Aurochs

Aurochs, extinct species of a wild ox, which ranged throughout Europe except in Scandinavia and northern Russia, across North Africa, and in large areas of Asia. The aurochs is the direct ancestor of modern domestic cattle.

The aurochs bull was an impressive mammal, weighing more than 1000 kg (2200 lb) and standing about 200 cm (about 78 in) at the shoulders. Bulls had blackish-brown coats with a light streak down the back. The cows were smaller, and had brownish coats; calves had a reddish-brown coat. Both sexes had curving horns up to 90 cm (35 in) long.

The aurochs grazed in open forestland and meadows, eating grasses and leaves. It was most active in the morning and late afternoon. Herds included a bull, several females, and their calves. Mating season, in August and September, triggered severe fights between aurochs bulls. One young was born about nine months after mating.

Predators posed almost no threat to the aurochs; a lone bull could fight off several wolves. But the wild aurochs was hunted aggressively by humans because it competed with domestic cattle for food, and its occasional interbreeding with domestic cattle disrupted progress in the development of domestic cattle lines. The aurochs population also declined as its natural wild habitat decreased with the growth of both farms and cities.

While the aurochs survived in France into the 13th century and in Bavaria until the end of the 15th century, almost all of the aurochs population was found in Poland after the late 13th century. A royal decree that prohibited hunting the aurochs was issued in Poland in 1293. By 1596, however, only 30 wild aurochs existed, all on a royal preserve near Warsaw. The last of this species, a cow, died in 1627.

Remains of aurochs that may be a million years old have been unearthed in both Europe and Asia. Archaeological excavations indicate the aurochs was domesticated in the Near East around 6000 bc. By 2000 bc, a domesticated aurochs appeared in Greece, and perhaps in India. This domesticated line eventually spread to Switzerland, Germany, and England.

Roman general Gaius Julius Caesar described the wild aurochs living in the forests of Germany in 65 bc. Charlemagne, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, hunted this animal in the 9th century ad. The meat of an aurochs appeared on the menu at a Roman Catholic abbey in Switzerland in the 10th century. For many centuries, its horns were widely used as drinking vessels.

Modern domestic cattle throughout Europe and central Asia trace their ancestry to the aurochs. A few primitive breeds, including Scottish highland cattle, English park cattle, and Spanish fighting bulls, still resemble the aurochs in body characteristics.

Scientific classification: The aurochs belongs to the family Bovidae in the order Artiodactyla. It is classified as Bos primigenius.