#bovini

Also known as tembadau, this species lives in the tropical forests and grasslands of Southeast Asia. The individual shown here is female; males are a much darker brown. Though they are endangered in the wild, they have also been domesticated, and are used for meat across Southeast Asia. The bull featured on Indonesia’s national emblem is actually a banteng!

Photo by photoman356

This massive animal lives in the forests of India, Myanmar, Thailand, and the surrounding countries. They both graze and browse, and have been known to eat tree bark for the minerals contained within. Females and males greatly differ in size, with females weighing about 1500 pounds (700kg) and males weighing up to 3300 pounds (1500kg)- surpassing even bison in size! The gaur has also been domesticated, giving rise to the smaller gayal, used as livestock in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and parts of India and China.

These giant prehistoric cattle lived in a variety of habitats during the ice age, from Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, to India and East Asia. They were a significant animal to hundreds of cultures, featuring in European cave art, Babylonian murals, ancient Egyptian temples, and more. But over thousands of years they declined in region after region, and finally went extinct in 1627. But their effect on human history did not end there- aurochs were domesticated at least twice, and their descendants are modern cattle!

Water buffaloes, wetland animals native to tropical Asia, were actually domesticated twice- once in India, and again on the indochinese peninsula. They are today cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, and have also become feral invasive species in places like Australia. They make good pack animals, and are often used to plough rice fields. They are also raised for meat, skin, horns and bones, and their dairy is richer than that of other domestic bovids. I highly recommend buffalo mozzarella!

With a shaggy coat and a thick layer of fat, yaks are well-adapted to the cold, high-altitude region of the Tibetan plateau they call home. Domestic yaks have been used for thousands of years as beasts of burden, as well as for their milk, meat, and fur. In some of the high regions of the Himalayas, dried yak droppings are the only available fuel.

Identifiable by their shoulder hump, neck dewlap, and large, floppy ears, zebu are a unique species (or subspecies) of cattle originating from India. They were domesticated from the now-extinct auroch some 8000 years ago. Thanks to their adaptations for hot, dry climates, zebu-derived breeds are cultivated in Brazil, Madagascar, Australia, and elsewhere.