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Resurrecting the Auroch

  • 01-08-2010 12:48am
    #1
    Scarinae
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 11,362 ✭✭✭✭


    Ok, it's not exactly palaeontology since the last recorded auroch died in 1627... I think it has interesting implications for palaeontology though (I'll understand if the mods want to bounce it to a different forum)

    Apparently there are several groups looking into recreating the auroch, an ancestor of domestic cattle that had a shoulder height of about 2m. Project Tauros, which is mentioned in this article, is aiming to sequence DNA from different breeds of cattle to see what is closest to the DNA found in ancient aurochs, and then selectively breed them to resemble aurochs as closely as possible. The Polish Foundation for Recreating the Aurochs (PFOT, must be a Polish acronym) has support from the Polish government and they're looking at extracting DNA from bone samples. It's not a particularly new idea - selective breeding was attempted as far back as the 1920's, resulting in Heck cattle. The PFOT project seems to be more focused on actually engineering them from ancient DNA, while Project Tauros is selective breeding rather than genetic engineering.

    I think it will be an interesting story to follow, there has been talk in the last few years of recreating mammoths and other extinct animals so if they make any significant progress with the aurochs I'd say more funding will go into those projects... I can't help wondering what bovines that weigh over a tonne will do to the ecosystem though!
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Comments

  • #2
    Kess73
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,560 ✭✭✭✭Kess73


    I would imagine that they would have no more effect on the ecosystem than the number of different cattle around nowadays that also can weigh in at around the ton mark. If the Auroch is brought back, I would imagine it will be for reasons based around possible comsumpstion rather than to let them free again.

    Heck cattle, which are mentioned in the article and are the result of a previous attempt to bring back the Auroch, can reach a ton in weight.

    Charolais cattle are even bigger with the cows reaching a ton weight and the bulls growing to 2.25 to 2.5 tons.

    The Brahman is another type that hits that ton mark as well, and the Charlois/brahman cross which is called the Charbray, is another in that weight bracket.


    I do agree that if it does happen with 100% success that the future impact will be great, and we may well see Jurassic Park style resurrections of many extinct species of mammal.


  • #3
    Galvasean
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭Galvasean


    Wouldn't be the first time...

    http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055489520&highlight=extinction+forever


  • #4
    Kess73
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,560 ✭✭✭✭Kess73


    Very true, although I think I would prefer to see more done in terms of trying to protect animals that are currently on the cusp of going extinct.

    Take the tiger, if all the different subspecies are combined, then it is estimated that there are only 2,000 to 2,500 left alive on the planet, and that includes the ones in captivity.

    Scary when one considers the rate at which man has been wiping them out.


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