Bulls (lat. Bovinae) belong to the subfamily of large vertebrates. In turn, they are divided into several genera, consisting of bulls, buffaloes, bison and antelopes. The smallest representatives of the subfamily are Asian buffaloes (lat. Bubalus) tamarou and anoa. It is about them that we will talk today.
Tamarou
Tamarou (Anoa mindorensis) is a Philippine dwarf buffalo, a unique animal living on the island of Mindoro. It is slightly larger than a sheep in size. The growth of a midget bull at the withers is no more than one hundred and twenty centimeters. The neck is thick, the horns are small, triangular in shape, slightly curved back. The color of the body is dark brown. Despite its small size, the bull is considered the largest animal on the island.
Long before the Philippines became a Spanish colony, the dwarf wild buffalo tamarou was widespread on the islands and posed a serious threat to the inhabitants there. The bull had an excellent reaction, ran very fast, had excellent eyesight and sharp hearing. The population was quite significant, because the locals hunted dwarf buffalo very carefully.
Cause of extinction
With the advent of representatives of the civilizedof the world, owning firearms, the situation with the number of tamarou began to deteriorate rapidly. Hunters valued tender and tasty meat of animals, as well as leather, from which high-quality suede was produced. Over the past hundred years, the population of Mindoro Island has increased significantly, which has led to the growth of the developed territories, where there is almost no place left for baby bulls.
Today, the pygmy tamarou buffalo is on the verge of extinction. At the end of the last century, the approximate number of individuals was no more than two hundred units. The bulls lived separately and remotely from each other, which did not give them the opportunity to meet during the breeding season. The vast territory of the island does not allow keeping a strict record of the remaining animals. Trying to preserve and increase the number of endangered buffaloes, the world's zoos are struggling to get enough of them to breed in captivity.
Philippine government authorities have approved protected areas for small bulls and imposed a strict ban on their shooting. Despite the measures taken, we althy tourists still allow themselves to arrange expensive hunting trips, destroying the remnants of the population.
Anoa
The pygmy buffalo from Indonesia is called anoa (Bubalus depressicornis). It is even smaller than the tamarou: the height at the withers is from sixty to one hundred centimeters. The weight of the largest individual reaches three hundred kilograms. In appearance, the midget bull resembles a miniature antelope. The short, straight horns are flattened and directed slightlyback.
The main habitat is the island of Sulawesi. Undersized Indonesian bulls are divided into two varieties of anoa: plains and mountain. Adult buffaloes living in lowland forest areas have almost no hair and are covered with sparse brown or black hair. Head, neck and legs have white markings. Anoa very rarely stray into small herds, more often they are kept alone or in pairs. Cautious animals were made by a man who for many years mercilessly exterminated small bulls for valuable meat and skins.
Nutrition and reproduction
Dwarf wild buffalo (Sulawesi, as it is also called) is a herbivore that feeds on leaves, young shoots and fruits of trees, collecting them on the ground. Plains anoa live in the swampy forests of the island. They love to be near the water, especially in hot weather. There, buffaloes happily eat aquatic plants, bathe and wallow in the mud. Small bulls breed regardless of the season. Bearing cubs lasts a little less than a year. The calves have a thick golden-brown coat. The average life expectancy of a wild Asian bull is no more than twenty years. Unfortunately, they rarely live long in the wild.
Despite the bans, the local population continues to hunt for rare animals. Skins and horns are used to make national costumes for ritual events, as well as for sale to tourists.
Features
Compared tolowland animals, the mountain pygmy anoa buffalo is even smaller and lighter. It is he who owns the palm among the small bulls of the world. The coat of adults remains thick and silky from a young age. The color of the body is from dark brown to black. The belly has a lighter shade than the back. There are no white spots. The horns are small, conical in shape, slightly bent back. Undersized bulls live in seclusion in the mountain forests of Sulawesi. Due to their remoteness, human access to them is difficult, so forest buffaloes are calmer than their lowland counterparts.
The exact number of Indonesian Anoa living in the wild is unknown. Records are kept only in world zoos. In an effort to preserve the population, people are trying to breed animals in captivity.
All dwarf bulls are listed in the world's Red Book as endangered animals.
