Aurochs is the official national animal of Moldova. Aurochs was entitled to the official Moldova national animal. Bos Primigenius is the scientific name of Aurochs, which is commonly known as aurochs, or rarely aurochsen, aurochses, also called urus, are. It is natively found in Africa, Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, parts of North America, South America and also in Oceania.
Moldova’s national animal Aurochs is the well accepted by the people of Moldova for its multiple values and that is the reason to designate as the official national animal of the country. It is also the national animal of Madagascar and Nepal.
National Animal of Moldova Facts—
- Common Name: Aurochs
- Scientific Name: Bos Primigenius
- Color: The colors of Aurochs varied with males and females. The males (bulls) were covered with dark brown or black shaggy coat with a light stripe on the back, while females (cows) were reddish-brown colored.
- Length: 6 to 8feet in length.
- Height: 5 to 6 feet in height at the shoulder.
- Weight: weight range between 190 kg to 1500 kg, depending on the species.
- Diet: It is an herbivore animal. They prefer clover and grass type of food. Twigs and acorns were usually consumed during the winter. They can eat near about 100 pounds of food per day with 30 to 50 gallons of water for drink, which produces 125 pounds of dribble per day and spends nearly 8 hours in re-chewing of swallowed food and prepare it for the final digestion.
- Cubs: Babies of the Aurochs called calf. The Cow (female) have a gestation period of 9 to 11 months, with single calf.
- Behavior: Aurochs is a social creature that lives in large herds. It forms close bonds with 2 to 4 members of the group and spends its time with them. They sleep during the night on an average of 4 hours per 24 hours. Sleeping position is determined by the current status of the cow in the group.
- Lifespan: Up to 30 years.
The national animal of Moldova, Aurochs varied their color with males and females. The males (bulls) were covered with dark brown or black shaggy coat with the light stripe on the back, while females (cows) were reddish-brown colored. They have the large head with big eyes and flexible ears, which can move in all directions. It has a massive body; domestic cows have short necks with dewlaps hanging below the chin. The jaws are designed for the circular grinding motion used to crush coarse vegetation. They have two hollow horns and a long tufted tail.
Both males and female Aurochs have large forward curved horns, depending on the variety. Surprisingly the cow has a visual field of nearly 360 degrees that is possible due to their big eyes positioned on the lateral sides of the head. They cannot differentiate green and red color despite excellent eyesight. The cow has an excellent sense of smell and hearing. They can able to hear or identify such type of sounds, which have not detected by a human. Bulls were very aggressive and they frequently battled with each other to establish dominance and get the opportunity to mate with females during the late summer and early autumn.
Moldova’s national animal the Aurochs has separate names of both male and female. They are identified as; the females are called “cow.” The males are known as bull, ram and the babies name calf. Cattle are frequently raised as livestock for meat, as dairy animals for milk and other dairy products. Other products include leather and dung for manure or fuel. It also used as draft animals such as the oxen or bullocks that pull carts, plows and other implements. The Aurochs are targeted by wolves, bears, tigers, hyenas, and lions.
In 1920, Heck brothers from the Germany zoo determined to re-create aurochs through discriminating breeding of modern cattle. It was a big ox and morphologically similar, but genetically distant from true aurochs. Aurochs are described as swift, fearless and very aggressive animals in “The Gallic War”, book written by Julius Cesar. People in Anatolia and on the Near East worshiped aurochs as sacred animals during the Iron Age. The cow is a sacred animal in India and Nepal. Gopastami is Hindu festival that takes place once per year and celebrates cows, which are washed and decorated especially for that occasion.
Reference:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/https://en.wikipedia.org/www.dairymoos.com/interesting-facts-about-cows/http://www.softschools.com/facts/extinct_animals/aurochs_facts/https://www.aipl.arsusda.gov/kc/cowfacts.html