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European or "Taurine" Cattle Zebu Aurochs: Primigenius, The Primigenius, Bos Taurus Indicus, and Bos Taurus Taurus

Cattle were originally classified into three separate species, but are now classified together as one species named Bos taurus with three subspecies. Cattle can interbreed with other closely related species in the genus Bos, creating hybrids such as beefalo which are crosses between cattle and bison. Determining the ancestry of some cattle breeds is complicated by their mixed ancestry through historical hybridization between taurine cattle, zebu, yaks, and other species.

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15 views

European or "Taurine" Cattle Zebu Aurochs: Primigenius, The Primigenius, Bos Taurus Indicus, and Bos Taurus Taurus

Cattle were originally classified into three separate species, but are now classified together as one species named Bos taurus with three subspecies. Cattle can interbreed with other closely related species in the genus Bos, creating hybrids such as beefalo which are crosses between cattle and bison. Determining the ancestry of some cattle breeds is complicated by their mixed ancestry through historical hybridization between taurine cattle, zebu, yaks, and other species.

Uploaded by

RatulKumarMajumdar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CATTLE

Cattle were originally identified as three separate species: Bos taurus, the European or "taurine"
cattle (including similar types from Africa and Asia); Bos indicus, the zebu; and the extinct Bos
primigenius, the aurochs. The aurochs is ancestral to both zebu and taurine cattle.[citation needed] These
have been reclassified as one species, Bos taurus, with three subspecies: Bos taurus
primigenius, Bos taurus indicus, and Bos taurus taurus.[4][5]

Complicating the matter is the ability of cattle to interbreed with other closely related species. Hybrid
individuals and even breeds exist, not only between taurine cattle and zebu (such as the sanga
cattle, Bos taurus africanus), but also between one or both of these and some other members of
the genus Bos yaks (the dzo or yattle[6]), banteng, and gaur. Hybrids such as the beefalo breed can
even occur between taurine cattle and either species of bison, leading some authors to consider
them part of the genus Bos, as well.[7] The hybrid origin of some types may not be obvious for
example, genetic testing of the Dwarf Lulu breed, the only taurine-type cattle in Nepal, found them to
be a mix of taurine cattle, zebu, and yak.[8] However, cattle cannot successfully be hybridized with
more distantly related bovines such as water buffalo or African buffalo.

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