Tag: Europe

dwarf hippopotamus
The dwarf elephant species Palaeoloxodon cypriotes, found exclusively in Cyprus, weighed around 500 kilograms, while the dwarf hippopotamus Phanourios minor (pictured) reached only 130 kilograms. (© GeorgeLyras at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

New Study: Dwarf Hippopotamuses and Elephants in Cyprus Driven to Extinction by a Few Thousand People

New research reveals that dwarf elephants (Palaeoloxodon cypriotes) and dwarf hippopotamuses (Phanourios minor) on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus were driven to extinction after the arrival of Paleolithic humans around 14,000 years ago. A small population of possibly just 3,000 people was enough to wipe out these animals within a

Continue reading
aurochs (Bos primigenius)
This illustration of the aurochs was created between 1700 and 1880. The banteng, the gaur and the extinct kouprey are related to the wild cattle. (© Special Collections of the University of Amsterdam, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Aurochs

How the wild animal became a domestic pet The aurochs, or urus, is considered the first wild cattle domesticated by humans to ensure a steady supply of meat and milk and to provide draft and work animals. Domestication always involves physical changes: over time, the animals become smaller, their horns

Continue reading