Bos taurus

Order: Artiodactyla > Family: Bovidae > Genus: Bos > Species: Bos taurus

Common Name: Domestic Cattle [English]

Type Description

Syst. Nat., 10th ed., 1:71.

Type Locality

Linnaeus (1758) stated 'habitat in Poloniae depressis graminosis ferus Urus' 'Urus' applies to the aurochs because Linneaus' only source was Caesar in his 'Gallic Wars' where the aurochs is described (Lydekker, 1912). Other authors have used the name 'Urus' for the European Bison Bison bonasus, in the 18th Century thought to be the wild form of domestic cattle. Thomas (1911a:154) proposed torestrict the type locality to Sweden, Upsala, applying taurus to domestic cattle.

Measurements

Weight: 450-1000 kg

Description

The cow is a familiar species and is found all over the world as a domesticated farm animal, providing meat and milk to humans. The cylindrical shape of the horns and the blocky shape of the back of the skull differentiate it from other bovids with horns protruding laterally from the skull, such as buffalo and wildebeest.

Key References

1. Kingdon, J. 1989. East African mammals: An atlas of evolution in Africa. (Large Mammals). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 3C:54-55.
2. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2:1135, 1153-1157.