The
aurochs ( or ; pl.
aurochs, or rarely
aurochsen,
aurochses), also
urus,
ure (
Bos primigenius), is an
extinct type of large wild
cattle that inhabited
Europe,
Asia and
North Africa. It is the ancestor of domestic cattle. The species survived in Europe until the last recorded aurochs died in the
Jaktorów Forest,
Poland in 1627.