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. In zoology, as in other branches of biology, subspecies is the rank immediately subordinate to a species. ... The gene pool of a species or a population is the complete set of unique alleles that would be found by inspecting the genetic material of every living member of that species or population. ... In biology, a species is the basic unit of biodiversity. ...

One animal this has been attempted with is the aurochs, an extinct forerunner of cattle. The product of these attempts is the Heck Cattle. Another prominent breeding back effort is the Quagga Project to bring back the extinct subspecies of the Plains Zebra called Quagga. A phenotypic copy of the tarpan has also been produced. Trinomial name Bos taurus namadicus (Falconer, 1859) Trinomial name Bos taurus mauretanicus (Thomas, 1881) Trinomial name Bos taurus primigenius (Bojanus, 1827) The aurochs (Bos taurus) is an extinct European mammal of the Bovidae family. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (called cows in vernacular usage) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Heck Cattle (a breed of Bos taurus or Bos primigenius taurus), also called reconstructed aurochs, is a hardy breed of cattle often referred to by its promoters by the name of Aurochs. ... Binomial name Equus quagga Boddaert, 1785 The Plains Zebra (Equus quagga, formerly Equus burchelli) is the most common and geographically widespread form of zebra, once being found on plains and grasslands from the south of Ethiopia right through east Africa as far south as Angola and eastern South Africa. ... Trinomial name Equus quagga quagga Boddaert, 1785 The quagga is an extinct subspecies of the plains zebra, which was once found in great numbers in South Africas Cape Province and the southern part of the Orange Free State. ... Binomial name Equus ferus Boddaert, 1785 The Tarpan, Equus ferus, was the Eurasian wild horse. ...

Breeding back is controversial, especially claims that an extinct animal has been recreated. Phenotypical reconstruction (similar appearance) does not assure behavioral similarity. For some of the species that are being bred back, questions remain about the ecological niche, hardiness, and disease resistance of the original species. For instance, the aurochs died out almost 400 years ago and the records kept cannot definitively answer some of these questions. In ecology, a niche is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in an ecosystem. ... A disease is any abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the person affected or those in contact with the person. ...

See also

• Dedomestication

External link

• The Extinction Website
• The Quagga Project
• Grazing Ecology and Forest History
• Bart Gremmen & Paul Koene: Genetics of dedomestication in large herbivores Koene, 2001