Interactions

The Bos primigenius did not have many interactions with other species, besides the parasitism of flies laying eggs on their backs.  The flies could pass on cattle diseases that could kill the aurochs.  There are three main types of flies that would have carried diseases that the Aurochs could have gotten.  These three flies include the stable fly, the horn fly, and the face flies. Another parasite is a tapeworm, which is a flat worm that lives mainly in the gut of organisms. If you want to learn more about this interesting organisms called a tapeworm click here.

This picture to the right shows the Bos primigenius with hornflies covering its back. 

 

The Bos primigenius' diet depended on the season.  In fall, they ate less grass and more trees and bushes around them. The winter diet consisted of not only grass, but the bark and branches from the trees.  In the spring and summertime, aurochs ate grasses, herbs, and leaves of trees and bushes. 

Bos primigenius was a food source for humans up until 1627. The species was very similar to the domesticated cow in terms of nutrients and proteins that humans receive from the aurochs (Van Vuure, 2002).To find out about another organism that humans use for consumption called brewers yeast click here.  

This creature sonds pretty cool right? Well there are more fascinating facts on the next page! Just follow the link.

 

 

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