The kouprey ( Bos sauveli ) is a rare, short-haired wild ox of Indochina. It is a member of the Bovini tribe and Bovidae family. Koupreys stand 5.6–6.2 feet tall and weigh 1,500–2,000 pounds. Mature bulls are typically very dark brown with white stockings and a large dewlap. The cows and young are gray with darker undersides and forelegs. Both males and females have horns. Koupreys are grazers and live in dry, open forests and tree and orchard savannas, ideally near dense forests. They move from the plains to the hills during the rainy season, and salt licks are essential to them. The kouprey is one of the world’s most endangered large mammals, if not already extinct.

Where is the kouprey found in the wild?

The kouprey (Bos sauveli) is a rare, short-haired wild ox of Indochina. It was historically found in eastern Thailand, southern Laos, westernmost Vietnam, and the northern plains of Cambodia. Cambodia is considered the center of the kouprey's distribution and is the country's national symbol. Koupreys live in dry, open forests and tree and orchard savanna close to dense forests, which they use for shelter during hot weather. During the rainy season, they leave the plains for the hills, and salt licks are important to them. By the late 1960s, the kouprey population was estimated to be no more than 100. Warfare and political unrest in the region have kept outsiders away, and there have been no reliable sightings in many years. The most recent survey, conducted in 1992, did not find any koupreys, but participants remained optimistic that 100–300 still survived in Cambodia’s northern plains. The kouprey is one of the world’s most endangered large mammals, if not already extinct.

What does a kouprey look like?

The kouprey ( Bos sauveli ) is a rare, possibly extinct, wild ox of Indochina. Koupreys stand between 5.6 and 6.2 feet tall and weigh 1,500 to 2,000 pounds. Old bulls are very dark brown with white stockings and a large dewlap. However, their dorsal hump is less developed, and their tail is longer. Cows and young koupreys are gray with darker undersides and forelegs, unlike banteng and gaur females. Male kouprey horns, about 32 inches long, grow sideways, then forward, upward, and inward, with frayed tips in older bulls. Females have lyre-shaped horns, half the length of the males'.

The kouprey ( Bos sauveli ) are primarily grazers . Their habitat is dry, open forest and tree and orchard savanna, ideally close to dense forests that can offer shelter during hot weather. During the rainy season, they leave the plains for the hills, and salt licks are important to them.

What efforts are being made to protect and study the kouprey?

The kouprey is an elusive wild ox of Indochina and is one of the world’s most endangered large mammals, if not already extinct. Continuous warfare and political unrest in the kouprey's range for the last half of the 20th century has kept outsiders away. The most recent reported survey was done in 1992; although no koupreys were seen, participants remained optimistic that 100–300 still survived in Cambodia’s northern plains. The establishment of well-managed protected areas with the support of local people could possibly save the kouprey.

kouprey

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kouprey

mammal

Also known as: Bos sauveli

Written by

Richard Estes

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What is a kouprey?
The kouprey (Bos sauveli) is a rare, short-haired wild ox of Indochina. It is a member of the Bovini tribe and Bovidae family.

Koupreys stand 5.6–6.2 feet tall and weigh 1,500–2,000 pounds. Mature bulls are typically very dark brown with white stockings and a large dewlap. The cows and young are gray with darker undersides and forelegs. Both males and females have horns.

Koupreys are grazers and live in dry, open forests and tree and orchard savannas, ideally near dense forests. They move from the plains to the hills during the rainy season, and salt licks are essential to them.

The kouprey is one of the world’s most endangered large mammals, if not already extinct.
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2. Definition of kouprey
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Where is the kouprey found in the wild?
The kouprey (Bos sauveli) is a rare, short-haired wild ox of Indochina. It was historically found in eastern Thailand, southern Laos, westernmost Vietnam, and the northern plains of Cambodia. Cambodia is considered the center of the kouprey's distribution and is the country's national symbol. Koupreys live in dry, open forests and tree and orchard savanna close to dense forests, which they use for shelter during hot weather. During the rainy season, they leave the plains for the hills, and salt licks are important to them.

By the late 1960s, the kouprey population was estimated to be no more than 100. Warfare and political unrest in the region have kept outsiders away, and there have been no reliable sightings in many years. The most recent survey, conducted in 1992, did not find any koupreys, but participants remained optimistic that 100–300 still survived in Cambodia’s northern plains. The kouprey is one of the world’s most endangered large mammals, if not already extinct.
2 Britannica Sources
1. kouprey
2. Definition of kouprey
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What does a kouprey look like?
The kouprey (Bos sauveli) is a rare, possibly extinct, wild ox of Indochina. Koupreys stand between 5.6 and 6.2 feet tall and weigh 1,500 to 2,000 pounds. Old bulls are very dark brown with white stockings and a large dewlap. However, their dorsal hump is less developed, and their tail is longer.

Cows and young koupreys are gray with darker undersides and forelegs, unlike banteng and gaur females. Male kouprey horns, about 32 inches long, grow sideways, then forward, upward, and inward, with frayed tips in older bulls. Females have lyre-shaped horns, half the length of the males'.
1 Britannica Source
1. kouprey
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What do kouprey eat?
The kouprey (Bos sauveli) are primarily grazers. Their habitat is dry, open forest and tree and orchard savanna, ideally close to dense forests that can offer shelter during hot weather. During the rainy season, they leave the plains for the hills, and salt licks are important to them.
1 Britannica Source
1. kouprey
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What efforts are being made to protect and study the kouprey?
The kouprey is an elusive wild ox of Indochina and is one of the world’s most endangered large mammals, if not already extinct.

Continuous warfare and political unrest in the kouprey's range for the last half of the 20th century has kept outsiders away. The most recent reported survey was done in 1992; although no koupreys were seen, participants remained optimistic that 100–300 still survived in Cambodia’s northern plains. The establishment of well-managed protected areas with the support of local people could possibly save the kouprey.
1 Britannica Source
1. kouprey
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

kouprey, (Bos sauveli), elusive wild ox (tribe Bovini, family Bovidae) of Indochina and one of the world’s most endangered large mammals, if it is not already extinct.

Unknown to science until 1937, the kouprey was rare even then: no more than an estimated 2,000 existed in eastern Thailand, southern Laos, westernmost Vietnam, and the northern plains of Cambodia; the last named is considered the centre of distribution, where it is the national symbol. The presence of the gaur and the banteng, two other common wild oxen, may also have delayed recognition of the kouprey, which could be mistaken for either species by casual observers. The kouprey is intermediate in size, standing 1.7–1.9 metres (5.6–6.2 feet) tall and weighing 700–900 kg (1,500–2,000 pounds). Old bulls are very dark brown with white stockings (like the banteng and the gaur) and have a very large dewlap (present, though smaller, in the other two). However, the kouprey’s dorsal hump is less developed, and the tail is longer. Cows and young are a different colour from females of the banteng and gaur, being gray with a darker underside and darker forelegs. Kouprey horns, 80 cm (32 inches) long, are also thinner and differently shaped: horns of males grow sideways, then forward and upward, and finally inward. Frayed horn tips, a peculiarity of this species, develop in older bulls. Females have lyre-shaped horns half as long as those of males.

Koupreys are primarily grazers whose habitat is dry open forest and tree and orchard savanna, preferably adjacent to dense forest offering shelter during very hot weather. They leave the plains for the hills during the rainy season. Salt licks are important to koupreys. From the little that is known of kouprey social organization (there are none in captivity, and they are only fleetingly observed in the wild), it appears the same as in other Bos species. Males and females range in separate small herds most of the year but mix in the dry season. Bulls become increasingly solitary with age. They follow cow herds and seek out females in estrus during the April mating season. Having found a cow in heat, a bull forms a tending bond, in which the bull follows the cow closely until she is ready to mate—unless, that is, he is displaced by a bigger bull, as an established male dominance hierarchy determines which bulls have priority. Calves are born nine months later, before the hottest months of the dry season. Cows leave the herd to calve and rejoin a herd when the calf is about a month old.

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

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By the late 1960s the number of surviving koupreys was estimated to be no more than 100. For the last half of the 20th century an almost continuous state of warfare and political unrest in the kouprey’s range kept outsiders away. None has actually been seen by reliable observers for many years. The most recent reported survey was carried out in 1992 by aircraft; although no koupreys were seen, the participants remained optimistic that 100–300 still survived in Cambodia’s northern plains. If well-managed protected areas were established that had the support of local people, the kouprey could possibly be saved.

Richard Estes

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