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Bovids range in size from the 38 cm (15 in) long royal antelope to the 3.3 m (11 ft) long gaur, which can reach 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) in weight. [1] Over a billion each of domesticated sheep , cattle , and goats , and over 200 million domesticated water buffalo , 14 million domestic yak , and 300,000 domesticated gayal are used in farming worldwide.
Antlers are considered one of the most exaggerated cases of male secondary sexual traits in the animal kingdom, [63] and grow faster than any other mammal bone. [64] Growth occurs at the tip, initially as cartilage that is then mineralized to become bone. Once the antler has achieved its full size, the velvet is lost and the antler's bone dies.
The deer are made up of about 45 species, which are characterized by a pair of antlers (generally only in males). They are spread across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. This group includes, among other species, the red deer, moose, elk (wapiti), and reindeer (caribou). The bovids are the most species-rich
Bovids use different forms of vocal, olfactory, and tangible communication. These involve varied postures of neck, head, horns, hair, legs, and ears to convey sexual excitement, emotional state, or alarm. One such expression is the flehmen response. Bovids usually stand motionless, with the head high and an intent stare, when they sense danger.
The number of its horns distinguishes it from most of the other bovids, that have two horns [24] The four-horned antelope stands 55–64 centimetres (22–25 in) at the shoulder and weighs 17–22 kilograms (37–49 lb); the head-and-body length is typically between 80 and 110 centimetres (31 and 43 in). [25]
They do this as a competition for mating rights
Horns are not shed and their bony cores are covered with a thick, persistent sheath of horny material, both of which distinguish them from antlers. [12] Antelope horns are efficient weapons, and tend to be better developed in those species where males fight over females (large herd antelope) than in solitary or lekking species. With male-male ...
The largest extant representative of the bovids, a diverse and well-known family, is the Asian forest-dwelling gaur (Bos gaurus), in which bulls can weigh up to 1,500 kg (3,300 lb), 4.5 m (15 ft) in total length and stand 2.2 m (7.2 ft) at the shoulder.