Food

15 Aurochs

Skull of an Aurochs

Skull of an Aurochs

◂ ▸

The primeval or aurochs are the ancestors of our present-day domestic cattle. Originally from India, 250,000 years ago, it colonized the whole of the Near East, Europe, and North Africa. Its habitat was open forests, where it could feed on grasses, acorns, and leaves. Adult bulls reached a body length of over three meters and weighed up to 1,000 kilograms. Due to intensive clearing of forests and heavy hunting, the aurochs became extinct at the beginning of the 17th century. The last animal died in Poland in 1627.