NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Bos primigenius

Bos primigenius primigenius
  (Bojanus, 1827)
Bos primigenius namadicus
  (Falconer, 1859)
Bos primigenius mauretanicus
  (Thomas, 1881)
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1510x916, 243 KB) Original caption: Augsburger Abbildung des Urs (echten Auerochsen). ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... Animalia redirects here. ... {{{subdivision_ranks}}} See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... I smoke weed im growing a blue penis dude#REDIRECT penises are cool ... Families Suidae Hippopotamidae Tayassuidae Camelidae Tragulidae Moschidae Cervidae Giraffidae Antilocapridae Bovidae The even-toed ungulates form the mammal order Artiodactyla. ... Subfamilies Bovinae Cephalophinae Hippotraginae Antilopinae Caprinae A bovid is any of almost 140 species of cloven-hoofed mammals belonging to the family Bovidae. ... Tribes Bovini Boselaphini Strepsicerotini The biological subfamily Bovinae (or bovines) includes a diverse group of about 24 species of medium-sized to large ungulates, including domestic cattle, Bison, the Water Buffalo, the Yak, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. ... Species Bos aegyptiacus B. frontalis B. grunniens B. javanicus B. sauveli B. taurus Bos is the genus of wild and domestic cattle or oxen. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Ludwig Heinrich Bojanus (July 16, 1776 - April 2, 1827) was a Germany physician and naturalist. ... Falconer can refer to the following: A falconer is someone skilled in the art of Falconry. ... Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas (February 21, 1858 - June 16, 1929) was a British zoologist. ...

See Ur (rune) for the rune.

The aurochs (Bos primigenius) is a very large, extinct type of cattle, originally prevalent in Europe. The word aurochs is both singular and plural; alternative plural forms are aurochsen or urus. The animal's original scientific name, Bos primigenius, translated the German term Auerochse or Urochs, literally "primeval ox", or "proto-ox". This scientific name is now considered invalid by ITIS, who classify aurochs under Bos taurus, the same species as domestic cattle. However, in 2003, 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", confirming Bos primigenius for the Aurochs. Taxonomists who consider domesticated cattle a subspecies of the wild Aurochs should use B. primigenius taurus; the name B. taurus remains available for domestic cattle where it is considered to be a separate species. The rune áš¢ representing the sound u is called Ur in all three rune poems, however with different meanings: Norwegian áš¢ er af illu jarne; Dross comes from bad iron; the reindeer often races over the frozen snow. ... In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ... Please note that the ITIS system URL has changed (25 September 2006). ... The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is a set of rules in zoology that have one fundamental aim: to provide the maximum universality and continuity in classifying all animals according to taxonomic judgment. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (often called cows in vernacular and contemporary usage, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ...

1 Origin
- 1.1 Subspecies
2 Domestication and extinction
3 Aurochs in art, history, mythology, and media
4 See also
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links

Origin

Cave painting of an aurochs

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.[1] They were once considered a distinct species from modern European cattle (Bos taurus), but more recent taxonomy has rejected this distinction^{[citation needed]}. 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. Domestic yak, gayal and Javan cattle do not descend from aurochs. Modern cattle have become much smaller than their wild forebears: the height at the withers of a domesticated cow is about 1.4 meters, whereas an aurochs could reach about 1.75 meters. 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. Males were black with a pale eel stripe down the spine, while females and calves were reddish. They were also known to have very aggressive temperaments and killing one was seen as a great act of courage in ancient cultures. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The University of Oslo, Paleontological Museum contains the largest collection of fossils in Norway and functions as a National Museum. ... The University of Oslo (in Norwegian Universitetet i Oslo, in Latin Universitas Osloensis) was founded in 1811 as Universitas Regia Fredericiana (the Royal Frederick University, in Norwegian Det Kongelige Frederiks Universitet). ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (often called cows in vernacular and contemporary usage, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... Trinomial name Bos taurus indicus Linnaeus, 1758 Zebus (Bos taurus indicus), sometimes known as nothing cattle, are better-adapted to tropical environments than other domestic cattle. ... A NASA satellite image of the Thar Desert, with the India-Pakistan border superimposed is found in canada, united states. ... Trinomial name Bos taurus indicus Linnaeus, 1758 Zebus (Bos taurus indicus), sometimes known as nothing cattle, are better-adapted to tropical environments than other domestic cattle. ... A drought is a period of time when there is not enough water to support agricultural, urban or environmental water needs. ... Binomial name Bos grunniens Linnaeus, 1766 Subspecies Bos grunniens grunniens Bos grunniens mutus The yak (Bos grunniens) is a long-haired humped domestic bovine found in Tibet and throughout the Himalayan region of south central Asia, as well as in Mongolia. ... Binomial name Bos gaurus H. Smith, 1827 The Gaur (Bos gaurus, previously Bibos gauris) is a large, dark-coated ox of the hilly areas of India and Southeast Asia, which may be found wild or domesticated. ... Binomial name Bos javanicus dAlton, 1823 The Banteng (Bos javanicus) is an ox that is found in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Borneo, Java, and Bali. ... The withers is the highest point on an animals back, on the ridge between its shoulder blades. ...

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

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.^[1] 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). The Ethnolinguistic patchwork of the modern Caucasus - CIA map Russia Georgia Azerbaijan (Azer. ... Mesopotamia refers to the region now occupied by modern Iraq, eastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and Southwest Iran. ... During the 6th millennium BC, agriculture spreads from the Balkans to Italy and Eastern Europe and from Mesopotamia to Egypt. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ...

Skull of an aurochs.

Genetic analysis of aurochs bones and of modern cattle has provided many insights about the aurochs. 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. 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. 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. Genetic testing allows the genetic diagnosis of vulnerabilities to inherited diseases, and can also be used to determine a persons ancestry. ... The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... Trinomial name Bos taurus indicus Linnaeus, 1758 Zebus (Bos taurus indicus), sometimes known as nothing cattle, are better-adapted to tropical environments than other domestic cattle. ...

Monument to the last aurochs in Jaktorów, Poland

The original range of the aurochs was from the British Isles, to Africa, the Middle East, India and central Asia. By the 13th century A.D., the aurochs' range was restricted to Poland, Lithuania, Moldavia, Transylvania and East Prussia. 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. 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. The skull was later taken by the Swedish Army and is now the property of Livrustkammaren in Stockholm. Image File history File links Jaktorow_pomnik_tura. ... Image File history File links Jaktorow_pomnik_tura. ... Location of the British Isles The British Isles is a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe consisting of Great Britain, Ireland, and a number of smaller surrounding islands and islets. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Moldavia (Moldova in Romanian) was a Romanian principality, originally created in the Middle Ages, now divided between Romania, Moldovan Republic and Ukraine. ... Map of Romania with Transylvania in yellow Transylvania (Romanian: or Transilvania; Hungarian: ; German: ; Serbian: / Transilvanija or Ð•Ñ€Ð´ÐµÑ™ / Erdelj) is a historical region in central and western Romania. ... East Prussia (German: Ostpreu en; Polish: Prusy Wschodnie; Russian: Восточная Пруссия — Vostochnaya Prussiya) was a province of Kingdom of Prussia, situated on the territory of former Ducal Prussia. ... Swedish Army - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Livrustkammaren is the Royal Armoury in Stockholm, covering many interesting artefacts of swedish military history. ... (IPA: ; UN/LOCODE: SE STO) is the capital of Sweden, and consequently the site of its Government and Parliament as well as the residence of the Swedish head of state, King Carl XVI Gustaf. ...

In the 1920s two German zookeepers, 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. Their plan was based on the conception 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^{[citation needed]}. Breeding back is an attempt to assemble the genes of an extinct subspecies or domesticated breed, which may still be present in the larger gene pool of the overall species or other interbreedable species. ... Heck Cattle, also called reconstructed aurochs, is a hardy breed of cattle (Bos taurus) often referred to by its promoters by the name of aurochs. (The aurochs was an extinct recent ancestor to modern cattle. ...

Aurochs in art, history, mythology, and media

See also: Bull (mythology)

Aurochs are depicted in many Paleolithic European cave paintings such as those found at Lascaux and Livernon in France. 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.
Aurochs are depicted on the Ishtar Gate.
A 1999 archaeological dig in Peterborough, England, uncovered the skull of an aurochs. 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. 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."
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. The horn of the aurochs is a charge of coat of arms of Lithuanian town Taurage. 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.

Possible version of a Moldavian princely flag during Stephen the Great )

Comic-book Asterix in Spain features an Aurochs replacing a lion in the Roman circus of Spain, a reference to bullfighting. The character who manages to defeat the Aurochs decides to be known as El Aurochero (for torero, stemming from toro, Spanish for bull), and a footnote explains that form El Aurocheador is incorrect (for toreador).
The fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin makes frequent use of aurochs in character dialog and setting descriptions in place of more modern cattle to accentuate the otherworldly setting.
In the game Final Fantasy X, the Aurochs was the team mascot for the Besaid blitzball team.
In the Magic: The Gathering card game expansion sets Ice Age and Coldsnap, Aurochs were used for some of the card imagery and titles.
The debut album Age of Winters by Austin, Texas-based metal band The Sword includes a song called "Lament for the Aurochs."
In the MMORPG Asheron's Call, aurochs are a type of monster that could be fought.
There is a famous line in Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita that goes, "I am thinking of aurochs and angels, the secret of durable pigments, prophetic sonnets, the refuge of art. "

The worship of the Sacred Bull throughout the ancient world is most familiar in the episode of the idol of the Golden Calf made by Aaron and worshipped by the Hebrews in the wilderness of Sinai (Exodus). ... Cave or rock paintings are paintings painted on cave or rock walls and ceilings, usually dating to prehistoric times. ... Lascaux Lascaux is a complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its cave paintings. ... Livernon is a commune of the Lot dÃ©partement, in France. ... Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Near East is a term commonly used by archaeologists, geographers and historians, less commonly by journalists and commentators, to refer to the region encompassing the Levant (modern Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon), Turkey, Mesopotamia (Iraq and eastern Syria). ... The worship of the Sacred Bull throughout the ancient world is most familiar in the episode of the idol of the Golden Calf made by Aaron and worshipped by the Hebrews in the wilderness of Sinai (Exodus). ... A Mother Goddess is a goddess portrayed as the Earth Mother who serves as a general fertility deity, the bountiful embodiment of the earth. ... Mithras and the Bull: fresco from the mithraeum at Marino, Italy, (3rd century AD) Mithras was the central god of Mithraism, a syncretic Hellenistic mystery religion of male initiates that developed in the Eastern Mediterranean in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC and was practiced in the Roman Empire from... The reconstructed Ishtar Gate in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin A detail from the reconstructed gate. ... For the city in Canada, see Peterborough, Ontario. ... The word Bible refers to the canonical collections of sacred writings of Judaism and Christianity. ... Moldavia (Moldova in Romanian) was a Romanian principality, originally created in the Middle Ages, now divided between Romania, Moldovan Republic and Ukraine. ... Tauragė (Polish: Taurogi, German: Tauroggen) is an industrial town in western Lithuania and the capital of Tauragė County. ... Location Ethnographic region AukÅ¡taitija County Kaunas County Municipality Kaunas city municipality Coordinates Number of elderates 11 General Information Capital of Kaunas County Kaunas city municipality Kaunas district municipality Population 361,274 in 2005 (2nd) First mentioned 1361 Granted city rights 1408 Kaunas ( (helpÂ· info), approximate English transcription [ËˆkÉ™ÊŠ.n... Bukovina (Ukrainian: , Bukovyna; Romanian: Bucovina; German and Polish: Bukowina; see also other languages) is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains. ... Cisleithania (German: Cisleithanien) was the name of the Austrian part of Austria-Hungary, the Dual monarchy created in 1867 and dissolved in 1918. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Image File history File links Moldobour. ... Image File history File links Moldobour. ... The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... Asterix in Spain is the fourteenth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by RenÃ© Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). ... Bull ring (Plaza de Toros) La Malagueta in MÃ¡laga (Spain) Bullfighting or tauromachy (Spanish toreo, corrida de toros or tauromaquia; Portuguese tourada, corrida de touros or tauromaquia) is a tradition that involves, most of the time, professional performers (generally called in Spanish toreros or matadores and in Portuguese toureiros... The words toreador and torero are used in English to designate the main performer of Spanish-style bullfighting, who taunts and kills the bull. ... The word toreador is used in English to designate the main performer of Spanish-style bullfighting, who taunts and kills the bull. ... A Song of Ice and Fire (commonly abbreviated as ASoIaF) is a series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R.R. Martin. ... George R. R. Martin, circa 1986 George Raymond Richard Martin (born September 20, 1948 in Bayonne, New Jersey) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, and also a screenwriter and producer. ... Final Fantasy X ) is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix. ... Several games in Square Enixs Final Fantasy series have featured minigames, games found inside of the main game, particularly the more recent games. ... Magic: The Gathering (colloq. ... Coldsnap is the third set in the Ice Age block for the Magic:The Gathering collectible card game. ... Nickname: Live Music Capital of the World Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Country United States State Texas County Travis County Mayor Will Wynn Area - City 669. ... The Sword is a poser metal band [1] band from Austin, Texas. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (Russian: Ð’Ð»Ð°Ð´Ð¸ÌÐ¼Ð¸Ñ€ Ð’Ð»Ð°Ð´Ð¸ÌÐ¼Ð¸Ñ€Ð¾Ð²Ð¸Ñ‡ ÐÐ°Ð±Ð¾ÌÐºÐ¾Ð², pronounced ) (April 22, 1899 [O.S. April 10], Saint Petersburg â€“ July 2, 1977, Montreux) was a Russian-American author. ... Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first published in 1955 in Paris. ...

Notes

^ (see Shaffer and Liechtenstein 1995, 1999)

References

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)
Don E. Wilson and DeeAnn M. Reeder; Mammals
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.
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.
Garfield, Richard van. 1995. Magic the Gathering: Gatherer search: Aurochs. http://gatherer.wizards.com/?first=1&last=100&term=aurochs&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All
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.
Shaffer, Jim G. (1995). 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.

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