Chillingham Cattle is the name of a herd of wild bovids at Chillingham Castle, Northumberland, England; also known as Chillingham Wild Cattle, this rare species herd of 62 animals (as of the year 2006) inhabits a very large woodland that has existed since the Middle Ages, although there were fewer animals after World War II. While it is likely there has been no addition of new blood since the Middle Ages, the total genetic isolation of the herd is documented for the last 300 years. It is notable that the herd has survived, since it is subject to inbreeding depression^[1]. Image File history File links Chillingham_Wild_Cattle. ... Image File history File links Chillingham_Wild_Cattle. ... Subfamilies Bovinae Cephalophinae Hippotraginae Antilopinae Caprinae A bovid is any of almost 140 species of cloven-hoofed mammals belonging to the family Bovidae. ... Chillingham Castle is a privately owned medieval castle in the village of Chillingham, Northumberland, close to the border between England and Scotland. ... Northumberland is a traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in northern England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... Rare species is an organism which is very uncommon or scarce. ... Limber Pine woodland, Toiyabe Range, central Nevada Biologically, a woodland is differentiated from a forest. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the use of images on this page may require cleanup, involving adjustment of image placement, formatting, size, or other adjustments. ... Human blood smear: a - erythrocytes; b - neutrophil; c - eosinophil; d - lymphocyte. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Genetics (from the Greek genno γεννώ= give birth) is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. ... Inbreeding Depression is reduced fitness in a given population as a result of breeding of related individuals. ...

Description of the Northumberland habitat

A portion of the Chillingham Cattle herd grazing

The most striking element of the historic habitat at Chillingham is the widespread occurrence of ancient majestic oak trees, providing a glimpse of how much of Britain was densely forested in medieval times. A diversity of vascular plants and insects find a habitat here due to the lack of intensive grazing associated with most commercial cattle operations. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2736x1124, 634 KB) Summary Photographer: C. Michael Hogan subject: Chillingham Cattle, Northumberland date: July, 2006 Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2736x1124, 634 KB) Summary Photographer: C. Michael Hogan subject: Chillingham Cattle, Northumberland date: July, 2006 Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Look up habitat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus, and some related genera, notably Cyclobalanopsis and Lithocarpus. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity or biological diversity is the diversity of life. ... Vascular is an adjective for the word vessel and refers to tube-like structures. ... Classes & Orders See taxonomy Insects are invertebrate animals of the Class Insecta, the largest and (on land) most widely-distributed taxon within the phylum Arthropoda. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (called cows in vernacular and contemporary usage, kine or kyne in pre-modern English, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ...

In the 1760s era, Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville added a large number of beech and oak trees in a major landscape scheme design he created. By the mid 1800s further specimen tree species were added, including a Wellingtonia and one of the earliest Sitka Spruce trees to be planted within the United Kingdom The lower elevation reach of the Northumberland site has a tangle of alder trees, which may not appear much different from how they would have appeared in the Early Middle Ages, prior to extensive land clearings throughout Britain. Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville (born 15 November 1743; died 10 December 1822) was a famous patron of Surrey cricket in the 1770s. ... Species Fagus crenata - Japanese Beech Fagus engleriana - Chinese Beech Fagus grandifolia - American Beech Fagus hayatae - Taiwan Beech Fagus japonica - Japanese Blue Beech Fagus longipetiolata - South Chinese Beech Fagus lucida - Shining Beech Fagus mexicana - Mexican Beech or Haya Fagus orientalis - Oriental Beech Fagus sylvatica - European Beech Beech (Fagus) is a genus... Binomial name Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl. ... Binomial name Picea sitchensis (Bong. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

The Northumberland site is also home to a variety of of other species including red squirrel, fox, badger as well as Roe deer and Fallow deer^[2]. The two deer species are commonly observed, whereas foxes and badgers are more elusive by nature. There are approximately 55 avafauna varieties on site including buzzard, green woodpecker and nuthatch, the last of which claims this latitude as its northermost range in the United Kingdom. In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ... Binomial name Sciurus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 The red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), is a species of tree squirrels (genus Sciurus). ... A Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) A fox is a member of any of 27 species of small omnivorous canids. ... Genera  Arctonyx  Melogale  Meles  Mellivora  Taxidea For other uses, see Badger (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Capreolus capreolus, Capreolus pygargus (Linnaeus, 1758) There are two species of Roe Deer. ... Binomial name Dama dama (Linnaeus, 1758) The Fallow Deer (Dama dama) is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. ... A buzzard is a type of large bird, in any of several different but related senses: In the Old World: A medium-sized wide-ranging raptor with a robust body and broad wings. ... Genera Melanerpes Sphyrapicus Xiphidiopicus Campethera Geocolaptes Dendropicos Dendrocopos Picoides Veniliornis Piculus Colaptes Celeus Dryocopus Campephilus Picus Dinopium Chrysocolaptes Gecinulus Sapheopipo Blythipicus Reinwardtipicus Meiglyptes Hemicircus Mulleripicus For other uses, see Woodpecker (disambiguation). ... Species 22 species, see text The nuthatches are a family, Sittidae, of generally very similar small passerine birds found throughout the Northern hemisphere. ...

Access to the Northumberland habitat as of the year 2006 requires a hike of about 1.5 kilometers with an elevation gain of approximately 200 meters. An on site warden leads small groups on foot to find the Chillingham cattle herd; on some days they are evident in one of the easily accessible meadows, and on other days they are virtually impossible to find, given the tangled woodlands and the amount of space they have for roaming.

Ancestry and history of the Chillingham Cattle

Chillingham Cattle resemble the ancient species Aurochs, Bos primogenius, based upon cranial geometrics and the positioning of their horns relative to the skull design; moreover, these characteristics differ from the species brought into England by the Romans: Bos longifrons^[3]. Chillingham Wild Cattle may, in fact, be direct descendants of the primordial ox which inhabited the British Isles during the Stone Age. Trinomial name Bos primigenius primigenius (Bojanus, 1827) Bos primigenius namadicus (Falconer, 1859) Bos primigenius mauretanicus (Thomas, 1881) See Ur (rune) for the rune. ... Cranium can mean: The brain and surrounding skull, a part of the body. ... Roman or Romans may refer to: History Ancient Rome (9th century BC – 5th century AD) Roman Kingdom (753 BC to 509 BC) Roman Republic (509 BC to 44 BC) Roman Empire (44 BC to AD 476) Roman citizen Byzantine Empire (330 to 1453), also known as the Eastern Roman Empire... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into British and Irish Isles. ... Stone Age fishing hook. ...

The Chillingham herd is considered to have been in this same site for at least the prior seven centuries. Before the 13th century this breed likely “roamed the great forest which extended from the North Sea coast to the Clyde estuary” according to the Countess of Tankerville. Records indicate that the King of England at some time during the 13th century licenced Chillingham Castle to become "castellated and crenolated" and for a drystone wall to enclose the herd to afford easier rounding up of cattle for food consumption. In the Middle Ages augmentation of food resources was deemed important enough to construct such an expensive enclosure; furthermore, the wall would have secured the herd from poachers or cattle thieves. In the late Middle Ages there was particular concern about Scottish marauders, which explains also the massive buildup of fortification of the vicinity Dunstanburgh Castle at the same time^[4]. Chillingham Castle is a privately owned medieval castle in the village of Chillingham, Northumberland, close to the border between England and Scotland. ... It has been suggested that Rock fence be merged into this article or section. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Poacher has two different meanings: A poacher is someone who engages in poaching – the theft or illegal killing of animals or plants, or sometimes artifacts. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I 843  Area    - Total 78... Dunstanburgh Castle. ...

White Park Cattle and Chillingham Cattle are thought to share certain common ancestry from Roman occupation times or earlier, according to the Chillingham Wild Cattle Association. It is a mystery why both species are not only white, but never produce offspring with any deviant colourisation. As the Chillingham herd has evolved since circa 1250 AD, it can be determined that the skull size has diminished, based upon older cranial remains found on site; this size reduction may be the result of inbreeding, given the small herd size. In biology, offspring are the product of reproduction, a new organism produced by one or more parents. ... A hypothetical phylogenetic tree of all extant organisms, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence data, showing the evolutionary history of the three domains of life, bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes. ... Inbreeding is breeding between close relatives, whether plant or animal. ...

Genetic data

Through the advances in blood typology and mitochondrial DNA analysis during the latter 20th century, it has been feasible to scrutinize blood chemistry and genetics of Chillingham wild cattle. Dr. J. G. Hall of the Edinburgh Animal Breeding Research Organisation has processed certain blood samples using DNA analysis with the result that the DNA typology of the herd’s DNA is variant from all other known cattle herds by a wide margin. This wide differentiation of DNA from other European cattle breeds makes the Chillingham Cattle even more mysterious as to origin. Furthermore, the allele analysis shows a remarkable similarity of DNA within the Chillingham herd population; while this result correlates well with the unusual lack of diversity of hide colourisation, it is quite surprising to find such DNA uniformity within an entire herd. This research has found the blood grouping to be unique amongst western European cattle. Their complete origin therefore remains a mystery. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is DNA that is located in mitochondria. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of Earth; the term continent here referring to a cultural and political distinction, rather than a physiographic one, thus leading to various perspectives about Europes precise borders. ... An allele is any one of a number of viable DNA codings occupying a given locus (position) on a chromosome. ...

Male fighting behaviour

The fittest bull becomes the alpha bull by dint of fighting and threatening other males to establish supremacy within the Chillingham herd. Typically an alpha bull will reign for two to three years, after which time a younger, stronger bull assumes the responsibility. As with certain other mammal species, the alpha bull is the only bull to breed, partially explaining the intensity of inbreeding and perhaps the remarkable DNA homogeneity within the herd. (The Countess speculates that this survival-of-the-fittest element may explain the continuity of the small herd over such a long period of time.) In any case, inbreeding is actually minimized through the natural cycle timing, since the alpha male virtually never breeds with any of his own daughters. That outcome derives from the fact that females must attain an age of about three years to become fertile, a length of time beyond which the alpha is almost always succeeded by a younger bull. Look up bull in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In social animals, the alpha male or alpha female is the individual in the community whom the others follow and defer to. ... Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Anagaloidea (extinct) Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Dinocerata (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... Breeding has several meanings related to procreation: In animal husbandry and in horticulture the selection of stock for propagation and the act of insemination by natural or artificial means is called breeding. ... Herbert Spencer coined the phrase survival of the fittest Survival of the fittest is a phrase which is a shorthand for a concept relating to competition for survival or predominance. ...

Modern history

In 1939 the Chillingham Wild Cattle Association Limited was formed to study and protect these special creatures. Upon the death of Lord Tankerville in 1971 the Chillingham herd was bequethed to the Association; however, when the estate was sold in 1980, only the intervention of the Duke of Northumberland saved the herd by providing a 999 year lease by the Association to the herd’s traditional land. The title Duke of Northumberland was created in 1551 for John Dudley. ...

The herd’s population reached a nadir in the winter of 1947, when only 13 animals survived. As of 2006, the herd numbers about 80 animals, including a small reserve herd secreted in Scotland; moreover, Scotland may have been a geographic centre for this species in prehistoric times, given the cold weather tolerance of the breed. The nadir (from Arabic nazir, opposite) is the astronomical term for the point in the sky directly below the observer, or more precisely, the point in the sky with an inclination of -90°. Geometrically, it is the point on the celestial sphere intersected by a line drawn from the observer... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I 843  Area    - Total 78... Prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is the period of human history prior to the advent of writing (which marks the beginning of recorded history). ...

References

Genetics (from the Greek genno γεννώ= give birth) is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. ...

See also

• Caledonian Forest
• White Park Cattle

The Caledonian Forest is the name of a type of woodland that once covered vast areas of the Scottish Highlands, Scotland, UK. Today, however, all that remains is a mere 1% of the original forest in 35 isolated locations. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

External links

• Chillingham Wild Cattle Society
• "Bos Primigenius in Britain: Or, Why Do Fairy Cows Have Red Ears?" by Jessica Hemming, Folklore Magazine, April 2002