Aurochs Survived Until 1627

The aurochs, Bos primigenius, was the wild ancestor of modern domesticated cattle, and it survived far longer than most people realize. Although humans had already domesticated cattle thousands of years earlier, wild aurochs still lived in Europe into the 17th century. The last known aurochs died in 1627 in Poland, ending a lineage that had shaped human agriculture from the beginning.

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