The Bovidae are the biological family of cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammals that includes African buffalo, antelopes, bison, cattle, chamois, dik-diks, duikers, gazelles, goats, hartebeest, ibex, impalas, kobs, muskox, oryxes, reedbucks, sheep, takin, topi, waterbucks, water buffalo and wildebeest. A member of this family is called a bovid.

The family Bovidae has eight sub-families, fifty genera with 143 extant species and 300 known extinct species, the family Bovidae consists of eight major subfamilies. The family shows up on the fossil record 20 million years ago, in the early Miocene Epoch.

The bovids show great variation in size and pelage (fur) coloration. Excepting some domesticated forms, all male bovids have two or more horns, and in many species females also possess horns. The size and shape of the horns vary greatly, but the basic structure is always one or more pairs of simple bony protrusions without branches, having a spiral, twisted or fluted form, and each covered in a permanent sheath of keratin.

The family Bovidae, an even-toed ungulate makes up nearly fifty-five percent of all of the ungulates.

North American Bovids include antelope, bison, cattle, goats, ibex, oxen, and sheep.

Worldwide, there are ten Bovid subfamilies, which include the following.

The Impalla

(1) Aepyceros: (Aepyceros melampus)

The Hartebeest and Wildebeest

1. Beatragus: Hirola

2. Damaliscus: Tsessebe, Bontebok, B. Tsessebe

3. Alcelaphus: Hartebeest, Red Hartebeest, L. Hartebeest

4. Connochaetes: Black Wilderbeest, Blue Wildebeest

The True Antelopes

1. Ammodorcas: Dibatag

2. Antidorcas: Springbok

3. Antilope: Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra)

4. Eudorcas: E. Gazelle

5. Gazella: Gazelle

6. Litocranius: Gerenuk

7. Nager: Dama, G. Gazells, S. Gazelle

8. Procapra: Zeren, Goa, P. Gazelle

9. Pantholops: Tibetan antelope

10. Saiga: Saiga

11. Dorcatragus: Beira

12. Madoqua: Dik-dik

13. Neotragus: B. Pygmy Antelope, Suni, Royal Antelope

14. Oreotragus: Klipspringer

15. Ourebia: Oribi

16. Raphicerus: Steenbok, C. Grysbok, S. Grysbok

The Bovine

1. Tetracerus: four-horned antelope

2. Boselapus: Nilgia

3. Bubalus: Water Buffalo, Lowland Anoa, Mountain Anoa, Tamaraw

4. Bos: Banteng, Domestic Cattle, Gaur, Gayal, Kouprey, Wild Yak, Yak

5. Pseudoryx: Saola

6. Syncerus: African Buffalo

7. Bison: American Bison, Wisent

8. Tragelaphus: Bongo, Greater Kudu, Kewel, Imbabala, Lesser Kudu,

    Mountain Nyala, Nyala, Sitatunga

9. Taurotragus: Common Eland, Giant Eland

The Caprini

1. Budorcas: Takin

2. Ovibos: Muskox)

3. Ammotragus: Barbary Sheep

4. Arabitragus: Arabian Tahr

5. Capra: WC Tur, EC Tur, Markhor, Wild Goat, Alpine Ibex, Nubian Ibex,

    Spanish Ibex, Siberian Ibex, Walia Ibex

6. Hemitragus: Himalayan Tahr

7. Ovis: Argali, Domestic Sheep, Bighorn Sheep, Dall Sheep,

    European Mouflon, Marci Polo Sheep, Snow Sheep, Wild Sheep

8. Nilgiritragus: Nilgiri Tahr

9. Pseudoir (Bharal, Dwarf Blue Sheep

10. Capricornis: J. Serow, S. Serow, T. Serow, C. Serow, Red Serow, H. Serow

11. Nemorhaedus: Red Goral, C. Goral, Grey Goral, L. Goral

12. Oreamnos: Mountain Goat

13. Rupicapra: P. Chamois, A. Chamois

The Duikers

1. Cephalophus, duikers, 15 species

2. Philantomba, duikers, 3 species

3. Sylvicapra, common duikers, 14 subspecies

The Grazing Antelope

1. Addax: white antelope

2. Hippotragus: Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope, Bluebuck

3. Oryx: common oryx, fringe-eared oryx, gemsbok, Arabian oryx, skimitar

The Tibetan antelope

1. Pantholops: Tibetan antelope, (Pantholops hodgsonii)

The Rhebok

1. Pelea: Grey Rhebok, (Pelea capreolus)

The Water Antelope

1. Kobus: waterbuck, Kob, lechwe, Nile lechwe, puku

2. Redunca: southern, mountain, Behor