| Bovidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Lascaux Cave painting of ancient cattle | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Type species | |
| Bos taurus Linneaus, 1758 | |
| Subfamilies | |
| |
Bovidae is a family of even-toed ungulate mammals that first appeared in the Miocene epoch and still exist to this day. This family is quite large and diverse, and includes Cattle, Sheep, Goats, and Antelope. Members of this clade are named bovids. Currently, there are approximately 140 extant species and nearly 300 extinct species in the family. The type genus is Bos. The most famous bovids include the extant domestic cattle (Bos taurus), domestic sheep (Ovis), the wildebeest (Connochaetes) and the extinct Aurochs (Bos primigenius).
Classification[]
The family Bovidae is housed in the order Artiodactlya in the superfamily Bovoidea. The current closest living relative of the bovids are the Musk Deer of the family Moschidae. This clade and Bovidae act as a sister clade to the family Cervidae, which houses all true deer.
Bovidae includes 10 diverse subfamilies:
- Bovinae: The type subfamily for Bovidae, referred to as bovines. Houses 10 extant genera and 30 extinct genera. Popular extant examples include the type species Bos taurus, giant eland (Taurotragus derbianus), and water buffalo (Bubalus). Extinct examples include Dubois' Antelope (Duboisia), Bison latifrons, and Pelorovis.
- Aepycerotinae*: Small group with one genus containing one extant species, being the impala (Aepyceros melampus), and two extinct species, A. datodenti and A. shungurae.
- Nesotraginae*: Houses a single extant genus, Nesotragus, and no extinct species.
- Reduncinae*: Group containing antelope referred to as waterbucks and reedbucks. Houses 3 extant genera such as the Kob (Kobus kob) and 6 extinct genera, Menelikia, Procobus, Sivacobus, Thaleroceros, and Zephyreduncinus.
- Caprinae*: Includes all sheep, goats, and ibex. Houses 13 extant genera and 47 extinct genera in which most aren't formally classified any more specific than the subfamily level. Extinct examples include the helmeted musk ox (Bootherium), the Balearic Islands goat (Myotragus), and Oioceros.
- Alcelaphinae*: Includes wildebeests and topis. 4 living genera and close to 15 extinct genera including Megalotragus and Rusingoryx.
- Hippotraginae*: Known as the grazing antelopes. Houses 3 living genera such as Oryx and Addax and 1 extinct genus, Palaeoryx. The famous extinct species of Bluebuck (Hippotragus leucophaeus) is also housed in this clade.
- Antilopinae*: Referred to as the true antelopes, and includes extant species like the gazelle and springboks (Antidorcas). Houses 13 extinct genera along with the well known extinct species of red gazelle (Gazella psolea).
- Cephalophinae*: Houses all duikers, also known as diving deer. 3 living genera and no extinct species currently documented.
- Oreotraginae*: Includes only the single species of the Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus).
- †Hypsodontinae: The only completely extinct subfamily in Bovidae, appearing as the earliest in the tree in the early Miocene. Houses 4 known genera, being Gobiocerus, Sinopalaeoceros, Kubanotragus, and Hypsodontus.
*These clades are under debate whether to be considered subfamilies or tribes, but will be treated like subfamilies for brevity of this page.
Description[]
The Bovidae family is quite diverse in its attributes, but most of the family shares traits that make the family unique. A bovid can be externally identified by its blunt snout, horns, pointed oval-shaped ears, and well developed tail. All bovid species have one or more pairs of horns; all males will have horns but females may or may not have horns depending on species. Internally, bovids have an enlarged small intestine and the right lung is much larger than the left. All bovids also lack upper incisors and instead have a thick tissue layer referred to as the dental pad.
All bovids are generally herbivorous and feed on roughage such as grass via fermentation in the gut, but duikers are the only exception as omnivorous who can rely on carrion and small animals for nutrients. Bovines are primary grazers of grass while cephalophines feed moreso on fruits; caprines (goats and sheep) are the most flexible of the herbivorous bovids and feed on much more varied plant matter.
