The Banteng (Bos javanicus), also known as Tembadau, is a species of
wild cattle found in S outheast
Asia. Banteng have been domesticated in several places in Southeast
Asia, and there are around 1.5 million domestic Banteng, which are
called Bali cattle. These animals are used as working animals, and for
their meat.
Bali cattle have also been introduced to Northern Australia, where they
live wild.
Distribution and subspecies
* Java Banteng (B. j. javanicus): Java; Males are black, females
buff.
* Borneo Banteng (B. j. lowi): Borneo; Smaller than Java Banteng and the
horns are steeper, bulls are chocolate-brown.
* Burma Banteng (B. j. birmanicus): Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos,
Vietnam; Males and females are usually buff, but in Cambodia 20 % of the
bulls are blackish, and on the Malayan Peninsula in Thailand most of the
bulls are black. This subspecies is classified as Critically Endangered
by the IUCN.
Characteristics
The banteng is similar in size to domestic cattle, being 1.55 to 1.65
m (61 to 65 in) tall at the shoulder, and weighing 600 to 800 kg (1,300
to 1,800 lb).[4] It exhibits sexual dimorphism, allowing the sexes to be
readily distinguished by colour and size. In mature males, the
short-haired coat is blue-black or dark chestnut in colour, while in
females and young it is chestnut, with a dark dorsal stripe. Both males
and females have white stockings on their lower legs, a white rump, a
white muzzle, and white spots above the eyes. The build is similar to
that of domestic cattle, but with a rather slender neck and small head,
and a ridge on the back above the shoulders. The horns of females are
short and tightly curved, pointing inward at the tips, and those of
males arc upwards, growing 60 to 75 cm (24 to 30 in) long, and being
connected by a horn-like bald patch on the forehead.
Behaviour
Banteng live in sparse forest where they feed on grasses, bamboo, fruit,
leaves and young branches. The Banteng is generally active both night
and day but in places where humans are common they adopt a nocturnal
schedule. Banteng tend to gather in herds of two to thirty members.
Cloning
The Banteng is the second endangered species to be successfully
cloned, and the first to survive for more than a week (the first was a
Gaur that died two days after being born).[5][6] Scientists at Advanced
Cell Technology in Worcester, MA, U.S. extracted DNA from Banteng cells
kept in the San Diego Zoo's "Frozen Zoo" facility, and transferred it
into eggs from domestic cattle, a process called somatic cell nuclear
transfer. 30 embryos were created, sent to Trans Ova Genetics, which
implanted the fertilized eggs in domestic cattle. Two were carried to
term and delivered by caesarian section.[7] The first was born on April
1, 2003, and the second two days later. The second was euthanized[8],
but the first survived and, as of September 2006, remains in good health
at the San Diego Zoo |
