The prehistoric wild beast known as the aurochs has fascinated humanity for countless years.

The majestic existence of aurochs recorded in archaic cave paintings and their evolution into the domesticated cattle we see today are part of an intriguing narrative.

An international team of geneticists, collaborating with Trinity College Dublin, recently investigated the intriguing history of aurochs using ancient DNA.

“Aurochs, now extinct (bos primigenius) was a keystone species in prehistoric Eurasian and North African ecosystems and was an ancestor of domesticated cattle that provided humans with food and labor for thousands of years,” the researchers wrote.

Using DNA from aurochs bones, the team meticulously sequenced and analyzed 38 genomes. The bones represented a timeline of approximately 50,000 years and were collected from geographical areas ranging from Siberia to Britain.

Aurochs: Wild beast of the past

Appearing hundreds of thousands of years ago, the great aurochs once dominated the lands of Europe, Asia and Africa. Their importance in human culture was so profound that our ancestors depicted them in many cave paintings.

The process of domestication of these creatures led to their creation. cattlewhich provides people with meat and milk. This significant transformation is clearly visible today, as cattle now account for one-third of the world’s mammal biomass.

Dr. Conor Rossi Trinity College Dublin He noted that aurochs became extinct about 400 years ago, leaving much of their evolutionary history a mystery.

Dr. “However, through sequencing of ancient DNA, we have gained detailed insights into the diversity that once thrived in the wild and have also improved our understanding of domestic cattle,” Rossi said.

Unraveling the evolutionary journey

The European aurochs fossil record dates back approximately 650,000 years; This date roughly coincides with the emergence of archaic human species on the continent.

But aurochs at the Eastern and Western ends of Eurasia share a more recent common ancestor.

This suggests that around 100,000 years ago the auroch population was renewed, possibly due to migrations from a homeland in south Asia.

One of the co-authors of the study, Dr. Mikkel Sinding sheds light on the diversity of these genres wild animals.

“We normally think of European aurochs as a common form or species, but our analysis shows that there were three distinct populations of aurochs in Europe alone: ​​Western European, Italian and Balkan. So there was much greater diversity in wild forms than we imagined.”

Signature of climate change

Interestingly, the effects of climate change were found embedded in the DNA of aurochs.

A separation and divergence occurred in the European and North Asian genomes. last ice ageabout 100,000 years ago. Weathering continued until the end of the ice age.

During this glacial period, a noticeable decrease in population sizes was observed according to genome estimation; European herds faced the harshest impacts.

From wild animals to domestic cattle

The conversion of wild aurochs into domesticated cattle was a remarkable achievement. This process began just over 10,000 years ago in the northern Fertile Crescent.

“Although Caesar may have exaggerated when he said it was elephant-like, the wild ox must have been a very dangerous beast, suggesting that its initial capture and domestication occurred with only a very small number of animals,” said Professor Dan, one of the authors of the study. Bradley.

The genetic basis of the first cattle was refined and enriched over time as a result of mating with wild aurochs. bulls.

The legacy of four distinct pre-glacial auroch lineages persists in the domestic cattle we have today.

This monumental study of the prehistory of aurochs has added a crucial piece to the puzzle of our common past.

By exploring the life and times of these majestic creatures, we gain a deeper understanding of the role of human culture and climate change in the evolutionary paths of animals.

The study was published in the journal Nature.

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