoryx

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Dorcatragus

The Beira (Dorcatragus megalotis) is a small that inhabits arid regions of Somalia, Djibouti, and eastern Ethiopia. [more]

Elachistoceras

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Eosyncerus

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Eotragus

[more]

Euceratherium

The shrub-ox (Euceratherium collinum) (= Preptoceras, Aftonius) is an extinct genus and species of native to North America. It is a close relative of the musk-ox. [more]

Gallogoral

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Gazella

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Gazellospira

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Hemitragus

Tahrs are three species of large closely related to the wild goat. The Himalayan Tahr is one of three species of tahr. The others are the Arabian Tahr of Oman and the Nilgiri Tahr of southern India. [more]

Hippotragus

Hippotragus is a of antelope which includes three species, though one species, the Bluebuck, is extinct. The species are: [more]

Homoioceras

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Homoiodorcas

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Hypsodontus

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Ibex

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Kabulicornis

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Kobus

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Kubanotragus

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Leptobos

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Limnotragus

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Litocranius

The Gerenuk (Litocranius walleri), also known as the Waller's Gazelle, is a long-necked of antelope found in dry bushy shrub and steppe in East Africa. The word Gerenuk comes from the Somali, meaning “giraffe-necked”, and leads to another common name, the Giraffe-necked Antelope. It is the only member of the genus Litocranius. [more]

Madoqua

A dik-dik, pronounced "dik’ dik", and named for the sound it makes when alarmed, is a small of the Genus Madoqua that lives in the bush of southern and eastern Africa and Southeast Asia. Dik-diks stand 30–40 cm at the shoulder and weigh 3–6 kg. They have an elongated snout and a soft coat that is grey or brownish above and white below. The hair on the crown forms an upright tuft that sometimes partially conceals the short, ringed horns of the male. [more]

Makapania

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Megalotragus

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Megalovis

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Menelikia

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Mesembriportax

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Myotragus

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Naemorhedus

The gorals are the four in the genus Naemorhedus. They are small ungulates with a goat-like or antelope-like appearance. [more]

Nanger

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Nemorhaedus

The gorals are the four in the genus Naemorhedus. They are small ungulates with a goat-like or antelope-like appearance. [more]

Neotragocerus

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Neotragus

Neotragus is a of antelope. [more]

Nesotragus

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Nisidorcas

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Novibos

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Oioceros

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Onotragus

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Oreamnos

Oreamnos is a genus of North American . The Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) is the only living species. Until the end of the Pleistocene another species Oreamnos harringtoni was distributed to the south of the recent form. [more]

Oreotragus

The Klipspringer (literally "rock jumper" in ), Oreotragus oreotragus, also known colloquially as a mvundla (from Xhosa "umvundla", meaning "rabbit"), is a small African antelope that lives from the Cape of Good Hope all the way up East Africa and into Ethiopia. [more]

Orygotherium

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Oryx

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]

Ourebia

[more]

Ovibos

The muskox (Ovibos moschatus) is an mammal of the Bovidae family, noted for its thick coat and for the strong odor emitted by males, from which its name derives. This musky odor is used to attract females during mating season. [more]

Ovis

A sheep is an individual of any of the five or more species that comprise the genus Ovis, part of the goat antelope subfamily. Sheep are bovids (members of the family Bovidae) and ruminants, meaning they chew cud. The domestic sheep is thought to be descended from the wild mouflon of central and southwest Asia. Members of the genus are highly gregarious. [more]

Pachygazella

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Pachyportax

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Pachytragus

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Palaeoreas

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Palaeoryx

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Pantholops

Tibetan antelope or chiru (Pantholops hodgsonii) – the sole species in the Pantholops, is a medium-sized bovid which is about 1.2 metres (4 feet) in height. It is native to the Tibetan plateau including China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai province, and Xinjiang province; India near Ladakh, formerly western Nepal. The Tibetan antelope is also known commonly by its Tibetan name chiru. The coat is grey to reddish-brown, with a white underside. The males have long, curved-back horns which measure about 50 cm (20 inches) in length. There are less than 75000 individuals left in wild, down from a million 50 years ago. [more]

Parabos

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Paratragocerus

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Parmularius

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Pelea

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Pelorocerus

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Pelorovis

Pelorovis ("Prodigious/Monstrous ") was an extinct genus of African wild cattle, which first appeared in the Pliocene, 2.5 million years ago, and became extinct during the Holocene, some 4,000 years ago. [more]

Philantomba

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Pliotragus

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Praeovibos

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Preptoceras

The shrub-ox (Euceratherium collinum) (= Preptoceras, Aftonius) is an extinct genus and species of native to North America. It is a close relative of the musk-ox. [more]

Procamptoceras

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Procapra

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Propalaeoryx

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Prostrepsiceros

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Protoryx

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Protragocerus

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Pseudobos

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Pseudois

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Pseudonovibos

The Kting Voar, also known as the Khting Vor, Linh Duong, or Snake-eating Cow (Pseudonovibos spiralis) is a mammal reputed to exist in Cambodia and Vietnam. [more]

Pseudoryx

The Saola or Vu Quang ox, also, infrequently, Vu Quang bovid (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), one of the world's rarest , is a forest-dwelling bovine found only in Vietnam (Vu Quang Nature Reserve) and in Laos, near the Vietnam-Laotian border. Its name Saola means spindle-[horned]. The scientific epithet nghetinhensis refers to the two Vietnamese provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh while Pseudoryx acknowledges the animal's similarities with the Arabian or African oryx. The Hmong natives call this beast saht-supahp, a term derived from Lao meaning "the polite animal", because it moves quietly through the forest. [more]

Pseudotragus

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Rabaticeras

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Radunca

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Raphiceros

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Raphicerus

Raphicerus is a of small antelopes of the Tribe Neotragini (Subfamily Antilopinae). [more]

Redunca

Reedbuck is a common name for antelopes from the genus Redunca. These species are: [more]

Rhynchotragus

[more]

Rupicapra

Rupicapra is a of the family Bovidae (bovids), which contains two species: [more]

Saiga

The Saiga (Saiga tatarica) is an which originally inhabited a vast area of the Eurasian steppe zone from the foothils of the Carpathians and Caucasus into Dzungaria and Mongolia. Today they are found only in a few areas in Kalmykia (Russia), Kazakhstan, and western Mongolia. [more]

Samotragus

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Selenoportax

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Sigmoceros

Lichtenstein's Hartebeest (Alcelaphus lichtensteinii) is a and floodplain dwelling antelope found in southern Central Africa. By some this species is classified as Sigmoceros lichtensteinii. [more]

Simatherium

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Sinocapra

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Sivaceros

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Sivoreas

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Soergelia

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Spirocerus

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Strogulognathus

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Sylvicapra

The Common Duiker, Sylvicapra grimmia, also known as the Gray or Bush Duiker, is a small with small horns found in west, central, east, and southern Africa- essentially everywhere in Africa south of the Sahara, excluding the horn of Africa and the rainforests of the central and western parts of the continent. Generally they are found in habitat that has sufficient vegetation cover to allow them to hide—savannah and hilly areas, including the fringes of human settlements. [more]

Symbos

[more]

Synceros

[more]

Syncerus

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]

Taurotragus

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Tchaltacerus

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Tetraceros

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Tetracerus

The Four-horned Antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis) also known as the chousingha is an found in open forest in South Asia. Its primary distribution is in India extending South of the Gangetic plains down till the state of Tamilnadu. Orissa constitutes the Eastern boundary of its distribution whereas the fragmented population at Gir is its westernmost distribution. A small population is also found in the drier forests of Nepal. [more]

Tragelaphus

The Tragelaphus contains several species of bovine, all of which are relatively antelope-like. Species in this genus tend to be large sized, lightly built, have long necks and considerable sexual dimorphism. The Common and Giant Elands are sometimes classified as part of this group with the subgenus Taurotragus, but taurotragus is usually considered its own genus. [more]

Tragoportax

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Tragospira

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Turcocerus

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Ugandax

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More info about the Genus Ugandax may be found here.

References

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  1. ^ Janis, C. & Jarman, P. (1984). in Macdonald, D.: The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File, 498-499. ISBN 0-87196-871-1. 
  2. ^ Savage, RJG, & Long, MR (1986). Mammal Evolution: an illustrated guide. New York: Facts on File, 232-235. ISBN 0-8160-1194-X. 

Sources

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Last Revised: November 19, 2008