Bos primigenius mauretanicus, the African aurochs, once lived in the woodland and shrubland of North Africa

North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...

. This subspecies of the aurochs

Aurochs

The aurochs , the ancestor of domestic cattle, were a type of large wild cattle which inhabited Europe, Asia and North Africa, but is now extinct; it survived in Europe until 1627....

 is descended from the Indian aurochs

Bos primigenius namadicus

Bos primigenius namadicus, the Indian aurochs, was a type of wild cattle which once lived in the hot and dry areas of India. The Indian subspecies of the aurochs was the first to appear, about 2 million years ago, and from it descends the Eurasian Aurochs and the North African Aurochs.It is also...

, which migrated from the Middle East. It is unknown when the African aurochs became extinct. Prior to its extinction the Ancient Egyptians domesticated the African aurochs into Egyptian cattle, which was the primary breed of cattle in the Mediterranean region until the introduction of zebu

Zebu

Zebu , sometimes known as humped cattle, indicus cattle, Cebu or Brahmin cattle are a type of domestic cattle originating in South Asia, particularly the Indian subcontinent. They are characterised by a fatty hump on their shoulders, drooping ears and a large dewlap...

from India, which slowly replaced Egyptian cattle in the region.

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