Aurochs, Aurochsen, Ure, Urus
The Aurochs (Bos primigenius) is an extinct species of bovine. It was one of the largest herbivores in the Holocene and is considered to be the wild ancestor of modern domestic cattle. It had massive, elongated, and broad horns that reached 80 cm (31 in) in length, which were used in votive offerings, as trophies, and as drinking horns.
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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GrazingGrazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses, or other multicellular organisms such as algae. In agriculture...
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BrowsingBrowsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore (or, more narrowly defined, a folivore) feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growi...
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HerdingA herd is a social grouping of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with...
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starts withThe Aurochs was one of the largest herbivores in Holocene Europe. Its proportions and body shape were strikingly different from many modern cattle breeds. For example, the legs were considerably longer and more slender, resulting in a shoulder height that nearly equalled the trunk length. The skull, carrying the large horns, was substantially larger and more elongated than in most cattle breeds. The horns were massive, reaching 80 cm (31 in) in length and between 10 and 20 cm (3.9 and 7.9 in) in diameter. Its horns grew from the skull at a 60-degree angle to the muzzle, facing forwards, and were curved in three directions: upwards and outwards at the base, then swinging forwards and inwards, then inwards and upwards. The remains of Aurochs hair were not known until the early 1980s. Depictions show that the North African aurochs may have had a light saddle marking on its back. Calves were probably born with a chestnut colour, and young bulls changed to black with a white eel stripe running down the spine, while cows retained a reddish-brown colour. Both sexes had a light-coloured muzzle, but evidence for variation in coat colour does not exist. A feature often attributed to the aurochs is blond forehead hairs. According to historical descriptions of the aurochs, it had long and curly forehead hair, but none mentions a certain colour.
The aurochs was found in North Africa, Mesopotamia, and throughout Europe to the Pontic-Caspian steppe, Caucasus, and Western Siberia in the west and to the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in the north. During warm interglacial periods, the aurochs was widespread across Europe, but during glacial periods retreated into southern refugia in the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas. In Europe, the aurochs probably inhabited dense forests throughout much of the last few thousand years. The aurochs is likely to have used riparian forests and wetlands along lakes. They preferred inhabiting low-lying, relatively flat landscapes. The aurochs remains in China indicate that they also preferred temperate grassy plains or grasslands bordering woodlands. They may have also lived in open grasslands. In the warm Atlantic period of the Holocene, these animals were restricted to remaining in open country and forest margins.
Aurochs typically lived singly or in smaller groups during the summer, but in winter, they formed small herds. If aurochs had social behaviour similar to their descendants, social status would have been gained through displays and fights, in which both cows and bulls engaged. During interglacial periods in the Middle Pleistocene and early Late Pleistocene in Europe, the aurochs occurred alongside other large temperate-adapted megafauna species, including the Straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus), Merck's rhinoceros (Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis), the Narrow-nosed rhinoceros (Stephanorhinus hemitoechus), and the Irish elk/giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus). According to historical descriptions, the aurochs was swift despite its build, could be very aggressive if provoked, and was not generally fearful of humans.
The aurochs was herbivorous, having a grazing and browsing diet. It consumed grass, twigs, and acorns.
The mating season of the aurochs was in September, and calves were born in spring. Rutting bulls had violent fights, and evidence from the Jaktorów forest shows that they were fully capable of mortally wounding one another. In autumn, aurochs fed for the winter, gaining weight and possessing a shinier coat than during the rest of the year. Calves stayed with their mothers until they were strong enough to join and keep up with the herd on the feeding grounds.
Excessive hunting began and continued until the aurochs was nearly extinct. The gradual extinction of the aurochs in Central Europe was concurrent with the clear-cutting of large forest tracts between the 9th and 12th centuries. By the 13th century, the aurochs existed only in small numbers in Eastern Europe, and hunting them became a privilege of nobles and later royals. The population in Hungary was declining from at least the 9th century and was extinct in the 13th century. The last-known aurochs herd lived in a marshy woodland in Poland's Jaktorów Forest. It decreased from around 50 individuals in the mid-16th century to four individuals by 1601. The last aurochs cow died in 1627 from natural causes.
