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Yapporaptor97 — Eurasian Aurochs Profile

#auroch #aurochs #bos #bull #cattle #cow #cows #european #iceage #middleages #ox #oxen #paleoart #uruz #wolf #wolves #zootycoon #zootycoon2 #zt2 #bosprimigenius #cattleart #iceagemegafauna #uruzproject #europeanhistory #paleontology #pleistocene #paleoillustration #pleistoceneeurope #pleistocenemegafauna #iceagemammals
Published: 2021-07-18 15:39:42 +0000 UTC; Views: 8017; Favourites: 52; Downloads: 3
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Description Bos primigenius primigenius

Cattle are a cornerstone of human civilization. From meat, leather, and milk, they provide the lifeblood for countless civilizations up to the modern day. However, like all domesticated animals, they started out as wild animals. The descendant of all modern cattle was the AurochsBos primigenius.

Naming:

The genus name meaning “bull” in Latin and the species name means “first” in Latin as well. So, original cattle, which is an apt description for this magnificent creature.

As previously mentioned, this was the progenitor of all modern cattle. The most widespread and the nominate subspecies of this cattle was Bos primigenius primigenius, the Eurasian Aurochs.

Description:

This was one of the most iconic animals during the Ice Age and Medieval periods of humanity. It was also one of the largest. When they went extinct in the mid-1600s, a big bull was around 1200-1500lbs. However, during the Ice Age, they were more than double that size at around 3300lbs, approaching the size of the largest bovine, the Gaur of India. However, it was slightly smaller in terms of height of the Gaur at around 6.9ft tall and 13ft long. Coloration was black for bulls and tawny brown for the cows with both sexes having a white streak on the back. During the Ice Age, it roamed from as far west as Portugal to as far east as the Korean peninsula.

Behavior:

Like modern cattle and other bovines, these creatures formed herds for at least part of the year with a large herd having no more than 30 animals. The herds were likely unisex (except with females and male calves) with males and females forming their own herds respectively.
Mating between these large cattle likely occurred during late summer and into autumn with males locking horns to fight for mates. The cows would gestate for just over 9 months and give birth to a single calf.

Diet:

Their diet like modern-day cattle was largely grazing on grasses across Eurasia. Furthermore, the habitat of the Aurochs during the ice age was probably the grassland of Mammoth Steppe. A habitat that would have suited them well with plentiful grasses and shrubs to graze off of. However, during the Middle Ages, they became more restricted since the Mammoth Steppe rapidly decreased in size and they had to adapt to more open marshland on the outskirts of forested areas.

Habitat and Competition:

Predators of this wild cattle during the ice age would have been a menagerie of animals. From brown bears to cave lions, cave hyenas, and scimitar-toothed cats in Eurasia. However, by the Middle Ages, only packs of wolves could have posed an often threat to Aurochs and the occasional brown bear and of course, the most dangerous of all, humans.

Human Interactions and History:

The Aurochs are a focus of artwork from the Ice Age cave art to Middle Ages works of art and even some works of literature. Undoubtedly, the most famous would be the works of art in Lascaux. Countless depictions of Aurochs emblazon the cave walls. In Mecklenburg, Germany the Aurochs is on the Coat of Arms in the city, and the name of the town literally means “Big Cattle”. Among the most famous mention of the Aurochs by a historical figure was by Julius Caesar who mentioned the Aurochs during his memoirs on the Gallic Wars, describing them as some of the most formidable animals in Europe at the time.

These iconic animals were a prime target for human hunters. Both during the Ice Age and up to the Middle Ages. Killing such a wild beast in the forests and plains of Europe would have been a symbol of power and hunting these wild cattle was a right reserved only for the aristocracy and nobility.

Extinction:

By the mid-1500s, the population of this creature had plummeted. Inbreeding with domestic cattle and of course, overhunting had led to this animal on the brink of extinction. Its last bastion was in Poland, and by 1564, the population was estimated at 38 animals. In a rare moment of conservation during the late Middle Ages, King Sigismund III Vasa of Poland barred hunting of this animal and gave the last herd of Aurochs a wide-open field for grazing. As well as he made it so that killing a beast would be punishable by death. However, it was too late. By 1627, the last Aurochs, a female died of natural causes in Jaktorów Forest in Poland.

Possible Revival:

However, all hope is not lost for this magnificent animal. Various projects across Europe have been popping up to resurrect this animal. Not through cloning like from Jurassic Park, but by (essentially), “Breeding Back” these animals. Among which would be the Uruz and Tauros program in Europe. More primitive breeds of cattle such as the Maronesa, Limia, and Sayaguesa cattle. By selectively breeding these animals, they hope to eventually get a breed to resemble the Aurochs. After all, all cattle breeds have the Aurochs genes inside them. Other projects have proposed using genome editing to get the ideal cattle breed to resemble the Aurochs.

The Aurochs remain a symbol of the Ice Age and Middle Ages, these magnificent beasts inspired our ancestors and our imagination with their awesome power. While they may be extinct, their grace and magnificence still lives on in our art and in our imagination. 
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This one is a bit of practice for me as I get ready to prep for one of the largest episodes in Past Meets Present, the Ice Age episode coming later this year (maybe). I need to practice on both my poses and expressions for wolves. Since, up to now, I've mainly been just rescuing Dinosaurs (including Birds) and they can't really emote

Of course, its based off of Heinrich Harder's awesome work of art featuring wolves attacking an aurochs. Overall, I think this is one of my favorite profile poses I've done. Still have a lot to learn, but I'm really psyched for the Ice Age episode coming down the line.

Will this be in Past Meets Present? OBVIOUSLY, IDK if I'll rescue it, but it'll still feature in it since it was a cornerstone of Ice Age megafauna

The model and skin is by Ulquiorra and Lgcfm respectively. Wolves are by Ulquiorra as well. No changes were made to these animals whatsoever. 

Aurochs by Lgcfm and Ulquiorra:
Eurasian Aurochs (Lgcfm & Ulquiorra) | ZT2 Download Library Wiki | Fandom

Wolf by Ulquiorra:
Eurasian Wolf (Ulquiorra) | ZT2 Download Library Wiki | Fandom

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Comments: 3

ThalassoAtrox [2021-07-19 22:53:31 +0000 UTC]

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Yapporaptor97 In reply to ThalassoAtrox [2021-07-19 23:26:02 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

ThalassoAtrox In reply to Yapporaptor97 [2021-07-20 01:56:46 +0000 UTC]

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