Auroch

Auroch (Bos primigenius Bojanus, 1827)

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Bovidae

Time period: the Late Pleistocene (extinct the Holocene, some 300 years ago).

Size: 2,4 m in length, 180 cm in height, 800 kg of weight

The Aurochs (also known as urus or Bos primigenius), were the ancestors of domestic cattle, was a type of large wild cattle which inhabited Europe, Asia and North Africa, but is now unfortunately extinct; it survived in Europe until 1627. Auroch bulls are believed to have reached a height of 1.8 meters at the withers, and the cows to have been about 1.5 meters, displaying considerable sexual dimorphism.

The aurochs was regarded as a challenging hunting quarry animal, contributing to its extinction. The last recorded aurochs, a female, died in 1627 in the Jaktorów Forest,Poland, and her skull is now the property of the Livrustkammaren ("Royal Armory") museum in Stockholm, Sweden.