Re-created aurochs

Bos primigenius taurus

An aurochs and a calf drink from a stream at Hellabrunn Zoo. IUCN Red List endangerment category:
  • Family
    Bovids (Bovidae)
  • Weight
    ♀ 450 – 600 kg, ♂ 700 – 850 kg

Grazing projects

Bred-back aurochs are used as grazing animals in landscape conservation projects. They keep the grass low and the landscapes open, helping to maintain nationally important countryside or, where required, restore land to a time when aurochs, wild horses and European bison roamed in Central Europe.

The picture shows a standing re-created aurochs looking to the right side of the picture.

Extinct beast

The aurochs, also known as ure or urus, is an extinct species of wild cattle that was once widespread in Asia and Europe. It was one of the largest bovids with a height of up to 1.8 meter and weighing over 1 tonne. The aurochs was fi rst domesticated around 6,500 years ago in the Middle East. Many of today’s domestic cattle species are descendants of the aurochs.

The aurochs became extinct in the early 17th century due to overhunting and loss of natural habitat.