Bos primigenius primigenius
The Eurasian Aurochs (Bos primigenius primigenius or Bos taurus primigenius) It is an extinct artiodactyl mammal belonging to the genus Bos, of the subfamily Bovinae.
It is estimated that it appeared in Iberia between 800,000 and 700,000 years ago and that it later spread to northern Europe. It gradually disappeared due to hunting, receding forests and domestication. The last place on the planet to be trodden on by an aurochs was the European continent, the last specimen being a female that died in the ancient forest of Jaktorów (Poland) in 1627.
Taxonomy
History of the taxonomic classification of the aurochs
Relatively often, aurochs tend to be confused with European bison, but they are different animals. The first examples of this confusion can be found in the second half of the XVIII century, when European naturalists began to make the first classifications biological. The aurochs had then been extinct for more than 100 years and the bison was increasingly rare, relegated to a few pockets of population in Romania, Poland and the Caucasus. Reliable information on neither was kept in Western European countries. Therefore, Carlos Linnaeus had doubts about him and decided to ignore the issue, naming the domestic cattle as Bos taurus and the European bison as Bison bonasus .
Immediately two currents of confronting naturalists were generated: one group defended the existence of a single European wild bovine, considering the ancient aurochs and bison as members of the same species. Consequently, they were inclined to name both scientifically as Bison bonasus, a name that domestic cows and bulls should also receive because they were their descendants. In contrast, other naturalists argued that cows and bison were clearly different animals and that therefore, in ancient Europe there must have been two separate bovine species, the European bison on the one hand and the aurochs on the other. At the beginning of the s. XIX, the discovery, excavation and study of dozens of skeletons of aurochs and bison scattered throughout Europe resolved the controversy. Bojanus, one of the naturalists who up to then had defended the unique bovine hypothesis, examined a complete aurochs skeleton and was forced to admit that this animal was very close to domestic cattle but not so close to bison, for which reason he named a species new for the aurochs: Bos primigenius.
At the end of the s. In the XIX century it was decided to differentiate two other subspecies for the aurochs of North Africa and India, which were baptized respectively as Bos primigenius mauretanicus (Thomas, 1881) and Bos primigenius namadicus (Falconer, 1859). The denomination Bos primigenius primigenius, therefore, has remained today as a name for the aurochs of Europe and the aurochs of the Middle East.
Evolution of your ranking
According to the publication Mammal Species of the World, the species Bos taurus is subdivided into 3 subspecies: the aurochs (B. t. primigenius), the zebu B. t. indicus and domestic cattle (B. t. taurus).
The nomenclature of the aurochs is controversial. Domestic bovids were given the scientific name Bos taurus in the 18th century, before the development of evolutionary biology. With the further development of it, the close relationship between domestic and wild breeds was recognized, the scientific status of domestic "species" was questioned, and most biologists consider them no more than domesticated forms of the original wild species.
A species is made up of "groups of natural populations, effectively or potentially interbreeding, that are reproductively isolated from other similar groups". Today, domestic "species" interbreed with their relatives when they get the chance. According to CITES "Taking into account that, at least as far as primitive breeds of domestic animals are concerned, these would constitute, as a general rule, a breeding entity with their ancestral species, if they had the opportunity, the classification of domestic animals as species separated is not acceptable. That is why we try to define them as subspecies." The new subspecies was then given the name of the parent species, completed with the subspecies name (recovering the second part of the old species name): Bos primigenius taurus. But some biologists are reluctant to use the notion of subspecies for a domesticated group. From an evolutionary point of view, the idea of species or subspecies is linked to the idea of natural selection, and not to artificial selection.
The 2005 edition of Mammal Species of the World used the name Bos taurus and not Bos primigenius. The unique name is consistent with the idea that there is only one species. But the name used does not conform to decision 2027 of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, which decided in 2003 to use Bos primigenius as the name of the wild species. Regarding the regrouping of the domestic and wild forms under a single species name, the Commission was cautious and did not settle the matter definitively, and indicates that taxonomists who consider domestic cattle a subspecies of wild aurochs should use Bos primigenius taurus, and Bos taurus remain available for domestic bovines when they are considered a separate species.
Originally, humped cattle or zebu were considered a full species: Bos indicus. This status has been revised and they are currently considered to be the subspecies Bos taurus indicus.
Etymologies of vulgar names
The word «uro» comes from the word that Julius Caesar heard the inhabitants of the Hercynian forest, the ancient Celtic tribes of the Helvetii, Nemets and Rauraks, say to name the wild bull: «...tertium est genus eorum qui "uri" apellantur, hi sunt magnitudine paulo infra elephantos, specie et colore et figura tauri...» ('... There is a third gender that they call "uro", little smaller than an elephant, the color and shape of a bull'... The Gallic Wars).
Pliny, the famous Roman naturalist, writes the following about the aurochs and the bison: «...pauca contermina illi Germania insignata men "boum ferorum" generates, jubatos bisons, excelletique vi et velocitate aurochs...» ('...Little is known about the classes of "wild bovines" of Germania, woolly bison, and strong and fast aurochs...'). Later, Pliny writes the following about these bovines: «...quibus imperitus vulgus bubalorum nomen imponit...» ('...That ignorant people call buffaloes... '). With this, the author makes it clear that it is incorrect to call "buffalo" to these animals.
Macrobius, a Roman official of the V century, writes the following about the meaning of "aure": «..."uri" enim Gallica vox est, qua feri boues significantur..." ('...Uri is a word from the Gaulish language (Of ancient Gaul), meaning "bovine/wild bull&# 34;...').
Isidoro de Sevilla in his work "Etymologiarium" VI century, write the following about the meaning of the word "uro": «... they are called "uros", because they derive from "oros" mountain...».
Conrad Gessner, describes in his book, that the word of Gallic origin "uro", changed to "urochs", and that the latter, passed into the German language as "auwerochs", because the Suevi, Bavarians and other Germans change the letter "U" by "Au": «...Caeterum uri vocabulary in Gallica lingua, quae hodie sic vocatur, nunsquam invenio; in nostra vero retinetur, nusquam tamen simplex, sed in compositione pro sylvestri aut veteri aut principali; dicimus enim "urochs" (urum bouem), quem Suevi & Bavari & alij quidam Germani, "U" nostrum in "Au" mutari soliti "auwerochs" apellant...». (Conradi Gesneri Tigurini Historie Animalium Liber III De Quadrupedibus Viviparis.)
The ancient Sumero-Akkadian peoples called the aurochs: "The wild ox/bull of the mountains" (Explorations in Turkestan, vol.2 1904).
John Jhonstonus, in his work Historiae Naturalis (1657), calls "wild ochsen" or "boves feris", both to the aurochs and the bison.
In the Bible, the aurochs are called "reem" (wild ox): "...Save me from the lion's mouth, and hear me deliver me from the horns of the "wild oxen"" Psalms 22:21
Description
Bos primigenius primigenius
- European Uro: The European uros were animals with robust bodies and "gibosa" back as a result of the long thoracic vertebral thorns they possessed. The head of these animals was large and longer than that of most of the domestic bovines of today, with a profile approximate to that of an escalen triangle (Fig.1). Front view, the head of the uro acquires the approximate form of an inverted isosceles triangle, based on the upper edge of the front and with the vertex represented by the tip of the snout. Only the basins of the eyes, which had a conical shape, provided protection to the eyeballs and were more prominent than those of the current bulls, stand out from this pattern. (Description based on skeletal morphology).
These animals had powerful horns, white at the base and black at the tips, which could measure up to 100 cm, with the following morphology: following the line of the forehead at the beginning (outwards), curving then forwards, inwards and upwards finally taking on the appearance of an ancient lyre (Image 1), (T Van Vuuere). The extremities, both the front and the rear, were long, which surely gave them the great speed they could reach. The average height at the withers was 160 to 180 cm in the case of males (being able to reach 2 meters) and 150 cm in females. From descriptions from Roman and medieval times, it appears that the aurochs of Europe, even with slight variations, had a uniform dark colored coat, with a band of slightly lighter hair extending down the back from nape to neck. the tail, and the hair on the forehead, which was brown to fawn in color.
- Middle Eastern Uro: Some pictorial sculptures and representations found in the territories that once belonged to civilizations such as Sumeria or Persian, suggest that this animal did not differ much from the European uro (Euro).Image 3). However, there were genetic differences between these; which were already mentioned in the "subspecies" section.
Bos primigenius africanus
There are some Greek and Roman descriptions of the animal, in which there is talk of a ferocious, strong, and fast bovine, with red fur, blue-gray eyes and approximately twice the size of normal Greek cattle.
It is plausible to think then that the African aurochs generally had a reddish color, although the other phenotypic characteristics of it cannot be determined with certainty. Some Egyptian representations show that it had a morphology similar to that of the European aurochs, the only verifiable differences being therefore the color of the coat and the mitochondrial haplotype.
Bos primigenius namadicus
So far we have not found descriptive information about this animal, most likely there is some reference in a medieval bestiary or in an ancient Hindu book such as "The Vedas". We hope to be able to append the information to this article when it is found.
Behavior
Bos primigenius primigenius
- European Uro:
Apparently, they were aggressive animals, capable of attacking anyone who did not keep enough distance: "...very strong and fast, they do not hesitate to attack any man or animal they spot..." (The Gallic Wars). They were grouped in herds of variable size made up of males, females and their young, although the old males tended to abandon them to lead a solitary life or in small groups. According to Polish chronicles from the 16th and 17th centuries, the country where the last aurochs became extinct, the mating season took place in August and September, and the young were born in May and June. The habitat of this species included forests of variable density and plains, being more numerous in areas with abundant shrubby vegetation and water. They fed on all kinds of leaves, grasses, and tender branches. They were probably animals with migratory habits. It is known that the routes by which "transhumance" takes place in Spain, were originally migratory routes of the Iberian aurochs. Therefore, it can be thought that the aurochs moved every certain period of time, just as the caribou in America and the wildebeest in Africa do today. Among the predators were lions (until before their extinction in Europe), wolves, and bears.
- Middle Eastern Uro:
Once again we can allude to aggressiveness as the main characteristic of these animals: "...Free me, Lord, from the lion's mouth, and hear me free me from the horns of the aurochs..." (Psalm 22:21).
Bos primigenius africanus
For the third time, there is talk of ferocious, aggressive and fast animals, which attacked any animal or person who dared to approach.
They inhabited the forests that once covered the North African region.
Bos primigenius namadicus
We have not found information.
History
The earliest known members of the genus, Bos acutrifrons, come from the Pliocene of central Asia, about 2 million years ago. From here they gradually spread to the south, north, east and west until they reached the territories of India, Russia, China, the Middle East, Africa and Europe; giving rise to Bos primigenius and its different subspecies: Bos primigenius namadicus in central India, Bos primigenius mauretanicus in Africa and Bos primigenius primigenius in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. (Fig.5)
About 700-800,000 years ago, remains of Bos primigenius primigenius were already documented in the Iberian Peninsula, although it will take a long time for them to adapt to the new climatic conditions of the Pleistocene and populate northern Europe, arriving in Germany about 250,000 years ago. Shortly before the end of the ice age, the three aurochs subspecies inhabited most of Europe (including Great Britain and southern Scandinavia), the Middle East to India and Manchuria, and all of North Africa from Morocco to Egypt. With the progressive aridity of the climate that occurred from the beginning of the Holocene, the aurochs were relegated to Europe, the Maghreb, northern Mesopotamia and an isolated population nucleus in central India.
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Human pressure on the wild aurochs increased over time as it continued to be hunted for its meat (this is believed to have been the main cause of its extinction in Britain around 1300 BC), but its The decline was due mostly to the clearing of the forests in which it lived for agriculture and competition for pastures with the new domestic bulls and cows. Before Roman times, the wild aurochs had already become extinct in the more urbanized areas of North Africa, the Mediterranean coasts, Mesopotamia, and India, although northern Italian populations still supplied Roman circuses with some regularity during the time of the Empire. In the late Middle Ages only the European subspecies persisted, relegated to a small area in eastern Germany and in the s. XVI there is no evidence that it existed outside the forests of Jaktorów and Wiskitki, in Poland (although some data speak of aurochs in Sweden until 1555). In 1476 ownership of these forests and the right to hunt in them passed to the Polish royal family, making the killing of an aurochs a privilege of the king. The care with which aurochs were raised during the reign of Sigismund I the Elder and his successor is shocking: they were constantly watched so that they would not be disturbed by men or wild animals, and in winter they were fed with hay. Later kings were not as careful, although they continued to hunt them.
Several royal censuses reflect the slow and inexorable decline of Polish wild bulls. The first of the censuses, in 1564, counted 38 animals in Jaktorów and Witkiski; in 1566 only 24 remained, and in 1602 there were barely 5 animals in Jaktorów, 4 males that were hunted in the following 20 years and a female that was pardoned, dying of natural causes in 1627.
Domestication processes
Genetic analyzes of different breeds of current cows have confirmed that the domestication of this animal did not occur in a single place or from a single population. The first traces of domestication of the aurochs come from Greece and are about 8,500 years old; a short time later the aurochs were domesticated in India, which would later give rise to the zebu B. taurus indicus, and in Assyria, from where they were exported to Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Canaan and Egypt. From the first millennium BC there is evidence that the Maghreb subrace had been domesticated and introduced into the Iberian Peninsula through the Strait of Gibraltar.
Attempts to “recreate” the aurochs
In 1920, the German brothers Lutz and Heinz Heck set out to "recreate" the extinct Bos primigenius primigenius by crossing different breeds of cattle, trying to enhance the most typical traits of aurochs in each new generation. The result was the appearance of the "Heck's aurochs" or simply the more highly recommended "Heck's cattle", a large, robust new breed with long horns and black or brown hair that can be seen in different zoos around the world as a curiosity. However, criticism has been leveled at these animals practically since the first "Heck's bull" saw the light. Several of the supposed primitive characteristics promoted by the Heck were not such in reality, but the result of misconceptions by breeders. It is the case that this breed has even less urine physical characteristics than other domestic ones. In different places, natural selection itself has caused several breeds from different places to come together in animals that are more similar to the primitive aurochs than Heck's bovines.
In fact, Van Vuure even goes so far as to suggest that fighting bulls are the most urine of the descendants of the aurochs, even more so than Heck's bovine, which he considers a failed experiment in aurochs recreated by selective breeding in some zoos during the XX century, and which today are being mistakenly introduced into nature reserves in the countries Netherlands and Germany. Despite the effort put into the selection, these supposed modern aurochs still present today a lighter complexion than expected, wrong size, horns of variable length and not always correct coloration. Temperamentally, recreated aurochs are in an even worse situation, as they are unable to find enough food in winter or fend off wolves. For this and other reasons, critics of the Hecks consider their experiment a failure, consisting of a simple group of cows taken from the barn and put to graze in woods and meadows. Professor Z. Pucek, head of the European bison recovery program in the Bialowieza Forest (Poland), has even defined the Heck bull as "the biggest scientific scam of the 20th century" and has flatly refused to introduce a few heads into the reserve. However, despite criticism, the first introduction of the Heck breed took place in the Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve, the Netherlands in 1983, in which they have survived. naturally getting food and enduring the inclement weather.
Today, serious programs such as the TaurOs project try to recreate the aurochs, based on precise genetic and morphological data of the animal. To this end, more weight will be given to other breeds with primitive characteristics such as the Andalusian pajuna, the Cantabrian tudanca, the Zamoran sayaguesa, the Italian Maremana, the Scottish Highland, the Hungarian steppe, the dwarfs from Corsica and Turkey, the Camargue bull and the Maroness of Portugal.
The aurochs in culture
A sample of a poem that was expressly dedicated to the aurochs, who fell in love with Circe:
- The Uro is not afraid
- and has great horns.
- A lonely inhabitant of the slum
- He's a brave animal.