ТУРЪТ (BOS PRIMIGENIUS BOJANOS, 1827) (ARTIODACTYLA, MAMMALIA) В ПРИРОДАТА И КУЛТУРАТА НА БЪЛГАРИЯ

Numerous published data of osteology, craniology, folklore, toponimy, linguistics, archaeology and art-history on the former distribution and biological characteristics of the Aurochs have been gathered and analyzed. Based on these scattered various evidences, a general synthesis on the biology, morphology, ecology, bihaviour and the reasons for the disappearence and total exctinction of the Aurochs, is presented for the first time in the Bulgarian literature. New findings from Forum Serdica (pr. Sofia; 16-18th c. AD) prove the species' existence in two remote regions in Bulgaria – NE Bulgaria (Veliki Preslav), and CW Bulgaria (Sofia; at least 16th c. AD), almost a century before its total disappearance in Poland (1627). Contents: 1. Foreword; 2. Distribution and disappearance of the Aurochs beyond the Balkan Peninsula; 3. Aurochs, wisents and buffalos in the ancient sources; 4. Distribution and disappearance of the Aurochs on the Balkan Peninsula and in Bulgaria; 5. Habitats; 6. Habitus and size; 7. Coloration; 8. Head; 9. Horns; 10. Biology and behavior; 11. Origin and taxonomy; 12. Domestication; 13. Utalitary significance; 14. Hunt; 15. The last Aurochs; 16. The Aurochs in the scientific collections; 17. The Aurochs in the Bulgarian legends and folklore; 18. The Aurochs in the mythology; 19. The Aurochs in the etymology; 20. Conclusions