An aurochs skull, Bos primigenius

The skull of an aurochs, the ancestor of cows. Aurochs were large, formidable creatures. They roamed Europe, Asia and north Africa for thousands of years, first appearing in the fossil record 700,000 years ago.

Through 10,000 years of selective breeding, we’ve transformed the powerful aurochs into the tame, meat- and milk-producing cow. Today, the scale of the dairy and beef industries has far-reaching consequences for our planet.