Aurochs

The aurochs (Bos primigenius) (or urus) is an extinct European mammal of the Bovidae family. The term "Auerochse" or "Ur" is German, literally meaning "primeval ox," or "proto-ox", and the Latin name would translate similarly.

Most or all modern cattle are direct descendants of the the aurochs; the South Asian domestic cattle, the zebu, may be descended from a related species, the gaur.

The last recorded instance of the aurochs was the report of the death of "the last" aurochs, hunted and killed by poachers in 1627 in the Jaktorów Forest, Poland.

Aurochs are depicted in many cave paintings such as those found at Lascaux and Livernon[?] in France. In these and many other early art works, the aurochs are attributed with possessing magical qualities. Early carvings of the aurochs have also been found.

A 1999 archaeological dig in Peterborough uncovered the skull of an aurochs but 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.

In the 1920s two German zookeepers -- brothers by the names of Heinz and Lutz Heck -- attempted to breed the aurochs back into existence from the domestic cattle that were their descendants. The result is the "Recreated Aurochs" or "Heck Aurochs", which bears a physical resemblance to what is known about the wild aurochs. The major difference is in size -- a recreated aurochs bull is not much larger than the bull of most breeds of domestic cattle, while wild aurochs bulls are believed to have often exceeded 1000 kilograms: half the size of a rhinoceros.