Систематика Быков

Bovids are the largest of all representatives of the order Artiodactyla in terms of both number of species and biological diversity. This family includes about 140 extant species ranging from huge gaur (reaching 2.3 meters in shoulder height and over one ton in weight) to tiny royal antelope (weighing less than 3 kg and having the size of domestic cat). Some bovids are light and graceful (antelopes), while others have heavy massive bodies (wisents). An important morphological feature of all bovids that distinguishes them from other even-toed ungulates is their horns: all these ungulates have two horns (with the exception of the four-horned antelopes) with the length ranging from 2 cm to 1.5 meters. In some species only males bear horns, but in most species both males and females have horns. A bovid horn consists of a bony protrusion covered in a sheath of keratine, and the horns sustain through the whole animal life. In contrast to the horns of other ungulates, the horns of bovids do not have branches and are not shed. The shape of the horns varies dramatically from absolutely straight, long and thin to short, thick and curved or spiralled. All bovids are herbivorous eating plants though some antelopes are omnivorous and may also eat small animals and insects. Most of the bovid species are polygamous but some are monogamous. Some males of the bovids have a harem of several females during the breading season. Females give birth to 1 to 5 offspring. Animals of almost all bovid species live in small family groups but some antelopes may gather in large herds consisting of several thousand animals.

The bovids are most diverse in open habitats, particularly in African savannahs; however they have adapted to a broad range of landscapes, from tundra and alpine grasslands to tropical rainforests and arid deserts. The taxonomy of the bovids is not yet completely developed.