Indian Bison - A nocturnal animal
Q. Which of the following is/are true regarding the Gaur?
1) It is nocturnal.
2) It is known as the Nilgiri tahr.- Published on 13 Jan 17a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
ANSWER: Only 1
- The gaur, also called Indian bison, is the largest extant bovine, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia.
- The species has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986.
- Where gaur have not been disturbed, they are basically diurnal.
- In other areas, they have become largely nocturnal due to forest molestation caused by humans.
- In central India, they are most active at night, and are rarely seen in the open after 8 o'clock in the morning.
- The gaur is the tallest species of wild cattle.
- Domesticated form of gaur is mithum or gayal.
- Nilgiri tahr is not gaur.
- The Nilgiri tahr known locally as the Nilgiri ibex or simply ibex, is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India.
- Niligiri tahr is the state animal of Tamil Nadu. Despite its local name, it is more closely related to the sheep of the Ovis genus than the ibex and wild goats of the Capra genus.
