Concept
The gaur (Bos gaurus; ɡaʊər), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 mature individuals in 2016, with the majority of those existing in India. It has declined by more than 70% during the last three generations, and is extirpated from Sri Lanka and most likely Bangladesh. Populations in well-protected areas are stable and increasing. It is the largest species among the wild cattle and the Bovidae. The domesticated form of the gaur is called gayal (Bos frontalis) or mithun. The Sanskrit word गौर means 'white, yellowish, reddish'. The Sanskrit word means a kind of water buffalo. The Hindi word गौर means 'fair-skinned, fair, white'. Bison gaurus was the scientific name proposed by Charles Hamilton Smith in 1827. Later authors subordinated the species under either Bos or Bibos. To date, three gaur subspecies have been recognized: B. g. gaurus; the nominate subspecies, ranges in India, Nepal and Bhutan. B. g. readei; described by Richard Lydekker in 1903, based on a specimen from Myanmar, and is thought to range from Upper Myanmar to Tanintharyi Region. B. g. hubbacki; described by Lydekker in 1907, based on a specimen from Pahang in Peninsular Malaysia. It was thought to range from Peninsular Malaysia and northward through Tenasserim. This classification, based largely on differences in coloration and size, is no longer widely recognized. In 2003, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature fixed the valid specific name of the wild gaur as the first available name based on the wild population, despite being antedated by the name for the domestic form. Most authors have adopted the binomial Bos gaurus for the wild species as valid for the taxon. In recognition of phenotypic differences between zoological specimens of Indian and Southeast Asian gaur, the trinomials Bos gaurus gaurus and Bos gaurus laosiensis are provisionally accepted, pending further morphometric and genetic study.
