Details
Bos javanicus
Banteng is a wild cattle species of Southeast Asian forests and grasslands with strong sex differences in color. Hybridization with cattle, disease, hunting, and habitat loss all threaten populations.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in forest edges, dry woodland, and grasslands of Indochina, Borneo, Java, and nearby areas. Main habitat types in this guide are forest, grassland.
Typical length 190-225 cm, weight 400 kg-900 kg. Males are dark brown to black, females reddish brown, both with white stockings and rump patches.
It is diurnal and a herd-forming species. Small groups move between grassland and forest and retreat quickly into cover when alarmed.
It is herbivorous. Grasses, leaves, shoots, bamboo, and fallen fruit are browsed or grazed.
Cows bear single calves and protect them within the group.
Its limited range makes protection and habitat management important. Hybridization with cattle, disease, hunting, and habitat loss all threaten populations.
