Kouprey

Description

A kouprey,is a little-known,forest-dwelling,wild bovine species from Southeast Asia.A young male was sent to the Vincennes Zoo in 1937 where it was described by the French zoologist Achille Urbain and was declared the holotype.The kouprey has a tall,narrow body,long legs,a humped back and long horns.Kouprey form small herds led by a female,and graze on grasses,feeding in the forest during the day and in the open at night.They are affected by degradation of their habitat and are hunted for their meat,horns and skull.The kouprey is believed to be a close relative of the aurochs,gaur,and banteng.A very large ungulate,the kouprey can approach similar sizes to the wild Asian water buffalo.These bovids measure 2.1 to 2.3 m (6.9 to 7.5 ft) along the head and body,not counting a 1 m (3.3 ft) tail,and stand 1.7–1.9 m (5.6–6.2 ft) high at the shoulder.Their weight is reportedly from 680 to 910 kg (1,500 to 2,010 lb).Unverified reports of a body mass up to 1,700 kg (3,700 lb) from Vietnam are considered dubious,since they far exceed other recorded weights for the species.Kouprey have tall,narrow,bodies,long legs and humped backs.They can be grey,dark brown or black.The horns of the female are lyre-shaped with antelope-like upward spirals.The horns of the male are wide and arch forward and upward;they begin to fray at the tips at about three years of age.Both sexes have notched nostrils and long tails.