Banteng

 Banteng

The banteng (Bos javanicus; /ˈbæntɛŋ/), also known as tembadau,^[4] is a species of cattle found in Southeast Asia. The head-and-body length is between 1.9 and 3.68 m (6.2 and 12.1 ft).^[5] Wild banteng is typically larger and heavier than their domesticated counterparts but is otherwise similar in appearance. The banteng shows extensive sexual dimorphism; adult bulls are generally dark brown to black, larger and more sturdily built than adult cows, which are thinner and usually pale brown or chestnut red. There is a big white patch on the rump. Horns are present on both sexes and are typically 60 to 95 cm (24 to 37 in) long. Three subspecies are generally recognized.

Banteng is active during the day as well as at night, though activity at night is more in areas frequented by humans. Herds comprise two to forty individuals, and generally a single bull. Herbivores, banteng feed on vegetation such as grasses, sedges, shoots, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Banteng can survive without water for long during droughts, but drink regularly if possible, especially from standing water. Not much is known about the reproductive physiology of banteng, but it might be similar to that observed in taurine cattle. After a gestation of nearly 285 days (nine to ten months), a week longer than that typically observed in taurine cattle, a single calf is born. Banteng occurs in a variety of habitats throughout their range, including open deciduous forests, semi-evergreen forests, lower montane forests, abandoned farms, and grasslands.

The largest populations of wild banteng occur in Cambodia, Java, and possibly in Borneo (particularly Sabah) and Thailand. Domesticated banteng occurs in Bali and many eastern Indonesian islands (such as Sulawesi, Sumbawa, and Sumba), Australia, Malaysia, and New Guinea. Feral populations are found in East Kalimantan and the Northern Territory (Australia). Domesticated populations are primarily used for their highly demanded meat, and are used as draught animals to a lesser extent. The wild banteng is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and populations have decreased by more than 50% in the past few decades. Rampant poaching (for food, game, traditional medicine, and horns), habitat loss and fragmentation, and susceptibility to disease are major threats throughout the range. Banteng is legally protected in all countries in their range and are largely restricted to protected areas (possibly barring Cambodia). The banteng is the second endangered species to be successfully cloned, and the first clone to survive beyond infancy.