Chousingha
Tetracerus quadricornis
TAXONOMY
Tetracerus quadricornis (de Blainville, 1816), India.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Four-horned antelope; French: Tetracère; German: Vierhornantiope.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Body length 31.4–43.3 in (80–110 cm); shoulder height 21.6–25.5 in (55–65 cm); tail length 3.9–5.9 in (10–15 cm); weight 33–55 lb (15–25 kg). Unique among Bovinae because the males have two pairs of horns longer pair is 1.9–4.7 in (5–12 cm), smooth, and black, positioned at the top of the head just anterior to the ears; second pair is much smaller, between 0.7–1.5 in (2–4 cm) long, and located on the forehead well between the orbits. Females are hornless, and they exhibit little sexual dimorphism. Pelage is brown to reddish brown on the back, getting lighter on the sides and changing to white along the abdomen and insides of the legs. The anterior surface of each leg is dark brown. The rostrum and forehead is dark brown to blackish. The outer surfaces of the ears are colored similarly and they have an almost-black rim. The upper lip along the sides is white as is beneath the jaw. This changes to a brown neck that is lighter than the back and sides.
DISTRIBUTION
Occur in thickets and wooded areas across most of India and into Nepal; absent from northeast India and the southern quarter of the Indian Peninsula. Occur in many parks and nature reserves, but are increasingly absent from lands outside these protected areas.
HABITAT
Occupy a variety of habitats such as dry deciduous, dry deciduous scrub, and southern tropical moist mixed deciduous forest types. Many of these forests occur in hilly terrain, but have some flatter areas providing small grassy openings. They frequent these meadows and other small openings, but never stray far from dense thickets of bushes or bamboo where they quickly retreat when disturbed. These landscapes are generally dissected with streams and small rivers, and they are frequently seen near water.
BEHAVIOR
Normally found as solitary or in groups of two. During the rut, males are aggressive towards other males. Individuals seem to occupy the same home range year-round.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Eat a variety of plants and plant parts. As they travel their diverse habitats, they consume leaves of shrubs, shoots, fruit, and grasses.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Mating occurs over a somewhat protracted breeding season from June through September and coincides with monsoon rainy season. Polygynous. Gestation is 7.5–8 months; most young are born February through March. Adult females give birth to between one to three young.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Classified as Vulnerable. Although they are still widely distributed in their historical range, local populations face threats from hunting for meat and loss of habitat to deforestation as well as degradation of habitat due to grazing by livestock. Other conservation concerns are that the areas occupied by chousingha are increasingly becoming isolated as habitat fragmentation proceeds through agricultural practices.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
The species has little significance to humans other than its unique curiosity as the only mammal with four horns.
| Common name / Scientific name/Other common names | Physical characteristics | Habitat and behavior | Distribution | Diet | Conservation status |
| European bison Bison bonasus Spanish: Bisonte europeo | Short hair in neck area, pelage is same color as relatives. Horns are well-developed. Average female weight 662–1,190 lb (300–540 kg), male 882–2,028 lb (400–920 kg). | Temperate coniferous forest like Bialowieza. For feeding, prefer areas of vegetation at least 20 years old. Remain in large groups during winter and break into male-oriented groups during calving season. Most of life is spent feeding and resting. | Extinct except where reintroduced — eastern Poland, western Russia, and Caucasus Mountains. | Grasses, mosses, trees, and shrubs. | Endangered |
| Gaur Bos frontalis French: Gaur | Coat is short, dense, and dark brown. Lower legs white to tan, dewlap under shin extends between front legs. Shoulder hump pronounced in adult males. Horns found on both sexes. Bulging gray-tan ridge connects horns on forehead. Head and body length 98–130 in (250–330 cm), shoulder height 67–87 in (170–220 cm), tail length 27–39 in (70–100 cm), weight 1,543–2,205 lb (700–1,000 kg). | Tropical woodlands, but have been largely disturbed. Diurnal, live in groups led by a single male. | India; Nepal; Myanmar; Thailand; south Tibet and Yunnan, China; southern Vietnam; Cambodia; and Peninsular Malaysia. | Grasses, shoots, and fruit. | Vulnerable |
| Banteng Bos javanicus French: Banteng | Males are dark chestnut brown, cows and juveniles are reddish brown. Both sexes carry horns. Considered the most beautiful of all wild cattle. Adult male weight 1,400–1,760 lb (635–798 kg), females 1,320–1,500 lb (600–680 kg). Average life in wild is 11 years. | Open, dry, deciduous forests. Generally occur in groups of 10–30 individuals. | Myanmar, Thailand, and Indochina south to northern Peninsular Malaysia; Java; Borneo; introduced to Australia, Bali Island, Sangihe and Enggano Islands; and domesticated in South-east Asia. | Grasses, bamboo, leaves, fruit, and young branches of woody shrubs. | Endangered |
| Kouprey Bos sauveli French: Boeuf gris cambodgien; Spanish: Kouprey, toro cuprey | Dark brown or black. Body is massive, legs are long, backs are humped. | Prefer open deciduous forests, grasslands, wooded grasslands, and patches of closed monsoon forest. Nocturnal. | Cambodia, southeast Thailand, southern Laos, and western Vietnam. | Primarily grazers, but will also consume fruit. | Critically Endangered |
| Nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus | Large body with short, smooth horns in males. Gray to brownish gray in males, females and young are brown to orangish. Patches of white on face and below chin. White "beard" or tufts of hair present. Stands 46–60 in (119–150 cm) at the s houlder. Weight 240–275 lb (109–306 kg). | Ranges from level ground and thin brush with scattered trees, to cultivated plains. Usually herd in small groups of 10 individuals. | Eastern Pakistan and northern India south to Bombay and Mysore; and introduced into Texas, United States. | Mixed feeders, preferring browse, short grass, and agricultural crops. | Lower Risk/Conservation Dependent |
| Anoa Bubalus depressicornis French: Anoa des plaines; Spanish: Anoa de ilanura | Young have thick, yellowish brown, woolly hair. Adults have thick, black skin with white or yellowish white stockings on each foreleg. Sometimes there are blotches of white on throat or nape. Horns are triangular and wrinkled. Weight 198–662 lb (90–300 kg). | Lowland forests including secondary formations and swampy areas, along coasts, and also at high elevations in mountainous areas. Aggressive toward humans. Can live up to 30 years. | Sulawesi. | Grasses, ferns, saplings, palm, ginger, and fallen fruit. | Endangered |
| Bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus | Males have horns that spiral once and are parallel to one another. Both sexes have white spots and stripes, patterns vary geographically. Weight ranges from 88 to 176 lb (40–80 kg), males being larger than females. | Forest edges or brushy covers near rivers or streams. Aggressive, nocturnal, good swimmers. Generally solitary, but have been seen in small groups. | Southern Mauritania to Ethiopia and southern Somalia, and south to northern Namibia and South Africa. | Herbs, leaves, twigs, and flowers. | Not threatened |
| Common name / Scientific name/Other common names | Physical characteristics | Habitat and behavior | Distribution | Diet | Conservation status |
| Greater kudu Tragelaphus strepsiceros | Tallest antelopes, shoulder heights range from 39 to 60 in (100–150 cm). Large horns, body coloration varies from reddish brown to blue-gray, with darkest individuals in southern populations. Six to ten stripes along backs, tails tipped with white undersides. Males have beards. Average weight 265–695 lb (120–315 kg). | Areas where adequate cover is provided, including bushes and thickets. Live in temporary groups of one to three individuals. | Southern Chad, northern Central African Republic, western and eastern Sudan, north-east Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia south and southwest to South Africa, Namibia, Angola and southeast Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire). | Herbs, fruits, vines, flowers, and some new grass. | Lower Risk/Conservation Dependent |
| Mountain nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni | Coat is grayish chestnut or sandy gray-brown. Males are larger than females and have spiral-shaped horns. Head and body length 75–102 in (190–260 cm), tail length 7–10 in (20–25cm), adult weight 330–660 lb (150–300 kg). | High-altitude woodland, bush, heath, moorland, and valley-bottom grassland. Travels in small groups of two to 13 animals. | Ethiopia, east of Rift Valley. | Herbs, shrubs, grasses, ferns, and lichens. | Threatened |
