Auroch

Aurochs are bovines with long slender legs, resulting in a shoulder height that nearly equal their trunk length. The skull, carrying the large horns, is substantially larger and more elongated than others in the family. As in other wild bovines, the body shape of the aurochs is athletic, and especially in bulls, showed a strongly expressed neck and shoulder musculature. Even in carrying cows, the udder is small and hardly visible from the side; this feature is equal to that of other wild bovines.   Aurochs have massive horns, with frontal bones of aurochs elongated and broad. They are curved in three directions: upwards and outwards at the base, then swing forwards and inwards, then inwards and upwards. Aurochs horns reach 80 cm (31 in) in length and between 10 and 20 cm (3.9 and 7.9 in) in diameter.

During the mating season, which probably took place during the late summer, the bulls have severe fights. In autumn, aurochs fed up for the winter, and get fatter and shinier than during the rest of the year. Calves are born in spring stay at the cow's side, until it was strong enough to join and keep up with the herd on the feeding grounds.

Like many bovids, aurochs form herds for at least a part of the year, in their case not number more than 30. Social status is gained through displays and fights, in which both cows and bulls engaged with bulls reported to often have had severe fights.

Aurochs appear to have been domesticated independently twice in history into two breeds of cattle, the taurine in the Ecumene and the zebu in the Deshi Region.