Bovinae

Bovinae
Fossil range: Miocene to Recent
water buffalo
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Bovinae
Gray, 1821
Tribes

Bovini
Boselaphini
Strepsicerotini

The biological subfamily Bovinae includes a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large sized ungulates, including domestic cattle, the bison, African buffalo, the water buffalo, the yak, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The evolutionary relationship between the members of the group is obscure, and their classification into loose tribes rather than formal sub-groups reflects this uncertainty. General characteristics include cloven hoofs and usually at least one of the sexes of a species having true horns.

In most countries, bovids are used for food. Cattle are eaten almost everywhere except in major parts of India and Nepal, where bovids are considered sacred by Hindus.

Contents

Evolution

The closest relations to this subfamily are the Boselaphini and Tragelaphini tribes. There are 13 extant members. These species appear to have evolved over the last 5–8 million years.[1] The first clade to diverge was the buffalo clade (Bubalus and Syncerus species). This was followed by the banteng/gaur/mithan clade and the domestic cattle clade. A fourth clade leading to the bison and yak species may also exist.

Systematics and classification

Etymology

Bovine is derived from Latin bos, "ox", through Late Latin bovinus. Bos comes from the Indo-European root *gwous, meaning ox.

References

  1. Maceachern S., McEwan J., Goddard M. (2009) Phylogenetic reconstruction and the identification of ancient polymorphism in the Bovini tribe (Bovidae, Bovinae). BMC Genomics 10(1):177

External links