# Where did cows come from

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-cows-come-from/235405>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [March 20, 2004, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-cows-come-from/235405 "2004-03-20T16:00:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![thefensk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b77776/32.png) [@thefensk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thefensk)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-cows-come-from/235405/1 "2004-03-20T16:00:37Z")

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re: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/maurochs.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/maurochs.html)

In the staff report on evolutionary ancestors of cows I was reminded of some information included in the book The Longhorns by the late Texas folklorist J Frank Dobie. In this book he contends that the bovine that came to be known as the Longhorn “breed” was actually a mogrelization of various breeds of cattle that reverted to a wild state on the frontier. It has been a while since I read the book, but the descriptions of the wild cattle’s demeanor sounded very much like the demeanor of the auroch.

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**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-cows-come-from/235405/2 "2004-03-21T12:12:02Z")

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Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Board, **thefensk** , glad to have you with us. And thanks for providing the link to the column (which will not actually appear on the website until Tuesday March 23.)

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**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-cows-come-from/235405/3 "2004-03-26T00:03:07Z")

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I’m surprised to read that the last auroch would have died in Poland in the 1600’s. I always read/heard that the last one was killed in Switzerland during the 1700’s…

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**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-cows-come-from/235405/4 "2004-03-26T00:09:40Z")

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> [@clairobscur](#):
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> I’m surprised to read that the last auroch would have died in Poland in the 1600’s. I always read/heard that the last one was killed in Switzerland during the 1700’s…

Forget it. I googled, but couldn’t find any reference about my swiss aurochs. I probably made this up.

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-cows-come-from/235405/5 "2004-03-26T18:54:55Z")

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Is it aw-rock or oh-rock? It seems there should be a joke here, but I don’t know it.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-cows-come-from/235405/6 "2004-03-26T21:38:20Z")

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> [@AskNott](#):
>
> Is it aw-rock or oh-rock? It seems there should be a joke here, but I don’t know it.

From Merriam-Webster:

Main Entry: au·rochs  
Pronunciation: 'aur-"äks, 'or-

More-or-less “or-ox.” The word is both singular and plural; one aurochs; several aurochs. (Although I suppose one could make a case for “auroxen.”)