Abstract
If one idly watches a large-uddered dairy cow rubbing itself on a fence post, it is difficult to imagine that cattle were once wild-eyed, quick-acting creatures. The ancestors of domestic cattle were the large Aurochs which roamed around on the edges of the post-glacial forests. These long-legged beasts (Bos primigenius) stood up to 2 metres at the withers and were fleet of foot. James Wilson (quoted by Zeuner (1963) described them as ‘mighty untamable monsters of unconquerable ferocity’.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1983 Springer Basel AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kiley-Worthington, M., de la Plain, S. (1983). The Origin and Evolution of Cattle. The Cattle Studied and Methods Used. In: The Behaviour of Beef Suckler Cattle (Bos Taurus) . Tierhaltung / Animal Management, vol 14. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-6782-5_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-6782-5_1
Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Basel
Print ISBN: 978-3-7643-1265-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-0348-6782-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive