Xishuangbanna, Yunnan is a magical place with high mountains and dense forests. The virgin forest breeds many rare birds and animals, including huge Asian elephants , beautiful green peacocks , and two kinds of bison wearing "white socks". .
When it comes to bison wearing "white socks", everyone knows that it is the white-limbed bison , which lives in the tropical rain forest and has appeared in the public eye from time to time in recent years.
In fact, there is another kind of bison in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, whose lower limbs are all white. The name is white-rumped bison, also called Java bison. Folks call it white-rumped bison.
This kind of bison not only has white limbs, but also has a large obvious white spot on its buttocks. It really lives up to its name. It’s just that white-rumped bison are extremely rare. They have not been found in Yunnan for many years. Have they become regionally extinct?
01The limbs are all white, and there are disc-shaped white spots on the buttocks. Companions can be distinguished by white spots.
The white-rumped bison is an animal of the Bovidae , Bovine genus. It is a close relative of the white-limbed bison. The white-limbed bison is smaller, but still a giant.
It is understood that the body length of the white-rumped bison is 190-225 cm, the shoulder height is 155-165 cm, and the weight is between 600-800 kg.
Male white-rumped bison are black and brown all over, while females are yellow-brown. The bases of male horns are connected by horny blocks, are widely spaced, and curve upward; the female horns are relatively smaller, short, curved, and point inward toward the top.
Regardless of whether they are male or female, the lower parts of their limbs are all white, just like well-dressed "white socks", making them eye-catching wherever they go. Therefore, the white-rumped bison and the white-limbed bison are not only similar in appearance, but also wear "white socks."
The white-rumped bison has one of the most unique features. It has a large white spot on its hip, which is disk-shaped, and its black tail hangs down from the middle.
The white-rumped bison wanders in the dense forest. The white spots on its buttocks are the most conspicuous and can be seen clearly even in the dark. White spots on buttocks are a status symbol.
Companions can identify each other through white spots and can also convey information. Whenever we are walking in the forest, the white-rumped bison leading the way has a large white spot on its body, which can be clearly seen by the companions behind it. It is equivalent to pointing out the direction to the companions and preventing them from getting separated easily.
02 has a large appetite and is never picky about food. When he sees delicious plants, he will swallow them directly into his mouth.
White-rumped bison are distributed in South and Southeast Asia, including Java, Borneo, Sumatra in Indonesia, and north to the Malay Peninsula , Indochina and The southern tip of our country.
lives in the tropical rain forests of South Asia and Southeast Asia. It often wanders, forages, rests and moves in the broad-leaved forest and the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests. The water pools in the forest can be used by white-rumped bison to drink and bathe.
The huge body requires a lot of food to provide nutrition. The most important thing for the white-rumped bison every day is to forage. The peak period for foraging is in the morning and dusk. You wander slowly in the forest, eating as you go. When you see a delicious plant, you open your mouth, roll your tongue, and swallow the branches and leaves directly into your mouth.
Fresh grass, bamboo leaves, bamboo shoots, as well as various leaves and fruits are the plants that white-rumped bison like to eat, and they are not very picky about their food. The forest is lush with vegetation, and the white-rumped bison seem to be able to eat enough food to fill their bellies wherever they go.
usually rest at noon, find a cool place, stand in twos and threes, and ruminate food. Sometimes I would go to the forest pool to take a bath and roll around to make myself feel comfortable.
03 The cows keep watch while sleeping, and stamp their feet to warn everyone when they are in danger.
White-rumped bison usually live in small groups of 3-5 animals, and some will form large groups of more than 20 animals. A herd includes cows and calves, subadults, and a bull. There are also herds of cattle that are all bulls, and they only go to the female herd during the breeding season.
live a collective life, forage together and sleep together. When sleeping, they will find a relatively safe place, form a circle, and guard the cubs in the middle.
Whenever sleeping, there is always a cow responsible for watching, usually an adult cow.Stand not far away and look around. If you find any danger, stamp your feet immediately to warn everyone and tell everyone to run!
The cow in charge of sentry stamped her feet, and the other white-rumped bison became alert and immediately ran away in one direction in an orderly manner. Living in groups not only help each other, but also effectively avoid being attacked by tigers.
During the escape process, everyone will follow the leading cow closely. Just by looking at the white spots on the buttocks of the leading cow, you can know where it is running. Otherwise, in the dense forest, there are shrubs and leaves, and it is easy to lose them.
04 Is the Yunnan white-rumped bison extinct? There are very few recorded data, and no trace of it has been found for decades.
In 2014, the "World Conservation Union Red List of Threatened Species" assessed the white-rumped bison as endangered, with the global population estimated to be between 5,000 and 8,000.
At the same time, the white-rumped bison is also a national first-level protected animal in my country. According to documentary records, white-rumped bison are distributed in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, but there are no live images.
An article published in "Science Bulletin " in 1958 pointed out that there are two kinds of bison in the mountains of Xishuangbanna, one is the white-legged bison, and the other is the white-rumped bison.
The white-rumped bison was recorded in the 2015 "Diversity of Mammals in China"; the "Red List of Chinese Vertebrates" released in 2016 rated the white-rumped bison as a critically endangered species.
In any case, the exact distribution range of white-rumped bison in my country and its ecological and biological characteristics are still poorly understood.
Although the white-rumped bison is among the protected objects of the nature reserve. However, it is an indisputable fact that the white-rumped bison has not been found in Yunnan for decades. Some experts suspect that the white-rumped bison are extinct in the wild in Yunnan!
Some people also believe that the natural environment has improved in recent years, and rare white-legged bison often appear. Then, there may still be white-rumped bison living in the vast forests, but their numbers are extremely rare and people have not found any traces of them.
Conclusion
In short, the possibility of white-rumped bison still surviving in Yunnan is very small. If you want to bring back the white-rumped bison in the forests of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, you may have to introduce them from abroad and release them back into the wild.
