Auroch
Bos primigenius
🐂
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Pecora
Bovidae
Bos
Bos primigenius
The Wild Ancestor of Cattle, Bos primigenius (the Aurochs), was a towering bovid that once roamed across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Revered and feared by early humans, it was one of the largest wild cattle species ever and became the direct ancestor of all domestic cattle. Its power and size made it a frequent subject of Paleolithic cave art and Neolithic ritual.
Description
The aurochs was a large wild cattle species, characterized by long, curved horns and a muscular build. It is the ancestor of modern domestic cattle. Aurochs had a dark coat with a light-colored stripe down the back.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
900
1.8
2.7
3.1
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Grazers
Hunt History
Early humans hunted Bos primigenius throughout the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras for meat, hides, and bone tools. In Europe, it was a high-status animal in rituals and myths, later becoming the sacred bull of many ancient cultures. Hunting methods included spear thrusts, atlatls, and later bows and arrows, often requiring coordinated group hunts due to the aurochs’ size and aggressiveness.
Archaeological Evidence of Human Predation:
Lascaux Cave (France, ~17,000 years ago) — Famous cave paintings depict aurochs in remarkable detail, showing their cultural importance to Ice Age hunters.
Çatalhöyük (Turkey, ~7,000 BCE) — Neolithic shrines contained aurochs horns mounted on walls, suggesting ritual veneration.
Mesolithic kill sites (Denmark, ~8,000 years ago) — Butchered aurochs bones with cut marks found alongside hunting tools.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Globally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
400
BP
Late Pleistocene
Europe
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
6
Est. Renderable Fat
54
kg
Targeted Organs
Hump/backfat, marrow, mesenteric fat
Adipose Depots
Hump/backfat, mesenteric, perirenal; marrow
Preferred Cuts
Hump/backfat & marrow
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
4