Aurochs Fossil range: Late Pliocene to Holocene
Conservation status
Extinct  (1627)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Subfamily: Bovinae Genus: Bos Species: B. The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts is the period in the Geologic timescale that extends The Holocene is a Geological epoch which began approximately 10000 years ago (about 8000 BC The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands The even-toed ungulates form the Mammal order Artiodactyla. They are Ungulates whose weight is borne (if they have more than two toes about A bovid is any of almost 140 species of Cloven-hoofed Mammals belonging to the family Bovidae. The biological Subfamily bovines includes a diverse group of 10 species of medium to large sized Ungulates including domestic Cattle, Bison, Water Bos is the Genus of wild and domestic Cattle. Bos can be divided into four subgenera: Bos, Bibos primigenius
Binomial name
Bos primigenius
Subspecies
Bos primigenius primigenius   (Bojanus, 1827) Bos primigenius namadicus   (Falconer, 1859) Bos primigenius mauretanicus   (Thomas, 1881)

See Ur (rune) for the rune. Ludwig Heinrich Bojanus ( July 16, 1776 - April 2, 1827) was a German Physician and naturalist. Hugh Falconer MD, FRS ( February 29 1808 &ndash July 31 1865) was a distinguished Scottish (Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas FRS ( February 21, 1858 &ndash June 16, 1929) was a British Zoologist. The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the Elder Futhark u rune is *Ūruz meaning " wild ox " or *Ûram

The aurochs or urus (Bos primigenius) was a very large type of cattle that was prevalent in Europe until its extinction in 1627. In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. The animal's original scientific name, Bos primigenius, was meant as a Latin translation of the German term Auerochse or Urochs, which was (possibly incorrectly) interpreted as literally meaning "primeval ox" or "proto-ox". Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. This scientific name is now considered invalid by ITIS, who classify aurochs under Bos taurus, the same species as domestic cattle. Integrated Taxonomic Information System ( ITIS) is a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the Taxonomy of biological Species In 2003, however, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature "conserved the usage of 17 specific names based on wild species, which are pre-dated by or contemporary with those based on domestic forms"^[1], confirming Bos primigenius for the Aurochs. "ICZN" redirects here It is also sometimes used for the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature in error Taxonomists who consider domesticated cattle a subspecies of the wild Aurochs should use B. Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family primigenius taurus; the name B. taurus remains available for domestic cattle where it is considered to be a separate species.

English-language nomenclature variations

Aurochs skeleton in Denmark.

The word aurochs (IPA: /ˈaʊrɒks/ or /ˈɔrɒks/) comes to English from German, where its normative spelling and declension today is Auerochs/Auerochse (sg), Auerochsen (gen), Auerochsen (pl). In Linguistics, declension (or declination) is the occurrence of Inflection in Nouns Pronouns and Adjectives indicating The declension in English varies, being either aurochs (sg), aurochs (pl)^{[2] [3]} or aurochs (sg), aurochses (pl). ^[4] The declension auroch (sg), aurochs (pl), acknowledged by MWU,^[5] is a back-formation analogous to pea-from-pease derived from a misinterpretation of the singular form's ending in the /s/ sound (being cognate to ox/Ochs(e)). In the English Language, Nouns are inflected for Grammatical number —that is singular or Plural. The use in English of the plural form aurochsen is not acknowledged by AHD4 or MWU, but is directly parallel to the German plural and analogous (and cognate) to English ox (sg), oxen (pl). Cognates in Linguistics are words that have a common origin They may occur within a language such as shirt and skirt as two English words descended from

The word urus (/ˈjʊərəs/) comes to English from Latin, but came to Latin from Germanic origins. ^[6] It declines in English as urus (sg), uruses (pl). ^[7],[8] The Germanic aurochs itself is from the combination of the urus  root with Ochs(e), "ox". Although the aur-/ur-  syllable has often been interpreted as being cognate with Germanic ur-  meaning "original/proto-", it may have come from another root referring to water.

The words aurochs, urus, and wisent  have all been used synonymously in English. The wisent (ˈviːzənt or European bison ( Bison bonasus) is a Bison Species and the heaviest surviving land animal in Europe This article deals with the general meaning of the term "synonym" ^[9],[10] However, the extinct aurochs/urus is a completely separate species from the still-extant wisent (the European bison).

Origin

Aurochs fighting a Eurasian Wolf pack. The Eurasian Wolf ( Canis lupus lupus) also known as the Common Wolf, European Wolf, Carpathian Wolf, Steppes Wolf, Tibetan Wolf

According to the Paleontologisk Museum, University of Oslo, aurochs evolved in India some two million years ago, migrated into the Middle East and further into Asia, and reached Europe about 250,000 years ago. The Paleontological Museum, part of the University of Oslo, contains the largest collection of Fossils in Norway and functions as a National Museum The University of Oslo (Universitetet i Oslo Universitas Osloensis is the oldest and largest University in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. [1] They were once considered a distinct species from modern European cattle (Bos taurus), but more recent taxonomy has rejected this distinction. Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family The South Asian domestic cattle, or zebu, descended from a different group of aurochs at the edge of the Thar Desert in India; this would explain zebu resistance to drought. Zebus ( Bos primigenius indicus) sometimes known as 'humped Cattle ' or 'indicus' cattle are a type of cattle better-adapted to tropical environments The Thar Desert ( Hindi: थार मरुस्थल also known as the Great Indian Desert, is India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Zebus ( Bos primigenius indicus) sometimes known as 'humped Cattle ' or 'indicus' cattle are a type of cattle better-adapted to tropical environments A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply Domestic yak, gayal and Javan cattle do not descend from aurochs. The yak ( Bos grunniens) is a long-haired Bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Qinghai - The gaur (ˈɡaʊɚ ( Bos gaurus, previously Bibos gauris) is a large dark-coated bovine animal of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The Banteng, Bos javanicus is an Ox that is found in Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Borneo Modern cattle have become much smaller than their wild forebears: the height at the withers of a large domesticated cow is about 1. Wither redirects here For the comic character see Wither (comics. 5 meters (5 feet, 15 hands)^[11], whereas aurochs were about 1. See also Hand A hand (or handbreadth) is a unit of length Measurement, originally based on the breadth of a Male Human hand 75 meters (5. 75 feet, 17 hands). See also Hand A hand (or handbreadth) is a unit of length Measurement, originally based on the breadth of a Male Human hand Aurochs also had several features rarely seen in modern cattle, such as lyre-shaped horns set at a forward angle, a pale stripe down the spine, and sexual dimorphism of coat color. Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different Sex in the same Species. Males were black with a pale eel stripe or finching down the spine, while females and calves were reddish (these colours are still found in a few domesticated cattle breeds, such as Jersey cattle). Finching is a colour pattern of cattle occurring in many unrelated breeds Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family Jersey cattle are a small honey-brown breed of Dairy cattle. Originally bred on the British Channel Island of Jersey, the breed is popular for the Aurochs were also known to have very aggressive temperaments and killing one was seen as a great act of courage in ancient cultures.

Subspecies

At one time there existed three aurochs subspecies, namely Bos primigenius namadicus (Falconer, 1859) that occurred in India, the Bos primigenius mauretanicus (Thomas, 1881) from North Africa and naturally the Bos primigenius primigenius (Bojanus, 1827) from Europe and the Middle East. Only the European subspecies has survived until recent times.

Domestication and extinction

Skull of an aurochs.

Monument to the last aurochs in Jaktorów, Poland.

Domestication of the aurochs began in the southern Caucasus and northern Mesopotamia from about the 6th millennium BC, while genetic evidence suggests that aurochs were independently domesticated in northern Africa and in India. The Caucasus ( also referred to as North Caucasus) is a geopolitical region located between Europe Asia & Middle East Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country ^[12] Domestication caused dramatic changes to the physiology of the creatures, to the extent that domestic cattle have been regarded as a separate species (see above).

Genetic analysis of aurochs bones and of modern cattle has provided many insights about the aurochs. Genetic testing allows the genetic Diagnosis of vulnerabilities to inherited Diseases, and can also be used to determine a person's Ancestry. Though aurochs became extinct in Britain during the Bronze age, analysis of bones from aurochs that lived contemporaneously with domesticated cattle there showed no genetic contribution to modern breeds. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for As a result, modern European cattle are now thought to be descended directly from the Near East domestication process. Indian cattle (zebu), although domesticated eight to ten thousand years ago, are related to aurochs which diverged from the Near Eastern ones some 200,000 years ago. Zebus ( Bos primigenius indicus) sometimes known as 'humped Cattle ' or 'indicus' cattle are a type of cattle better-adapted to tropical environments The African cattle are thought to descend from aurochs more closely related to the Near Eastern ones. The Near East and African aurochs groups are thought to have split some 25,000 years ago, probably 15,000 years before domestication. The "Turano-Mongolian" type of cattle now found in Northern China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan may represent a fourth domestication event (and a third event among Bos taurus–type aurochs). This group may have diverged from the Near East group some 35,000 years ago. Whether these separate genetic populations would have equated to separate subspecies is unclear.

Heck cattle

The original range of the aurochs was from the British Isles and southern Scandinavia, to northern Africa, the Middle East, India and central Asia. Heck Cattle, also called reconstructed Aurochs or Auroxen, are a hardy breed of Cattle ( Bos taurus) often referred to by its promoters by the The British Isles (Irish variously Na hOileáin Bhriotanacha, Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa, Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór; Ellanyn Goaldagh Eileanan Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country By the 13th century A. D. , the aurochs' range was restricted to Poland, Lithuania, Moldavia, Transylvania and East Prussia. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Moldavia (Moldova is a geographic and historical region and former Principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between Eastern Carpathians Transylvania (Ardeal or ro ''Transilvania'' Erdély, see also other denominations) is a Central European region located in the eastern half of the Carpathian East Prussia (Ostpreußen; Rytų Prūsija or Rytprūsiai; Prusy Wschodnie Восточная Пруссия or Vostochnaya Prussiya) refers to the main part The right to hunt large animals on any land was restricted to nobles and gradually to the royal household. As the population of aurochs declined, hunting ceased but the royal court still required gamekeepers to provide open fields for the aurochs to graze in. The gamekeepers were exempted from local taxes in exchange for their service and a decree made poaching an aurochs punishable by death. Poaching is the illegal Hunting, Fishing or Harvesting of wild plants or animals In 1564, the gamekeepers knew of only 38 animals, according to the royal survey. The last recorded live aurochs, a female, died in 1627 in the Jaktorów Forest, Poland. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The skull was later taken by the Swedish Army during the Swedish invasion of Poland (1655–1660) and is now the property of Livrustkammaren in Stockholm. The Swedish Army ( Swedish: Armén) is the Army branch of the Swedish Armed Forces, the military of Sweden. The Deluge ( Polish: Potop, full Polish name is Potop Szwedzki Deluge''' is the name commonly assigned in the History The Royal Armoury (Livrustkammaren is located in the Royal Palace in Stockholm, and contains many interesting artefacts of Swedish military history and ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the

In the 1920s two German zoo directors (in Berlin and Munich), the brothers Heinz and Lutz Heck, attempted to breed the aurochs "back into existence" (see breeding back) from the domestic cattle that were their descendants. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Heinz Heck (22 January 1894 - 5 March 1982 born in Berlin and died in Munich) was a German Biologist and director of Zoo in Ludwig George Heinrich Heck, called Lutz Heck (23 April 1892 - 6 April 1983 born and died in Berlin) was a German Zoologist, animal researcher Breeding back can be described as either a natural or a human attempt to assemble or re-assemble the genes of an extinct Their plan was based on the concept that a species is not extinct as long as all its genes are still present in a living population. The result is the breed called Heck Cattle, 'Recreated Aurochs', or 'Heck Aurochs', which bears an incomplete resemblance to what is known about the physiology of the wild aurochs. Heck Cattle, also called reconstructed Aurochs or Auroxen, are a hardy breed of Cattle ( Bos taurus) often referred to by its promoters by the

Aurochs in art, history, mythology, and media

See also: Bull (mythology)

Aurochs on a cave painting in Lascaux, France. Appearances of the Bull (also known as Taurus) in Mythology and worship are widespread in the ancient world Cave paintings are Paintings on Cave walls and ceilings and the term is used especially for those dating to Prehistoric times Lascaux is the setting of a complex of Caves in southwestern France famous for its prehistoric Cave paintings The original caves are located near This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

• Aurochs are depicted in many Paleolithic European cave paintings such as those found at Lascaux and Livernon in France. Cave paintings are Paintings on Cave walls and ceilings and the term is used especially for those dating to Prehistoric times Lascaux is the setting of a complex of Caves in southwestern France famous for its prehistoric Cave paintings The original caves are located near Livernon is a commune of the Lot département, in France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Their life force may have been attributed with magical qualities, for early carvings of the aurochs have also been found. The impressive and dangerous aurochs survived into the Iron Age in Anatolia and the Near East, and was worshipped throughout that area as a sacred animal, the Lunar Bull, associated with the Great Goddess and later with Mithras. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black B Syria - Belka Woman from Damascus Arab from Baghdadjpg|thumb|Inhabitants of the Near East late nineteenth century Appearances of the Bull (also known as Taurus) in Mythology and worship are widespread in the ancient world The Mithraic Mysteries or Mysteries of Mithras (also Mithraism) was a Roman mystery religion which became popular among the military in the late
• Aurochs are depicted on the Ishtar Gate. The Ishtar Gate ( Assyrian: ܕܵܪܘܲܐܙܲܐ ܕܥܵܐܫܬܲܪ translit Darwaza D'Ishtar, Arabic:بوابة عشتار was the
• A 1999 archaeological dig in Peterborough, England, uncovered the skull of an aurochs. History Early history Present-day Peterborough is the latest in a series of settlements which have at one time or other benefited from its situation where the Nene The front part of the skull had been removed but the horns remained attached. The supposition is that the killing of the aurochs in this instance was a sacrificial act.
• The wild-ox called re'em (Strong's # 07214) in the Bible (Numbers 23:22 and 24:8, Deuteronomy 33:17, Job 39:9-10, Psalms 22:21, 29:6, 92:10 and Isaiah 34:7) is occasionally associated with the aurochs and has incorrectly been translated as 'unicorn' in the past (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Entry for 'Wild Ox', Copyright, 1939, by Wm. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. ).
• Julius Caesar wrote about them in Gallic War Chapter 6. 28, ". . . those animals which are called uri. These are a little below the elephant in size, and of the appearance, color, and shape of a bull. Their strength and speed are extraordinary; they spare neither man nor wild beast which they have espied. These the Germans take with much pains in pits and kill them. The young men harden themselves with this exercise, and practice themselves in this sort of hunting, and those who have slain the greatest number of them, having produced the horns in public, to serve as evidence, receive great praise. But not even when taken very young can they be rendered familiar to men and tamed. The size, shape, and appearance of their horns differ much from the horns of our oxen. These they anxiously seek after, and bind at the tips with silver, and use as cups at their most sumptuous entertainments. "

Possible version of a Moldavian princely flag in use during the time of Stephen the Great

• The aurochs ("bour" in Romanian) was also the symbol of Moldavia; nowadays they can be found in the coat of arms of both Romania and Moldova. Stephen III of Moldavia or Stephen III (c 1433 - July 2, 1504) also known as Stephen the Great ( Romanian: Ştefan Moldavia (Moldova is a geographic and historical region and former Principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between Eastern Carpathians Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova ( Republica Moldova) is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania The horn of the aurochs is a charge of coat of arms of Lithuanian town Taurage. Tauragė ( known also by alternate foreign names) is an industrial City in Lithuania, and the capital of Tauragė County. It is also present in the emblem of Kaunas, Lithuania and was part of the emblem of Bukovina during its time as a Kronland of Austria-Hungary. Kaunas ( ˈkoʊnəs is the second largest City in Lithuania and a former temporary capital. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Bukovina (Bucovina Буковина/ Bukovyna; German and Polish: Bukowina; see also other languages) is a historical region on the Cisleithania (Cisleithanien Předlitavsko was the name of the Austrian part of Austria-Hungary, the Dual monarchy created in 1867 and dissolved in 1918
• The last lines of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita are: "I am thinking of aurochs and angels, the secret of durable pigments, prophetic sonnets, the refuge of art. This page is about the novelist For his father the politician see Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov. Lolita (1955 is a Novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris, later translated by the author And this is the only immortality you and I may share, my Lolita. "
• East Slavic surnames Turenin, Turishchev, Turov, Turovsky originate from the East Slavic name of the species (Tur). Cyril of Turaŭ (1130 &ndash 1182 (Кіры́ла Ту́раўскі Kiryla Turaŭski was an Orthodox Christian Bishop and Saint in the Orthodox ^[13]

See also

• Chillingham Cattle
• Wisent
• Ur (rune)
• Heck Cattle

Notes

References

• American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition (AHD4). Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading educational Publisher in the United States. Headwords aurochs, urus, wisent.
• Bunzel-Drüke, M. 2001. Ecological substitutes for Wild Horse (Equus ferus Boddaert, 1785 = E. przewalslii Poljakov, 1881) and Aurochs (Bos primigenius Bojanus, 1827). Natur- und Kulturlandschaft, Höxter/Jena, 4, 10 p. AFKP. Online pdf (298 kB)
• C. Julius Caesar. Caesar's Gallic War. Translator. W. A. McDevitte. Translator. W. S. Bohn. 1st Edition. New York. Harper & Brothers. 1869. Harper's New Classical Library.
• International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. 2003. Opinion 2027 (Case 3010). Usage of 17 specific names based on wild species which are pre-dated by or contemporary with those based on domestic animals (Lepidoptera, Osteichthyes, Mammalia): conserved. Bull. Zool. Nomencl. , 60:81-84.
• Merriam-Webster Unabridged (MWU). (Online subscription-based reference service of Merriam-Webster, based on Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, which was originally the G & C Merriam Company of Springfield Massachusetts, is an American company that publishes reference books Merriam-Webster, 2002. ) Headword aurochs. Accessed 2007-06-02.
• Shaffer, Jim G. (1995). Jim G Shaffer is an American Archaeologist and Professor of Anthropology at Case Western Reserve University. Cultural tradition and Palaeoethnicity in South Asian Archaeology. In: Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia. Ed. George Erdosy. ISBN 8121507901
• Shaffer, Jim G. (1999). Migration, Philology and South Asian Archaeology. In: Aryan and Non-Aryan in South Asia. Ed. Bronkhorst and Deshpande. ISBN 1-888789-04-2.
• Vuure, T. van. 2002. History, morphology and ecology of the Aurochs (Bos primigenius). Lutra 45-1. Online pdf (603 kB)
• Vuure, C. van. 2005. Retracing the Aurochs: History, Morphology and Ecology of an Extinct Wild Ox. Pensoft Publishers. Sofia-Moscow.
• Wilson, Don E. and DeeAnn M. Reeder: Mammals.

External links

• The Extinction Website - Aurochs (Bos primigenius primigenius)
• History of aurochs in Poland