🐃 Mithun
Also known as: gayal, Bos frontalis
A domesticated bovine of the Eastern Himalayan forests, descended from the gaur: about 0.5 million head worldwide; its milk has 7.7–10.3% fat.
The mithun, or gayal (Bos frontalis), is a domesticated bovine of the mountain forests of the Eastern Himalaya, descended from the wild gaur. It is raised in India, Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh and China's Yunnan province; there are about half a million head worldwide, 97.6% of them in India. Mithuns are rarely milked, but their milk is very rich.
The mithun was domesticated more than 8,000 years ago on the border of Assam and Myanmar. Like the gaur, it has 58 chromosomes, while other cattle have 60. In 2019 India counted 386,293 mithuns, mostly in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. The animals graze semi-free in the forest and do best at 20–30 °C.
For about 24 peoples in four countries, the mithun is a measure of wealth: it is used to pay bride price, given as a gift and used to settle disputes, and its meat is served at festivals. India has a dedicated national research centre that studies only mithuns.
Mithuns are milked only in a few places: in West Kameng and Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh) and parts of Mizoram, while in Bhutan people milk crosses of mithun and local cattle. A cow gives about 1–1.5 kg of milk a day; in a study of 11 cows, lactation lasted about 340 days. This milk contains 7.7–10.3% fat and 6.3–6.8% protein — much more than cow's milk.
Why it matters to you. The mithun shows that cattle are not always kept for milk: it is valued above all as a measure of prosperity, and its milk is a local rarity. FAO counts the mithun among the minor dairy species; according to its tables, 100 g of mithun milk contains on average 8.9 g of fat, 6.5 g of protein and about 122 kcal.
Facts
| Country | India, Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China 1 |
|---|---|
| Region | Eastern Himalaya: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram 1 |
| Main use | Meat, rituals and bride price; a little milk 1 |
| Yield | 1–1.5 kg of milk a day 1 |
How it connects to milk
Links
- What milk it gives
- 🥛 Mithun milk
- Feeds with milk
- 🍼 Calf
- Belongs to
- 🔬 Mammal
- Where it is milked
- 🌍 South Asia
- Part of
- 🐄 Cattle
- Similar and different
- 🐃 Yak, 🐄 Cow
Frequently asked questions
What is a mithun?
A domesticated bovine of the Eastern Himalaya, descended from the wild gaur; it is also called the gayal. There are about 0.5 million head worldwide, almost all in India.
Is it true that the mithun is a wild gaur?
No. The mithun is the domesticated form of the gaur: it was tamed more than 8,000 years ago, and owners keep it semi-free in the forest.
How much milk does a mithun give?
Not much: about 1–1.5 kg a day. In the study, lactation lasted about 340 days.
What is mithun milk like?
Very rich in fat and protein: 7.7–10.3% fat and 6.3–6.8% protein (2008 study).
Why do people keep mithuns?
Above all as a measure of wealth: they are used to pay bride price, given as gifts, and their meat is served at festivals.
What to read next
- 🥛 Mithun milk — The very rich milk of the gayal.
- 🍼 Calf — The young of a cow: born without protective antibodies, it needs colostrum in its first 1–2 hours — about 10% of its body weight.
- 🌍 South Asia — The Indian subcontinent between the Himalayas and the Indian Ocean: a third of the world's milk, buffaloes and zebu, ghee, dahi, chhena.
- 🔬 Mammal — The class of animals that feed their young with milk.
- 🐄 Cow — The world's main source of milk: ≈81 % of global milk output (FAO). High-yielding cows give up to 60 kg of milk a day.
Similar
🐂 Zebu · 🐃 Water buffalo · 🐃 Yak · 🐄 Cow · 🦙 Llama · 🦙 Alpaca
Sources
- Dorji T. et al. Mithun (Bos frontalis): the neglected cattle species and their significance to ethnic communities in the Eastern Himalaya. Animal Bioscience 34(11):1727–1738, 2021
- Mech A. et al. Variation in milk yield and milk composition during the entire lactation period in Mithun cows. Livestock Research for Rural Development 20(5), 2008
- FAO. Milk and dairy products in human nutrition (2013), Tables 3.3–3.4