An aurochs head taken from the reserves of the National Museum of Prehistory: an almost complete skull!
When you see such a well-preserved skull, it’s very impressive. A head in “kit” which has been completely restored and which is “paleontologically” almost complete. This skull comes from the Coupe Gorge site in Haute-Garonne. This auroch, must have been of an impressive size, judging by the size of its skull and the bony ankles, the same one which carries the horns and is of a very large size. The dimensions of this auroch head presage a specimen of more than 2 meters at the withers, it must have weighed more than a ton, This auroch skull, a sacred beautiful beast!
– Photo: Marlène Laroche
This giant skull, soon presented in the museum’s collections
The aurochs (auroch) an extinct species of bovid, ancestor of current breeds of domestic cattle, and belonging to the genus Bos. Its scientific name is Bos primigenius but, according to the authors, it can be considered a subspecies of cattle of the species Bos taurus. The skull presented to us by Stéphane Madelaine, the curator of National Museum of Prehistory is of an impressive size, it will soon be presented to the museum in a scenographic space which should show all the majesty and the consequent size of this piece