牛科（Bovidae）,源自拉丁语 bos（"牛、母牛或公牛"）,意指该科的所有成员都与牛有关.

Bovidae, from Latin bos (“ox, cow or bull”), in reference to the fact that all the members of this family are ox-related.

種的俗名 Common names of members

家牛,氂牛,野牛,水牛,羚羊,山羚羊, 綿羊,山羊.

Cattle, yaks, bison, buffalo, antelopes, goat-antelopes, sheep and goats.

分佈 Distribution 

非洲、欧洲、亚洲和北美洲.

Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America..

體型 Size

They are large animals, varying in size from 25 cm tall and 3 kg in weight to 2.2 m tall and 1,500 kg.

牠们是大型动物,体型从 25 公分高、3 公斤重到 2.2 米高、1 500 公斤重不等.

形態描述 Morphology

牠们有一个钝尖的鼻子,椭圆形或尖耳朵后面有一对或多对角（多为雄性）,颈部和四肢结构独特,尾巴因种类而异,长短不一.雄性牛的体型通常比雌性牛更大更重,这种特征被称为兩性異形.体型从中型到大型的牛科动物有更多的兩性異形.牠们的脚有四个脚趾,外侧的两个称为露爪,小得多,几乎不接触地面,而内侧的两个称为蹄,用于行走.皮毛颜色从浅白色到黑色、棕色和红棕色不等.

They have a blunt-ended nose, one or more pairs of horns (mostly on males) just after the oval or pointed ears, a distinct neck and limb structure, and a tail that differs according on the species in length and bushiness. Males typically exhibit greater and heavier dimensions than females, a trait known as sexual dimorphism. Bovids that range in size from medium to large have more sexual dimorphism. Their foot has four toes; the outside two, called dewclaws, are much smaller and hardly ever contact the ground, while the inner two, called hooves, are used for walking. Pelage color varies from pale white to black, brown and reddish brown.

生態與棲息地 Ecology & Habitat

小型物种生活在森林和林地等茂密而封闭的栖息地,大型物种则生活在开阔的草原和热带稀树草原的高纤维植被帶中.

Small species live in dense and closed habitat, such as forests and woodlands, and larger species live on high-fiber vegetation in open grasslands and savannahs.

食性 Diet

严格的草食动物,进食模式与体型大小相关；体型较大的物种在宽阔的草地上吃高纤维植物,而体型较小的动物则在密集、封闭的环境中觅食.主要食物来源是草和树叶.

Strictly herbivores, their eating patterns are correlated with body size; larger species graze on high-fiber flora in wide grasslands, whilst smaller animals forage in dense, enclosed environments. The main source of food is grasses and leaves.

繁殖 Reproduction 

大多数為一雄多雌.具有领地意识的雄性（如黑斑羚）经常试图阻止留居的雌性迁移.另一方面,属于不同物种的雄性动物会争夺和保护配偶群,配偶群是雌性动物的小群体.成功保护配偶群的雄性成体经常与群体中的每个个体繁衍后代,从而提高自己的繁殖系数.某些种类的雄性也会聚在一起,争夺领地或交配权.

A majority are polygynous. Territorial males, like impalas, frequently attempt to keep resident females from relocating. On the other hand, males belonging to different species compete for and protect harems, which are small groupings of females. Male adults that successfully protect their harem frequently procreate with every individual in the group, thereby improving their reproductive fitness. Certain species also group together in leks, where males fight for territory or the right to mate.

已知的物種

Total species known

297

博物館收藏的物種

Species in the collection

3

在香港已知的物種

Species in Hong Kong

0

References

Macdonald, D. W. (2006). The Encyclopedia of mammals. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780199206087.001.0001.

Nowak, R. M. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press.