Wild bull tour... Exterminated by man.... Extinct ancient animal wild aurochs - the ancestor of cows and bulls Who is the natural enemy of the aurochs

The aurochs, or primitive wild bull, from Latin Bos primigenius, is an extinct species, the ancestor of a large artiodactyl animal, a strong, beautiful and powerful animal with a muscular body and long beautiful curved horns, the length of which was up to 1.80 cm. The height of an average animal, male, approximately two meters, weight up to 800 kg. The color of an adult male is predominantly black, with a white “belt” running along the back and along the ridge, while females and juveniles were brownish-red in color. They lived alone and in groups; in winter, the animals gathered in large herds. The ancestor of cattle ate mainly grass and young shoots, leaves of trees and shrubs.

The aurochs is a very strong animal and it had no worthy rivals; it easily coped with any predator. The last tour died of illness in 1627 in the forest in Yaktorov, where a monument was erected to mark this occasion. The tur lived in the warm season in open areas, in the steppes, and in the cold season it moved to a more protected zone - into the forests. Tur is a very popular animal in Slavic folklore. Many proverbs, sayings, songs and poems have been written about him. In Russian epics about heroes, the tour is also mentioned. It is depicted on the national coats of arms of many cities from post-Soviet countries (for example, Kaunas, Lithuania and Turka, Ukraine).

The pictures show a primitive wild bull - aurochs:

Photo: Watussi - the modern closest relative of the extinct primitive aurochs.

Today in Spain and Latin America (on special farms) fighting bulls are raised to participate in bullfights. Their phenotype in body structure and appearance resembles their wild ancestors, but in weight (about 500 kg) and height (155 cm) they are much smaller than their ancestors.

When it comes to this representative of the fauna, a certain misunderstanding of the issue often arises. The fact is that a number of authoritative sources claim that the aurochs is an extinct animal. And information about the area of ​​its modern habitat is immediately presented. But everything is easily explained when it becomes clear that the same name refers to completely different types of animals.

Ancestor of domestic animals

The sad historical fact is that the animal that the poet Vladimir Vysotsky mentioned in his early song: “Either a buffalo, or a bull, or a tour” is truly an extinct animal. This fact has been established and documented in a number of historical sources. The last tour on Earth died in 1627. Until this moment, their small herd was kept in the royal hunting grounds near Warsaw. It was this circumstance that made it possible to determine with such accuracy the date of the disappearance from the face of the earth of the relict ancestor of modern cattle. All domestic animals of this species descended precisely from this wild bull, which now does not exist in nature. But today the tour is presented only in the exhibitions of some zoological museums in the form of reconstructed skeletons and skulls. But even such remains give a very clear idea of ​​what this animal looked like in reality. He looked quite impressive.

What do we know about the tour?

Studying the bone remains and surviving graphic images, we can conclude that the aurochs is an animal slightly less than two meters tall and weighing about eight hundred kilograms. Its habitat covered the entire middle zone of the Eurasian continent from the Iberian Peninsula to the Pacific Ocean. It was a powerful, muscular beast with large and sharp horns, dominating other representatives of the fauna. If we exclude man, then he had practically no natural enemies in nature. The extinction of this species was caused by both hunting for it and the catastrophic reduction of relict forests, which are its natural habitat. Currently, the tur is a rather mythological animal. His image is present both on medieval heraldry and on the coats of arms of some modern states and autonomous territories. The image of a wild bull, or aurochs, is widely represented in the folklore and mythology of many peoples of Europe and Asia.

Spanish bulls

In the ritual, which has remained unchanged since time, in addition to the bullfighter, the main character is the bull. It so happened historically that of all the large representatives, it was the Spanish bull that most retained the features of the relict aurochs. Currently, a number of biological experiments are even being carried out aimed at reviving and restoring the natural population of tur. It is planned to use genetic technologies and clone the tur with the help of bone remains isolated from it. It is too early to talk about the results of this bold project, but it cannot be ruled out that in the near future, humanity will expect sensational news from the field of zoology.

Mountain tour

And another horned representative of the fauna was much more fortunate. In any case, there is no direct threat of extermination for him yet. The point here is a simple coincidence of names. Just like the relict bull that disappeared from the face of the earth, zoology calls a whole genus of mountain goats, of which there are a total of eight species. So it's a completely different tour. The animal, whose photo adorns many zoology textbooks, lives on steep, inaccessible mountain slopes. And, despite the poaching of it, it is not going to die out yet. Mountain goats live in many regions of Eurasia and northern Africa. They are distinguished by their unpretentiousness in food and the ability to survive in the most difficult natural conditions. No one can compare with them in their ability to move at high speed along an almost vertical surface.

On the slopes of the Caucasus

They also have their authorized representatives on the territory of the Russian Federation. The Caucasian tour is widely known. This animal lives in a remote part of the region, mainly in the area of ​​the Russian-Georgian border, and has two varieties: Western Caucasian and Eastern Caucasian. Sometimes it is called Caucasian. In recent years, alarming trends have emerged in the existence of these species. Their population has noticeably decreased, and this fact requires the adoption of vigorous legal measures aimed at preventing poaching. However, due to the complexity of the situation in many regions of the Caucasus, it is not so easy to implement environmental protection measures in practice. It is not enough to list an endangered animal in the International Red Book; it is also necessary to ensure a real regime for its protection.

Cows and bulls have lived side by side with humans for many centuries, ever since wild representatives of this species were domesticated. However, none of the modern people think about what wild bulls looked like, where they lived and how they were tamed by humans. Of course, their build, appearance and disposition were seriously different from modern inhabitants of agricultural lands. Let's talk a little about what Tur was like - a bull that later became one of man's most useful friends.

It was the bull named “Tur” that became the ancestor of today’s cows. Unfortunately, today it is not possible to touch a representative of an ancient species or even look at it with your own eyes, since this primitive animal has long since become extinct. The last mention of the Turs living on planet Earth dates back to 1627. It was then that this valuable breed was finally destroyed by man.

Nevertheless, after the Turs there remained a large cow genus, which includes a huge number of breed varieties. There are also breeds that look like doubles of their horned ancestor:

• Indian bulls;
• Ukrainian large bulls;
• African bulls.

Looking at them, you can imagine all the beauty and power of the ancient bull of Tura.

Despite the fact that these animals became extinct many hundreds of years ago, today we have data about them, thanks to the collection of numerous historical information that helps restore the image of this animal.

By the way, the domestication of Tour bulls began even before our era. In those days, there were entire herds of these wild animals, which began to be hunted for meat.

Gradually, people became more developed, and the first farms appeared. However, selection and animal husbandry in general, as a science and direction of human activity, were in their infancy, so the Tur population was decreasing.

In addition, man destroyed nature, cutting down forests en masse, with the aim of:

• obtain building material for the construction of settlements, shipyards, ship construction, etc.;
• get fuel for furnaces;
• free up the area for agriculture, namely the cultivation of crops available to people at that time.

The bulls migrated from place to place when they lost their homes, however, the hunt for them continued, and the living conditions they found themselves in left much to be desired.

A year before the onset of the 17th century, residents of Warsaw recorded a single herd living in the outskirts of the city, numbering only 30 individuals. Initially, such herds could number several hundred bulls. After some time, only 4 animals remained in the same territory.

After 27 years, the death of the last representative of the breed was recorded. Such a sharp decrease in numbers was associated not only with hunting, but also with the fact that the bulls were deprived of their mandatory living conditions:

The animals began to get sick, and the loss of livestock began without human intervention.

Description of the breed

After the end of the Ice Age, bulls of the breed we are interested in became one of the largest ungulate representatives of the animal world. Today, only the European bison can boast of such a large and powerful body. Other descendants of the tour will not be able to compare with him.

Today we know the following information about the Tours.

Table 1. Information about the breed of bulls Tour

There were two main types of Tours:

• Indian;
• European.

By the way, Spanish bulls inherited the characteristic humps of the Turs and their unusually shaped horns, although they are no longer so long.

By the way, the udders of the females of the most ancient bull were not as developed as those of modern cows. In addition, it was practically unnoticeable from the side, since it was completely covered with fur.

Habitat and lifestyle of Tura

Initially, the bull of the Tur breed lived in large herds in the steppes. However, it was too easy for a human to kill him in the open. The animals realized this and tried to move to live in the forest, as well as mixed, forest-steppe zones.

Preference was given to swampy forests, where there was a lot of moisture and, accordingly, nutritious, succulent vegetation. The bulls lived the longest in Poland, where the death of the last representative of this breed was recorded.

Interest in hunting was fueled not only by the fact that not everyone could win the Tour, but also by the fact that the meat of one carcass could feed the inhabitants of an entire village.

As we have already said, bulls lived in large communities - herds, where their own orders existed:

When it became clear that the number of bulls had seriously decreased, many European countries issued a decree on their immunity. In addition, many peoples tried to breed Turs, but, unfortunately, due to their weak genetic inheritance, all attempts were never successful.

The only more or less successful breeding works were shown in Spain and Latin America, which were able to preserve part of the breed’s genotype.

The Heck Bull is one of the closest descendants of the Turs that exist today

They still raise bulls that look like Turov, however, their body parameters are much more modest:

• the maximum weight of these individuals does not exceed 500 kilograms;
• growth reaches only 155 centimeters.

As for the character of Turov, he was mostly calm. But when the animal had to defend itself, it became furious, and then the opponents had to be afraid of them and run away as quickly as possible.

Tour diet

Like any other bulls on the planet, Tur was a herbivore. At the same time, he could consume all the plant products that nature provided:

• grass;
• young tree branches;
• foliage of trees and shrubs.

In the summer they usually made do with grass in the steppes, but in the winter they preferred to live in the forest so that they would have something to eat.

In winter, even existing separately bull groups and individuals tried to stay close to the herd. Due to the destruction of forests, every winter the Turs became more and more hungry, and a significant part of the population of these animals died precisely for this reason.

People noticed this problem, and again, in civilized countries they tried to correct the situation. It is known about the existence of positions that formed a kind of ancient supervision services in the field of environmental management. Thus, their task included the following activities:

• control of the number of bulls and the health of herds;
• monitoring the situation in forests;
• regulation of deforestation.

Some peasant farming settlements received orders to collect hay, which they now had to prepare not only for their own livestock, but also for the Turs. They had to take the harvested hay to the forest and leave it there so that the bulls could consume it and somehow cope with hunger.

How did Turov reproduce?

Traditional mating games among the Turs began at the beginning of autumn, its first months, when the warmth had not yet gone away.

The order of mating games was as follows:

• males determined the most attractive female for themselves;
• figured out the opponent;
• fought with each other for life and death.

Interestingly, the last statement is not at all artistic, but literal, since death is a completely expected result of a mating battle. In this way, the surviving male proved that he was the alpha representative of the herd, and was worthy to continue his lineage.

These ancient cows usually calved in the spring, around May. Tura females, like today's cows, began to hide before calving and retreated into the most impenetrable wilds of the forests. It was there that small calves were born, who for about 3 weeks saw only their mother, as she hid the newborn from predators and enemies, including humans.

It also happened that calving occurred in September if the animals were mated later than usual. The reasons for this delay are unknown, however, the state of health of the Turs and their initial strength allowed mothers to bear fruits even in the hot summer.

Sometimes male Turs, encountering domesticated cattle, could also cover local females. From such matings weak hybrids were born, which, unfortunately, quickly died at a young age.

Let's sum it up

Tur is a bull that is the ancestor of all cows and bulls existing in the world today. Unfortunately, representatives of this species have long been no longer found on the planet. Today, livestock breeders from many countries are working to recreate this breed, or at least a variety close to it.

Video – Tour Bull

Tour(Bos primigenius, Bos taurus primigenius) is a primitive wild bull, an artiodactyl animal of the genus of true bulls of the subfamily of bulls of the bovid family, the progenitor of modern cattle. The closest relatives are Watussi and gray Ukrainian cattle.

Lived from the second half of the Anthropocene in the forest-steppes and steppes of the Eastern Hemisphere.

It is considered extinct as a result of human economic activity, plowing of the steppes, deforestation, and intensive hunting.

Surprisingly, the last individual was not killed while hunting, but died in 1627 in the forests near Yaktorov, probably due to an epizootic that affected the genetically weak, isolated population of the last aurochs.

The Tur was a powerful beast with a muscular, slender body, about 170-180 cm high at the withers. Its weight reached 800 kg, or almost a ton.

The head was set high (which is typical for steppe animals), with long sharp horns.

The color of adult males was black, with a narrow white “strap” along the back, while females and young animals were reddish-brown.

They probably migrated to the forests only in winter, although the last aurochs lived out their days in the forests, and earlier aurochs stayed mainly in the forest-steppe, and often entered the steppe.

They ate grass, shoots and leaves of trees and shrubs. Their rut occurred in the fall, and the calves appeared in the spring.

Turs lived in small groups or alone, and for the winter they united in larger herds. The aurochs had few natural enemies: these strong and aggressive animals could easily cope with any predator.

In historical times, the tour was found throughout almost all of Europe, as well as in North Africa, Asia Minor and the Caucasus.

In Africa, this animal was exterminated in the third millennium BC. e., in Mesopotamia - around 600 BC. e.

In Central Europe, aurochs survived much longer; their disappearance is associated with intensive deforestation in the 9th-11th centuries.

In the 12th century, aurochs were still found in the Dnieper basin, and at that time they were actively exterminated by hunting.

Vladimir Monomakh left written memories of the dangerous hunt for “wild aurochs”.

By 1400, aurochs lived only in relatively sparsely populated and inaccessible forests in the territory of modern Poland, Belarus and Lithuania. Here they were taken under the protection of the law and lived as park animals on royal lands.

In 1599, in the royal forest 50 km from Warsaw, a small herd of aurochs still lived - 24 individuals, but by 1602 only 4 animals remained in this herd, and in 1627 the last aurochs on Earth died.

Currently, enthusiasts and individual scientists hope to revive the aurochs, using, in particular, Spanish bulls, which more than others have preserved the features of their wild ancestors (Bos taurus africanus).

In the 1920s and 1930s, a wild Heck bull was bred in Germany with many of the characteristics of the aurochs.

The tour is depicted on the national coat of arms of the Republic of Moldova, on the coat of arms of the city of Kaunas, Lithuania, as well as on the coat of arms of the city of Turka in the Lviv region of Ukraine.

Tur is one of the animals often found in Slavic folklore; the name of the animal “lives” in proverbs, songs, epics and rituals in Russia, Ukraine, especially in the South-Western region and Galicia. In Ukrainian songs, the tour was preserved in wedding songs and carols, usually in connection with the hunt for it.

In Russian folk poetry, the tour is found in epics about Dobrynya and Marina, about Vasily Ignatievich and Solove Budimirovich.

In Slavic rituals, a tur is a “tur” in the “mummering of a tur” on Christmastide, and the ethnographer Veselovsky traced this custom back to the Roman “massaging of a calf,” although there is also ritual dressing of a bull in other cults.

Among Slovaks, Poles and Western Ukrainians, the May holidays are called “turitsa”, in honor of the ritual. The Lviv “Nomocanon” of the 17th century mentions the pagan game “tura”.

The game of aurochs survived in Russian Podlasie until the end of the 19th century and was described by the ethnographer Moshkov. This game is related to games of a mating nature. The tours in it are humanoid. Professor Sumtsov considered the tour of Russian rituals to replace the bull of rituals of other peoples.

Currently, the Dutch environmental organization "Taurus Foundation" is trying, by backcrossing primitive breeds of European cattle, to obtain an animal that in appearance, size and behavior will correspond to the extinct aurochs.

This project, in collaboration with European Wildlife, will use the animals to conserve valuable natural grasslands in Central European countries.

Another project is being implemented in Poland - scientists from the “Polish Association for the Creation of Tur” intend to use DNA preserved in bones from archaeological finds to clone an extinct animal. The project is supported by the Polish Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Descendants of the wild tour

Wild bull(Bos taurus) is a species from the genus of true bulls of the bovid family, and in a broad sense the name “wild bulls” applies to all undomesticated species of the bovid subfamily.

The tur also belonged to the most famous subspecies of wild bull and the direct ancestors of most Russian and Western cows.

The Indian zebu and related breeds are descended from the subspecies Bos taurus indicus, which separated from its Middle Eastern and European relatives about 300 thousand years ago.

Some experts believe that it can even be isolated as a separate species (Bos indicus).

Genetic studies carried out in 1994 showed that modern cows do not belong to the same ancestral line, as was long believed, since the process of domestication took place in different places and from different populations.

(Lydian fighting bull, toro de lidia, toro bravo, Bos Taurus Africanus) are bulls participating in Spanish bullfighting. In terms of phenotype, they are very close to the aurochs.

The pedigrees of fighting bulls are carefully monitored to improve the breed.

The average height at the withers of an adult is 155 cm, weight is 500 kg for males and 350 kg for females.

Bullfighting involves bulls that are at least 4 years old (toro), usually no older than 6 years). The usual color of a fighting bull is black (negro) or dark brown (colorado).

It is believed that the deliberate breeding of fighting bulls began in the 15th-16th centuries in the area of ​​Valladolid, the usual seat of the royal court. It was from this area that bulls were supplied for village and city festivals.

In the 17th century, the primacy in raising fighting bulls passed to Andalusia, where in the first half of the 18th century, foot bullfighting developed. It is to this period that the emergence of the modern fighting bull can be attributed.

The basis of all herds, for all farms where modern fighting bulls are bred, are the herds of the bulls of Don José Giron from Villarubia de los Ojos (Ciudad Real), Hermanos Gallardo from Puerto de Santa Maria, Rafael Cabrera, Don José Vicente Vázquez and Count de Vistahermosa, whose flocks grazed in the pastures of Utrera.

Currently, the following "castes" of bulls are distinguished: Morucha Castellano (Boesilla), Navarre, Gijona, Cacbrera and Gallardo, Vasqueño, Vega Villar and Vistahermosa. About 90% of all fighting bulls belong to the latter caste. In addition to the Spanish “castes”, the Camargue breed of fighting bull also stands out, which also originates from Spanish specimens.

The bulls are raised on special farms (ganaderías) that exist in Spain and Latin America,

“Toro Bravo”, “fighting bull” is a unique animal in a number of its characteristics and reactions and in its behavior. The bull is very aggressive, attacks immediately, has a quick temper, even if he is not provoked or threatened in any way. Fighting bulls attack head-on, they are characterized by a fighting impulse, they never refuse to fight.

The image of the characteristic black silhouette of a fighting bull, the so-called Osborne bull, is the emblem of the Veteranano sherry brandy and is at the same time considered the unofficial national symbol of Spain.

A fighting bull nearly killed the famous matador Julio Asparicio. During his performance, the bullfighter got tangled in his cloak, tripped and fell.

The 500-kilogram bull instantly lifted him onto his horns, piercing his throat and chin.

Alexey Kazdym

List of used literature

1. Life of animals. Volume 7. Mammals // Ed. V. E. Sokolova. M.: Education, 1989
2. Box N.I. Tour in folk poetry // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes, St. Petersburg, 1890-1907
3. Marc-Albert Moriamé Outils d'orthographe. Une méthode simple à l’usage de tous, Presses universitaires de Namur, 2003.
4. Définitions lexicographiques et étymologiques de « aurochs » du Trésor de la langue française informatisé, sur le site du Center national de ressources textuelles et lexicales
5. Grand Larousse de la langue française, en 7 volumes, Paris, 1971
6. Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Le Robert, Paris, 1992
7. Wilson, Don; Reeder, Dee Ann, eds. Mammal Species of the World Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005.
8. Voir à ce sujet l’article de C. Guintard et B. Denis “Pour un standard de l’Aurochs de Heck”, Ethnozootechnie, No. 57, 1996.
9. Miguel A. García Dory, Silvio Martínez Vicente y Fernando Orozco Piñán. Guía de campo de las razas autóctonas españolas. Alianza Editorial, Madrid. 1990.
10. Pedraza Jiménez, F. B., Iniciación a la fiesta de los toros. EDAF, Madrid, 2001
11. http://skuky.net/31963
12. http://skuky.net/73219

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Systematics and phylogenetic relationships
Tur (primitive aurochs, primitive bull, wild bull) is a typical representative of the genus Bos (actually bulls) and the only representative of the subgenus Bos (real bulls) that has survived to our time and was exterminated already in historical times.
Currently, there is no consensus regarding the species name of the described animal. It all depends on what time the origin of this species is attributed to. Among the Pleistocene representatives of the genus Bos on the territory of the former USSR, some authors identify up to 5-6 species of this genus. Others (for example, V.I. Gromova, 1931) accept only two species - the glacial Bos trochoceros and its direct descendant - Bos primigenius. This view should be considered the most substantiated (Geptner, Nasimovich, Bannikov, 1961). It is more correct to attribute all other varieties of aurochs only to the geographical and chronological races of this bull. Some authors accept the species name Bos taurus for the aurochs, thereby identifying at the species level the wild aurochs and its domesticated form - European livestock (South Asian cattle probably originate from another group of bulls, the so-called big-fronted bulls of the subgenus Bibos) and separating it from the Pleistocene tour forms – Bos primigenius. However, such fragmentation (Bos trochoceros - Bos primigenius - Bos taurus) seems artificial. The most correct, in my opinion, is to identify only two species of the evolutionary line of aurochs - Bos trochoceros and its direct descendant - Bos primigenius, that is, the aurochs itself. European livestock should be considered only a domesticated form of Bos primigenus and classified as a subspecies - Bos primigenius taurus (some, however, give it species status - Bos taurus, which is incorrect). Thus, the Holocene aurochs, exterminated in historical times, were the same species as the Pleistocene aurochs, or, as it is also called, the primitive bull.
The most closely related species of aurochs in the modern fauna is the yak (Bos grunniens (syn. Bos mutus)). Some taxonomists place it, together with the aurochs, in the subgenus Bos, while others tend to allocate the yak to a special subgenus Poephagus within the genus Bos. Be that as it may, the yak, as noted above, is the closest form of tur among modern animals. The morphology of the yak expresses typically bovine (genus Bos) features, although it also combines some structural features of bison (genus Bison), being a kind of “transitional” form between real bulls and bison (Geptner, Nasimvochi, Bannikov, 1961). On this basis, some taxonomists place bison in the genus Bos, distinguishing them only as a subgenus Bison. On the other hand, Asian bulls of the subgenus Bibos (foreheaded bulls) are quite closely related to the bison. Based on modern taxonomy, according to which bison are placed in a separate genus, and big-fronted bulls are distinguished only at the subgenus level, it can be quite reasonably considered that big-faced bulls (subgenus Bibos) are more related to the aurochs (and all other representatives of the subgenus Bos) than bison (genus Bison ). Although the connection between big-headed bulls and bison is obvious, and they, in turn, are more closely related to bison than real bulls. The greater isolation of bison in relation to real bulls is indicated, among other things, by the fact that hybrid males (unlike females) obtained from such crosses are sterile.
So, to summarize the phylogenetic relationships of the tur, we should say the following: among modern species, the closest relative of the bulls of the subgenus Bos in general and the tur in particular is the yak (whether or not distinguished as a separate subgenus), then the big-faced bulls of the subgenus Bibos, and only then the bison. The group of buffaloes (both Asian and African), belonging to different genera, represents a different evolutionary branch of the bovine subfamily (Bovinae) and is further removed from real bulls than the above-mentioned yaks, big-headed bulls and bison.

Taxonomy
Squad: Artiodactyla (artiodactyls)
Suborder: Ruminantia (ruminants)
Infrasquad: Pecora (horned)
Family: Bovidae (bovids)
Subfamily: Bovinae (bovine)
Tribe: Bovini (bulls)
Genus: Bos (real bulls)
Subgenus: Bos (real bulls)
View: Bos primigenius (tur, primeval, or wild bull)

Morphology
The aurochs, or primitive bull, represents, or rather was, a large, imposing animal with a powerful, but at the same time rather slender physique. The shoulder height of males was 170-180 cm, reaching, according to some sources, 2 meters, and body weight was 700-800 kg. Some sources claim that the weight of the animal could be as much as a ton. However, such figures should be treated with caution. Similar sizes are most likely true for Pleistocene and early Holocene animals. By historical time, the aurochs were somewhat reduced in size relative to their prehistoric relatives. However, it is quite possible that among the later animals there were individuals whose weight was close to a ton, and whose height was close to two meters, but such individuals were obviously atypically large accelerators.
In general appearance, the aurochs were of a lighter build than a modern bison or, especially, a bison. The spinous processes of the thoracic vertebrae of the tur were much shorter than those of the named species, so its height at the withers was slightly greater than the height at the rump. The head was proportional to the body, relatively and most often absolutely narrower than that of bison, bison, big-fronted bulls and yaks. The horns were large and sharp. They grew first to the sides, then forward and slightly inward, the ends of the horns bent upward. Thus, the horns of aurochs were very formidable weapons and were more effective in battle than the horns of modern bulls. Currently, only the yak has horns that are equally effective for piercing attacks (the horns of these two species are very similar to each other). In general, the appearance of the tour is largely repeated by Spanish fighting bulls and semi-wild Camargue bulls. However, unlike them, the aurochs reached more impressive sizes, their coloring was more uniform (although in fighting bulls it is nevertheless overwhelmingly black or at least dark, like the aurochs), and along their ridge they had a characteristic light band. These breeds of bulls are also similar to aurochs in their behavior, differing from other breeds in their ardent disposition, fighting fervor and great mobility. In the 20th century, several attempts were made to restore the appearance of the aurochs by selecting modern breeds of cattle. The greatest results were achieved by the works of the Berlin Zoological Garden (L. Heck). Through careful selection of several primitive breeds of cattle, primarily Spanish fighting bulls, it was possible in a surprisingly short time to create a breed of bulls that were very similar to their mighty wild ancestor. This breed has not only typical turkish horns and a solid black color, but also a characteristic light belt along the back. By and large, morphologically these bulls are no different from the aurochs, except, perhaps, for a slightly heavier stock. However, in ethological terms, these are already different animals that differ from the aurochs no less than a domestic cat from a wild one. But in fairness, it should be noted that the breeders, in their quest to recreate the aurochs, achieved amazing results: they managed to recreate not only the appearance of aurochs males, but also the bay coloration of females and young animals, that is, to obtain the sexual and age dimorphism characteristic of the aurochs, while as this is not observed among other domestic breeds of bulls, including those that served as the basis for the creation of the described breed.

Distribution and habitats
The distribution of the tour was very wide. However, it is quite difficult to restore the true distribution area of ​​this animal due to the fact that the remains of the post-glacial aurochs (Bos primigenus) are often mixed with the remains of its early and middle Pleistocene ancestor - Bos trochoceros. Nevertheless, we can say that initially the distribution area of ​​the tur covered Europe (with the exception of the northern regions), the Southern Urals, Trans-Urals, Transbaikalia, some areas of Western Siberia, China and Manchuria (from 50 to 40 degrees north latitude to the south and east to the Pacific ocean), Kazakhstan, the Caucasus, Crimea, Turkmenistan, Asia Minor, Israel, Mesopotamia and some other nearby territories, as well as North Africa - from Egypt to Mauritania. Some of this information probably relates to Bos trochoceros, and some to the Pleistocene habitat of the aurochs itself. It is very difficult to determine the distribution area of ​​the tour in historical times.
The biotopes of the tour were very diverse. He lived both in forests, sometimes even very dense ones, including damp and swampy ones, and in sparse forests, forest-steppe, steppe, etc., as well as in the foothills. In some places (Pyrenees, Caucasus) the Turs lived even in the mountains, up to and including alpine meadows. In Europe, in the last centuries of their existence, aurochs preferred open meadow pastures in the summer, and went into the forests for the winter, feeding partly on twig food (Geptner, Nasimovich, Bannikov, 1961).

Lifestyle and behavior
It is quite difficult to judge the behavior of an extinct animal. Nevertheless, thanks to historical data, as well as focusing on modern relatives of the aurochs, one can, to one degree or another, judge the lifestyle and behavioral traits of this animal. As for the latter, here, in my opinion, it is best to focus not on wild bulls (yaks, gaurs, bantengs, etc.), but on semi-wild or feral representatives of European cattle, as well as on such breeds as Spanish fighting bull.
The Tsrs lived in small groups. According to some information, they united in these groups mainly in the winter, and in the summer they stayed more alone. But most likely, adult males led a solitary lifestyle, and females from young animals obviously gathered in small herds. It is quite possible that males sometimes formed their own bachelor groups.
The basis of the diet of the aurochs was grass and shoots of trees and shrubs. In autumn, acorns played a very significant role in the nutrition of aurochs. The rut took place in September, the birth of calves in the spring (Geptner, Nasimovich, Bannikov, 1961).
The Turs had explosive temperaments and great fighting spirit. In Russian folklore they serve as a symbol of power and courage. Hunting these bulls, with their strength and mobility, was always very dangerous and was considered a valiant task. This is partly why some researchers explain the relatively small number of remains of aurochs compared to the remains of bison in the settlements of Paleolithic people.
In prehistoric times, the adult aurochs had few enemies. Wolves were a danger only to young animals. Only lions, primitive people, sometimes, probably bears, and in some regions also tigers could dare to attack seasoned bulls.

Causes of extinction
Tur refers to those animals of the Pleistocene megafauna that successfully crossed the Pleistocene boundary and lived safely already in the Holocene era. So the extinction of this species cannot be attributed to any climatic or any other natural changes. The reason for the extinction of the tur was both direct persecution by humans (hunting) and its displacement from its natural habitat (agriculture, cattle breeding). Aurochs became extinct over their vast habitat at different times. If you pay attention to the time of disappearance of the aurochs in certain regions, it becomes clear that the aurochs died out primarily in those places where people first became civilized and “cultivated.” So, in Egypt, the tour became extinct by the end of the ancient kingdom (before 2400 BC). In Mesopotamia, the tur "lasted" longer, where it was found during the Babylonian kingdom, but in the later times of the Assyrian kingdom it apparently became extinct (around 600 BC). In Central Europe, tours were found much later - in the Middle Ages. In the 12th century, aurochs existed in a wild state along the Rhine, Dnieper, in particular in the Chernigov lands (Geptner, Nasimvochi, Bannikov, 1961).
By 1400, aurochs had disappeared from Central and Western Europe, but were still found in the Kaliningrad region. The tours survived the longest in Poland (especially in Mazovia) and partly in Lithuania. In recent centuries and until the date of the death of the last round (1627), the animals lived here under the protection of special decrees, and then were kept as park animals in royal hunting grounds (Geptner, Nasimovich, Bannikov, 1961).
As has been noted more than once above, the aurochs is the ancestor of European cattle and is genetically very close to it. Cattle (European) essentially belong to the same species as the aurochs, that is, Bos primigenius. In some breeds of domestic bulls, signs of aurochs appear quite clearly. These breeds include Spanish fighting bulls, Scottish and English park cattle, Hungarian steppe cattle, gray Ukrainian cattle and some others.

© Based on materials from the encyclopedia “Mammals of the Soviet Union”, volume one – “Artiodactyls and Perissodactyls” (V.G. Geptner, A.A. Nasimovich, A.G. Bannikov), 1961.