BISON and other Wild Bovines

[brobear]

I have for years now, after lots of research, considered the bull bison as being the one beast that represents the prey limitation of the grizzly. According to the tales told by early American pioneers, when a boar grizzly fought a bull bison, the battle could end either way. We must realize that those grizzlies of the Old West were somewhat larger than those living in isolated locations today; probably weighing from about 600 to 900 pounds quite commonly. We must also keep in mind that before the "cowboy days" the prairie was home to millions of bison and large herds of feral range cattle. Those bears quickly learned their various techniques of killing large bovines.
After becoming an accomplished killer of wild Texas Longhorns and bison, a Spanish fighting bull was less of a contest than most people expected. I have also found that there is little difference in the size of such wild bovine as the yak, water buffalo, and the African buffalo, when compared to a bull bison. But, just how well a big boar grizzly might fare against any of these is simply a matter of guesswork. The only exception is the massive wild gaur which, along with the hippopotamus, the rhinoceros, and the elephants is perhaps simply too heavy and powerful for a grizzly to kill. 

[brobear]

African buffalo compared with the largest living bovine, the gaur. 
 
library.sandiegozoo.org/factsheets/bison/bison.htm 
 
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
(Buchholtz & Sambraus 1990) (Guthrie 1990) (Lott 1974, 2003) (Meagher 1986) (McDonald 1981) (McHugh 1958)(Nowak 1999)
 
Body Weight: Males 544 - 907 kg (1,199 - 2,000 lb); females 318 - 545 kg (701 - 1,202 lb); Woods Bison generally larger and heavier than Plains Bison, but much overlap (McDonald 1981)
Body Length: Males 3,040 - 3,800 mm (10 - 12 ft); females 2,130 - 3,180 (7 - 10 ft)
Height at Shoulder: Males 1,670 -1860 mm (5.5 - 6.1 ft); females 1,520-1,570 (5 - 5.1 ft)
Tail Length: Males 330 - 910 mm (1.1 - 3 ft.); females 300 - 510 mm (1.0 - 1.7 ft)
Horns: Arch backwards and upwards with points aimed somewhat inwards. (Grzimek 1990)
 

[brobear]

African buffalo - normal max - 900 kg ( 1,984 pounds ).
Gaur - absolute max - 1500 kg ( 3,300 pounds ).
Bison - normal max - 907 kg ( 2,000 pounds ). 
 
The average weight for both the bison and the African buffalo is roughly 1400 pounds ( 635 kg ).  
The average weight for the bull gaur is roughly 1800 pounds ( 816 kg ). 
The weights of the Asian water buffalo and the yak fall somewhere in between the bison/African buffalo and the massive gaur. 
The gaur might be the only living will bovine which is simply too much animal for a grizzly to kill. During the early Holocene, some grizzlies were exceptionally skilled at killing large bovine. This was proved to be true in the Spanish arena's. Perhaps such a bear combining brute strength with technique might stand some chance, perhaps as much as from 25 to 30 percent chance against even a bull gaur. Of course, this remains unproven. 

[brobear]

There are no grizzlies in India where live the world's two biggest bovine, the water buffalo and the gaur. 
The grizzly has been known to kill bison and yak, and to be killed by them. Could a big boar grizzly - one with experience in fighting bulls - kill either of these two? 
 

[brobear]

African buffalo - Asiatic water buffalo - gaur - How would a 700+ pound grizzly boar fare if he were to choose any of these bovine giants as prey? 

We know that against any domestic breed of bull, the grizzly very rarely ever lost a fight. It appears that, according to the stories told by pioneer Americans, including the native Americans, that the grizzly was pretty much evenly matched by the bull bison. I have heard "through the grapevine" that it is the same between the Tibetan grizzly and the yak. 
We also know that against real giants - the pachyderms - rhinoceros, hippopotamus and elephant, a grizzly stands absolutely no chance what-so-ever.

Your thoughts...

[brobear]

Yak - www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Bos_grunniens.html

General Characteristics
Body Length: Up to 325 cm / 10.8 ft.
Shoulder Height: Up to 200 cm / 6.6 ft.
Tail Length: 60 cm / 24 in.
Weight: 305-820 kg / 670-1805 lb.
The dark black-brown coat is dense, wooly, and extremely shaggy, although the colour is variable in domestic yaks.  'Golden' wild yaks are also known, but are extremely rare.  The shoulders are high and humped, with a broad, drooping head. The short legs have broad hooves and large dewclaws as an adaptation to mountainous environments. The horns are found in both sexes, though those of the females are considerably smaller and shorter. They grow up to 51 cm / 20 inches long in females, and 95 cm / 38 inches in males. The curved horns grow out from the sides of the head and curve upwards.

[brobear]

www.tibetnature.net/en/wild-yak/

The Yak’s only natural predator is the wolf. Wild yaks flee from danger, often up steep slopes, and as far away from the threat as 20 kilometres (12 miles). Yaks also use their massive horns to defend themselves. Wild yaks in herds sometimes respond to the approach of a predator by huddling closely together, with the yaks on the outside of the circle lowering their horns as if ready to attack. Wild yaks will also try to scare predators away by charging.

[brobear]

Excellent Information found here: www.ultimateungulate.com/index.html

[brobear]

Bison: General Characteristics
Body Length: up to 380 cm / 12.5 ft
Shoulder Height: up to 195 cm / 6.5 ft.
Tail Length: 90 cm / 3 ft.
Weight: 545-818 kg / 1200-1800 lb.
The dark brown coat is long and shaggy on the forequarters, including the front legs, neck, and shoulders (individual hairs may be up to 50 cm / 20 inches long).  On rare occasions the coat is gray, speckled or cream coloured.  Calves are born a light reddish brown colour, but generally change to dark brown by 6 months of age.  Males may be up to 1/3 larger than females.  On the forehead, the hair is woolly and curly, giving the head a mop-like appearance between the horns.  There is a beard beneath the chin.  The shoulders are massive and humped, with the head carried low.  The short horns are present in both sexes and arch backwards, outwards, and then upwards, curving slightly in at the blunt tips

[brobear]

Kouprey: General Characteristics
Body Length: 210-220 cm / 7-7.3 ft.
Shoulder Height: 170-190 cm / 5.6-6.3 ft.
Tail Length: 100-110 cm / 3.3-3.6 ft.
Weight: 700-900 kg / 1540-1980 lb.
Calves are born brown, though they change to an overall grey with age.  The underparts and lower legs are lighter.  As males mature, their colour changes again to black or very dark brown.  Adult males also have a pronounced dewlap (pendulous skin at the base of the neck) growing 40 cm / 16 in long, which may touch the ground.  Both sexes have curious notched nostrils, and a long tail.  Females' horns are lyre-shaped, much like those of the Tragelaphinae, and grow 40 cm / 16 in long.  The wide spreading horns in males arch forward and upward in such a way that there is a splintered fringe of horn that cannot be rubbed off.  They grow up to a length of 80 cm / 32 inches.

[brobear]

Banteng: General Characteristics
Body Length: 190-225 cm / 6.3-7.5 ft.
Shoulder Height: 160 cm / 5.3 ft.
Tail Length: 65-70 cm / 2.1-2.3 ft.
Weight: 600-800 kg / 1320-1760 lb.
The banteng exhibits sexual dimorphism, allowing the sexes to be readily distinguished by appearances.  Both males and females have white 'stockings' on their lower legs, a white rump, a white muzzle, and white spots above the eyes.  The short-haired, rufous-chestnut coat in females and young is smooth, with a dark dorsal stripe.  The build is trim and distinctly cattle-like. The horns of females are short and tightly curved, pointing inward at the tips.  In mature males, the coat is blue-black or dark chestnut in colour.  The horns are long, growing 60-75 cm / 2-2.5 feet long, and arc upwards, connected by a horn-like bald patch on the forehead.   There is a hump on the back above the shoulders.

[brobear]

Gaur: General Characteristics
Body Length: 250-330 cm / 8.3-11 ft.
Shoulder Height: 170-220 cm / 5.6-7.2 ft.
Tail Length: 70-100 cm / 28-40 in.
Weight: 700-1000 kg / 1540-2200 lb.
The dark brown coat is short and dense, while the lower legs are white to tan in colour. There is a dewlap under the chin which extends between the front legs. There is a shoulder hump which is especially pronounced in adult males.  The horns are found in both sexes, and grow from the sides of the head, curving upwards. Yellow at the base and turning black at the tips, they grow to a length of 80 cm / 32 inches.  A bulging grey-tan ridge connects the horns on the forehead.

[brobear]

African buffalo: Head and body length: 170-340 cm
Shoulder height: 100-170 cm
Tail length: 70-110 cm
Adult weight: 300-900 kg ( 661 - 1984 pounds ).
Depending on the subspecies, African buffalo range in color from dark brown or black (in savannah-living races) to bright red (forest buffalo). The body is heavy-set, with stocky legs, a large head, and short neck. There are no distinct markings on the body, although forest buffalo tend to darken with age and may thus have dark patches mingled with the red base color. The ears are large and tend to droop; they are edged by a long fringe of hairs, including two white tufts in forest buffalo. Both male and female African buffalo have horns; in savannah buffalo, these are hook-shaped, curving first downwards and then hooking up and inwards, and growing up to 160 cm long. The horns of males are larger than females, and in males the bases of the horns expand into a known as a "boss". Forest buffalo have much shorter horns (no more than 40 cm long) which are relatively straight and which sweep backwards in line with the forehead. 

 
900 kg = 1984 pounds.

[brobear]

www.animalinfo.org/species/artiperi/bubaarne.htm

Asiatic water buffalo: The wild Asian buffalo weighs 800 - 1200 kg (1800 - 2600 lb). It is a massive, powerful animal, with the widest horn span of any bovid - more than 6.5' (2 m). The wild Asian buffalo is very dependent on the availability of water. Historically, its preferred habitats were low-lying alluvial grasslands and their surroundings. Riparian forests and woodlands were also utilized. The wild Asian buffalo eats grass and leafy aquatic vegetation. It is mainly a grazer, feeding in the morning and evenings and lying up in dense cover or submerging in wallows during midday. During the midday heat, the wild Asian buffalo frequently wallows in water or muddy pools, sometimes almost completely submerged, with only its nostrils showing. In addition to keeping it cool, wallowing helps to remove skin parasites, biting flies, and other pests. Where there is substantial human disturbance, the wild Asian buffalo is mainly nocturnal.

[brobear]

shaggygod.proboards.com/

Bears as predators....

The size of a carnivore strongly influences the size of the prey it is capable of killing, the maximum size of prey killed being slightly larger than that of the predator. For example, a 100 kilogram (220 pound) bear can handle prey weighing up to roughly 150 kilograms (330 pounds). Polar bears prey primarily on the smallish (60 kilogram/ 130 pound) ringed seal and the larger (up to 360 kilogram/790 pound) bearded seal. In some instances, polar bears can remove up to 44 percent of the ringed seal pups born in a particular area. They are also known to kill walruses (500 kilograms/1,100 pounds) and white whales weighing up to 600 kilograms (1,320 pounds).

Brown bears, while primarily vegetarian, can also prey significantly on hoofed mammals. In some areas, adult males reportedly kill three or four adult moose (450 kilograms/990 pounds) per year, with females killing an average of one. Caribou (150 kilograms/330 pounds), musk ox (250 kilograms/550 pounds), elk (200 kilograms/ 440 pounds), and bison (500 kilograms/ 1,100 pounds) have all been taken. Brown bears also prey on ground squirrels, trout, and salmon, but usually only when they are sufficiently abundant to make hunting them energy-efficient.

ANDREW E. DEROCHER AND IAN STIRLING, Bears: Majestic Creatures of the Wild (1993).

Bears typically kill using brute force and do not seem to exhibit any stereotyped killing postures or behaviours as seen in canids and felids (R. Boertje, pers. comm.; J. Hechtel, pers. comm.). Polar bears and brown bears have been observed to attack their prey both with bites and crushing forepaw slaps, apparently to whatever region of the prey’s body is accessible (Murie, 1985; Boertje et al., 1988; Case & Stevenson, 1991; M. Ramsay, pers. comm; J. Hechtel, pers. comm.).


Sacco, T. and Van Valkenburgh, B. (2004), Ecomorphological indicators of feeding behaviour in the bears (Carnivora: Ursidae). Journal of Zoology, 263: 41–54.

[Polar]

An average grizzly can do with all those except super-sized gaur, bison, and cape buffalo. Those will require a very-large bear.

[brobear]

Epiphany - Just a few years ago, in India, there was a problem tiger incident. This particular tiger had developed a sweet-tooth for rhinoceros. He would periodically kill rhino calves and full-grown female rhinoceros! A full-grown female weighs 1600 kg - over 3,500 pounds!
This particular tiger went completely against all that is natural for a tiger to target rhinos. I would like to know the killing method used for these killings. So, tigers are capable of killing rhinos, but hunting something so dangerous and powerful is simply not a good idea.
No, I do not believe that even a 1,500 pound grizzly or a 2,000 pound polar bear could accomplish this feat. Bears do have their limitations.

[brobear]

MAN MEETS GRIZZLY - Gathered by F.M.Young - 1980.
Upon reaching the crest of the ridge they had a full view of the buffalo, which proved to be a bull of the largest size, in full flesh and vigor.
Their attention was at once attracted to the curious conduct of the magnificent animal. His head was turned partially from them, looking toward the ravine on the opposite side. He was emitting the low bellowing roar peculiar to the buffalo when excited, throwing up the dirt and raising his tail as they do when enraged. The hunters thought he was challenging another buffalo, and waited to see the result. In a few moments they saw an enormous grizzly bear moving slowly up to the knoll where the buffalo awaited his coming.
The bear approached cautiously, stopping every few yards to observe his antagonist, whose excitement and rage seemed to increase and whose continuous muffled roar drowned all the other sounds.
Finally, when the bear had arrived within a few rods of his noble enemy, on the narrow bench of nearly level ground, the buffalo brought matters to a crisis by lowering his gigantic head and charging with all his strength. The bear immediately raised himself on his hind legs, and skillfully avoided the buffalo's horns, caught him around the head with his left arm, seizing him at the same time by the back of his neck with his powerful jaws. Then came a grand exhibition of strength, the buffalo using all his tremendous power to get his horns under the bear and free himself from the close embrace of his adversary, while the latter, clinging with his teeth and one arm, used the other in an attempt to cripple the buffalo by the most terrific blows on his left shoulder and side. In this tremendous struggle, they turned in a circle several times, until finally the buffalo accomplished his object and threw the bear from him.

For a few moments they remained gazing at one another, evidently recovering their breath, somewhat exhausted by their previous efforts. The buffalo was bleeding from several wounds in the neck, and the bear from wounds on his side. They both exhibited the extreme of savage anger, the buffalo bellowing, tearing the earth, and shaking his great shaggy head, while the bear returned his challenge by continuous roars, showing his great teeth and swinging his massive head from side to side. The buffalo brought the truce to a close by a rapid charge, which the bear eluded, striking his adversary a tremendous blow as he passed, which again brought blood. The buffalo turned with the rapidity peculiar to the animal, and repeated the charge several times, without effecting his object. At last they closed in the final struggle, the bear clinging to the buffalo's head and shoulders, while the latter maneuvered to get his horns under his formidable antagonist. Round and round they went, tearing up rocks and bushes, until the buffalo succeeded in his efforts, forced the bear over the edge of the little plateau, and, in the impetuosity of his charge, fell on the bear with all his enormous weight, and turned a complete somersault down the steep decline.

for an instant they both lay still, but the buffalo soon recovered himself, and staggered slowly to his feet, again faced his antagonist with undiminished resolution. The bear, however, lay quiet, breathing heavily and evidently "hors de combat."
After waiting a few moments for a renewal of the attack the buffalo slowly approached his fallen enemy, and applying his great strength, rolled him over. Finding him dead, he slowly ascended to the scene of the battle and proclaimed his victory by triumphant bellowing.
The white hunter raised his rifle to shoot him, but the Indian sprang forward and put his hand on the rifle, and turning it away said, "No shoot! Big brave!" and allowed the victor to march slowly away to seek his comrades.

*( in my own words )... We will probably never know if the big male grizzlies that followed the bison herds on the American prairie ever challenged a bull bison. Numerous tales were told by the early pioneers. Some tell of the victorious buffalo; others tell of Old Ephraim killing the "buffer." Just how much truth is in those tells is anybody's guess. We do have evidence that those grizzlies that fed heavily on bison, whether from predation or from scavenging, were some bigger than today's Yellowstone bears. They fed more heavily on meat than today's grizzly.
IMO - The grizzly of the early 19th century was likely about 60 or 70 percent carnivorous. The majority of meat consumed, besides prairie dogs, was carrion and carcasses taken by force from wolves. Calves were certainly killed by grizzlies. But, there were likely a small handfull of big dominant boars, ranging from 800 to 1,100 pounds, who would dare to give challenge to a one-ton bull bison.  

[brobear]

Man Meets Grizzly by Young and Beyers.

Old plainsmen and trappers often debate which was more powerful, the buffalo or the grizzly bear. Both were fearless titans. There are more accounts of grizzlies killing buffalo - perhaps the expected outcome, in view of the weapons and tactics employed by both animals.

[brobear]

Lions hunt and kill African buffalo. Very often it is a single lioness who does the killing by herself. Tigers hunt and kill water buffalo and gaur. It is not often that the big bovine manages to turn the tables and kill the big cat. If it was, then the big cats would not choose this prey.
The big 800+ pound grizzly of the American West hunted bison calves or other weak herd members. I doubt that any grizzly ever purposely chose a healthy bull bison. In those fights, considering all that I have read on the subject, the grizzly defeated the bull bison roughly half the time. Because of the fact that bears lack the "professional" killing tools ( wrong claws and wrong teeth ) and the agility ( a cat is a contortionist ) the grizzly must wrestle the bull and use brute strength and wrestling moves to overpower his opponent. I believe this is why instinctively bear cubs wrestle each other so much.
Also, as stated, no grizzly will ever kill a rhinoceros, hippopotamus, or elephant. Although extremely rare, there have been recorded events of each of these pachyderms killed by the big cats. Let's face the truth, bears are not designed to be predators. But one-on-one against any terrestrial predator of equal size, the bear has the advantage.