Wildlifeof Bhutan
Zebu
Wild Cattle & SerowBos indicus
Basic stats
Habitat
Hot tropical savanna and steppe; more tolerant of heat, drought and sun than taurine cattle
Range
Very common across Asia including Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and China, and raised throughout the tropics
Gestation period
About 285 days
This is the zebu, a domestic cattle type kept by farmers, not a wild species. The zebu is a domestic cattle type recognisable by a fatty hump on the shoulders, a large dewlap and sometimes drooping ears. It copes with heat, drought and sun better than taurine cattle, and is used as a draught and riding animal and for beef, milk, hides and dung for fuel and manure. Zebu descend from the extinct Indian aurochs and were domesticated 6,000 to 7,000 years ago at Mehrgarh in what is now Pakistan (Wikipedia, general species account).
Cows give birth at about 29 months of age and gestation averages about 285 days. Crossing zebu with taurine cattle generally raises milk yield. Whether it is a species (Bos indicus) or a subspecies of domestic cattle is disputed. The source does not mention Bhutan (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Zebu live in?
- Hot tropical savanna and steppe; more tolerant of heat, drought and sun than taurine cattle
- Where is the Zebu found?
- Very common across Asia including Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and China, and raised throughout the tropics
- How long is the gestation period of the Zebu?
- About 285 days