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Bos is the genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 of wild and domestic
Domestication

Domestication or taming refers to the process whereby a population of living things becomes accustomed to a controlled environment by other plants or animals through a process of Selective breeding....
 cattle
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
. Bos can be divided into four subgenera
Subgenus

In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. See rank and rank .In ICZN, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a binomen, in parentheses, placed between the name of a biological genus and specific name: e.g....
: Bos, Bibos, Novibos, and Poephagus, but the distinction is controversial. The genus has five extant species. However, this may rise to seven if the domesticated varieties are counted as separate species.

species are grazers, with long tongues to twist the plant material they favor and large teeth to break up the plant material they ingest.






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Bos is the genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 of wild and domestic
Domestication

Domestication or taming refers to the process whereby a population of living things becomes accustomed to a controlled environment by other plants or animals through a process of Selective breeding....
 cattle
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
. Bos can be divided into four subgenera
Subgenus

In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. See rank and rank .In ICZN, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a binomen, in parentheses, placed between the name of a biological genus and specific name: e.g....
: Bos, Bibos, Novibos, and Poephagus, but the distinction is controversial. The genus has five extant species. However, this may rise to seven if the domesticated varieties are counted as separate species.

Anatomy and morphology

Most species are grazers, with long tongues to twist the plant material they favor and large teeth to break up the plant material they ingest. Many species are ruminant
Ruminant

Physiologically, a ruminant is a mammal of the order Artiodactyla that digests plant-based food by initially softening it within the animal's first stomach, known as the rumen, then regurgitating the semi-digested mass, now known as cud, and chewing it again....
, having a four-chambered stomach that allows them to break down the tough plant material they consume.

Range and distribution

There are about 1.3 billion domestic cattle alive today, making them one of the world's most numerous mammals. Members of this genus are currently found in Africa, Asia, eastern and western Europe and North America. Their habitats vary greatly depending on the particular species; they can be found in prairies, rain forests, wetlands, savannas and temperate forests.

Ecology, behavior and life history

Bos have a lifespan of 18-25 years in the wild, with up to 36 being recorded in captivity. They have a 9-11 month gestation
Gestation

Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during mammalian pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
, depending on the species and birth one, or rarely two young in the spring.

Most species travel in herds ranging in size from 10 members into the hundreds. Within most herds, there is one bull
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
 (male) for all the cows (female). Dominance
Dominance (biology)

Dominance in the context of biology and anthropology is the state of having high social status relative to other individuals, who react submission to dominant individuals....
 is important in the herds; calves will usually inherit their mothers spot in the hierarchy
Hierarchy

A 'hierarchy' is an arrangement of items The word derives from the Greek language , from ?e?????? , "president of sacred rites, high-priest" and that from , "sacred" + , "to lead, to rule"....
.

They are generally diurnal
Diurnal animal

Scientific term refered to as an animal behavior, diurnality indicates an animal that is active during the daytime and rests during the night. Animals that are not diurnal might be Nocturnality or crepuscular .  Many animal species are diurnal, including many mammals, insects and birds....
, resting in the hot part of the day and being active morning and afternoon. In areas where humans have encroached on the territory of a herd, they may turn nocturnal. Some species are also migratory, moving with food and water availability.

Evolutionary history

Modern species of Bos are thought to have evolved from a single ancestor, the aurochs
Aurochs

The aurochs or urus was a very large type of cattle that was prevalent in Europe until its extinction in 1627. The animal's original scientific name, Bos primigenius, was meant as a Latin translation of the German language term Auerochse or Urochs, which was interpreted as literally meaning "primeval ox" or "proto-ox"....
 (B. primigenius). This particular species survived until the 1600s when it was hunted to extinction.

Systematics and taxonomy

  • Subgenus Bos
    • Bos primigenius (aurochs
      Aurochs

      The aurochs or urus was a very large type of cattle that was prevalent in Europe until its extinction in 1627. The animal's original scientific name, Bos primigenius, was meant as a Latin translation of the German language term Auerochse or Urochs, which was interpreted as literally meaning "primeval ox" or "proto-ox"....
      ) †
      Extinction

      In biology and ecology, extinction is the death of every member of a species or group of taxon. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that species ....
    • Bos taurus (cattle
      Cattle

      Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
       and zebu
      Zebu

      Zebus , sometimes known as 'humped cattle' or 'indicus' cattle. They are a type of cattle better-adapted to tropics environments than the other domestic cattle, the Bos primigenius taurus or 'taurine' types....
      , domesticated form of Bos primigenius)
    • Bos aegyptiacus
      Bos aegyptiacus

      The Ancient Egypt cattle Bos aegyptiacus was a domesticated form of ox of uncertain origin. The earliest evidence of Bos aegyptiacus is from the Al-Fayyum region, dating back to the 8th millennium BC....
       (Egypt
      Egypt

      Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
      ian cattle; name not recognized by ITIS
      Integrated Taxonomic Information System

      The Integrated Taxonomic Information System is a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species....
      ) †
      Extinction

      In biology and ecology, extinction is the death of every member of a species or group of taxon. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that species ....
    • Bos acutifrons
      Bos acutifrons

      Bos acutifrons is the most ancient representative of the genus Bos. Bos acutifrons lived till in the middle of the Pleistocene still in India....
       †
      Extinction

      In biology and ecology, extinction is the death of every member of a species or group of taxon. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that species ....
    • Bos planifrons
      Bos planifrons

      Bos planifrons was a bovine species from the Siwalik Hills of India and Pakistan. It may have been the ancestor of the Indian Aurochs Bos primigenius namadicus....
       †
      Extinction

      In biology and ecology, extinction is the death of every member of a species or group of taxon. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that species ....
  • Subgenus Bibos
    • Bos gaurus (gaur
      Gaur

      The gaur is a large, dark-coated bovine animal of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The biggest populations are found today in India. The gaur is the largest species of wild cattle, bigger than the African Buffalo, Wild Asian Water Buffalo and bison....
       or Indian bison)
    • Bos frontalis (gayal
      Gayal

      Gayal is the Domestication gaur, probably a gaur-cattle hybrid breed.The wild group and the domesticated group are sometimes considered separate species, with the wild gaur called Bibos gauris or Bos gaurus, and the domesticated gayal or mithun called Bos frontalis Lambert, 1804....
       or mithun, domesticated form of Bos gaurus)
    • Bos javanicus (banteng)
  • Subgenus Novibos
    • Bos sauveli
      Kouprey

      Kouprey is a wild forest-dwelling ox found mainly in northern Cambodia but also believed to exist in southern Laos, western Vietnam, and eastern Thailand....
       (kouprey
      Kouprey

      Kouprey is a wild forest-dwelling ox found mainly in northern Cambodia but also believed to exist in southern Laos, western Vietnam, and eastern Thailand....
       or Grey ox)
  • Subgenus Poephagus
    • Bos grunniens (yak
      Yak

      The yak is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia....
      ; also Bos mutus)


In 2003, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals"....
 resolved a long-standing dispute about the naming of those species (or pairs of species) of Bos that contain both wild and domesticated forms. The commission "conserved the usage of 17 specific names based on wild species, which are pre-dated by or contemporary with those based on domestic forms", confirming Bos primigenius for the aurochs and Bos gaurus for the gaur. If domesticated cattle and gayal are considered separate species, they are to be named Bos taurus and Bos frontalis; however, if they are considered part of the same species as their wild relatives, the common species are to be named Bos primigenius and Bos gaurus.

Bibliography

  • Briggs, H.M. and Briggs, D.M. (1980). Modern Breeds of Livestock. Macmillan Publishing.
  • International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. 2003. Opinion 2027 (Case 3010). Usage of 17 specific names based on wild species which are pre-dated by or contemporary with those based on domestic animals (Lepidoptera, Osteichthyes, Mammalia): conserved. Bull.Zool.Nomencl., 60:81-84.
  • Van Vuure, Cis. 2003. De Oeros – Het spoor terug, Cis van Vuure, Wageningen University and Research Centrum / Ministry of the Flemish Community, Brussels & Wageningen.
  • Zong, G. 1984. A record of Bos primigenius from the Quaternary of the Aba Tibetan Autonomous Region. Vertebrata PalAsiatica, Volume XXII No. 3 pp. 239-245. Translated by Jeremy Dehut, April 1991.


External links

  • Vasey, George 1862. A monograph of the genus Bos.