Cattle were originall idenentified as three separate species: Bos teurus the European or "taurine " Cattle (including similar types from africa and Asia) :Bos indicus or "zebu"anb the extinct Bos primigenius, the aurochs. The aurochs is ancestral to both zebu and taurine cattle. They were alter reclassified as one species, Bos teurus, with the aurochs, zebu and taurine Cattle as subspecies. However, this taxonomy is contedentious and some sources prefer the separate species classification, sucn as the American society of mammalogists mammal Diversity Database.
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| A wisent and cattle Hybrid |
Complicating the matter is the ability of cattle to interpreted with other closely related species. Hybrid individuals and even breeds exist, not only between taurine cattle and zebu (such as the sanga Cattle) Bos teurus Africans x Bos indicus) but also between one or both of these and some other members of the genus Bos yaks (the dzo or yathle). banters,and gaur. Hybrids such as the beefalo breed can even occur between taurine Cattle and either species of bison leading some authors to consider them part of the genus Bos as well the Hybrid origin of some types may not be obvious for example genetic testing of the dwarf lulu breed the only taurine Type Cattle in nepal found them to be a mix of taurine cattle zebu and yak . However with more distantly related bovine such as wather buffalo or African buffalo. and no india cow's milk wather
The only pure African taurine breeds Bos teurus Africans remaining are the N DAMA KURI and some varieties of the west African shorthorn
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