The Heck/Taurus cattle of the NP Unteres Odertal, Germany

Heck cattle and Taurus cattle can be considered two different breeds, but it has to be kept in mind that both gene pools are connected and there is a seamless continuum between both types. This is because Taurus cattle individuals often become sold to Heck herds in order to improve their aurochs-likeness, and consequently there are herds that are actually a mix of Taurus and Heck cattle. One of those herds is the population at the National Park Unteres Odertal in Germany. 

What is particularly interesting about this herd is that Taurus cattle individuals from the Lippeaue and are bred to, among usual Heck cattle, Heck cattle from the Wörth/Steinberg line, which are noticeable for their aurochs-like horn dimensions and sometimes also curvature. That means the alleles for large body size and longer legs and snouts as well as aurochs-like horn curvature (coming from Taurus cattle) and aurochs-like horn dimensions (coming from the Wörth/Steinberg Heck cattle), are mixed in one pool. That is a pretty good potential that needs stringent selection in order to produce good results. 

Here you have some of the individuals. 

A bull that is definitely from the Wörth/Steinberg line can be found here. 

Some cows are here. 

A rather "classic" Heck bull is found here. 

And a Taurus bull most likely from the Lippeaue can be found here. 

I suspect that this Taurus bull is 42 632 (down below a photo in young years), which I saw in the Lippeaue as a bull calf in 2013. 

© Matthias Scharf

This bull is a son of Lamarck (Sayaguesa x (Heck x Chianina)) and Leier ((Sayaguesa x Heck) x (Chianina x Heck)), consequently a total mix of the three main Taurus breeds. Noticeable about this bull are its cream white forelocks, possibly caused by Chianina dilution alleles.