Kőrösi Andrea: A magyar szürke marha kraniometriai jellemzése. (Mezőgazdaságtörténeti tanulmányok 11. Magyar Mezőgazdasági Múzeum, Budapest, 2008)

Abstract

Abstract CRANIOMETRICAL CHARACTERISATION OF THE HUNGARIAN GREY CATTLE by Andrea Körösi The Hungarian Grey cattle used to be of great economical importance in Hungary. The size of the Grey cattle stock was reduced to a critical level by the 1960s but the number of the breeding stock remains at 6600 individuals today, thus the survival of the species seems to be guaranteed. In order to save the values hidden in the species it is important to get to know it as precisely as possible. This study has been written for this reason in which I look for the answers to four questions. I made a survey by using 108 Grey cattle skulls (as parts of the Ontological Collection at the Museum of Hungarian Agriculture) coming from the early 1900s and the 1960s and 1970s, mostly from the territory of Hortobágy. In order to measure the Grey cattle skulls and jaw bones, the method reworked by A. von den Driesch was employed. I used his serial numbers with the sizes (Table 7). In the case of the skulls 48, of the jaw bones 23, ontological and so called 'non-measurable' anatomic characteristics were compared. The research focuses on four questions. 1. The craniological, osteological description of the Hungarian Grey cattle skull. This constitutes the largest part of the study: to what extent the skull characteristics are similar to the primigenius and the other three main skull types. 2. Observation and description of the chronological changes in the structure of the Hungarian Grey cattle head. To this investigation data from the late 19th century and from the 1960s, 70s and 80s were used. 3. Phrenological definition of the genders. The craniometrical sizes on the graphs illustrate the differences between the genders very well. 4. Observation of the change in the skull sizes, with respect to age. This examination could be made only with cow skulls because of the lack of data. After having made the above mentioned examination, it can be concluded that the Grey cattle skulls have got a primigenius character. In comparison to other researchers several similarities and differences can be laid down as a fact. The African and West European long-horned oxen examined by Duerst are not related to the Grey cattle. While in the case of the oxen the characteristics of the longhorned (brachyceros) types are dominant according to Duerst's description, in the case of the Hungarian Grey cattle the primigenius characteristic can be observed. Its most important skull features relate to the length and gracility of the skull. The width of the skull is smaller than its length in the case of the primigenius type. According to Wilckens it is typical of the primigenius race that the width is behind the linear dimension of the skull bones. The skull is long and slim. It grows slimmer from the eye holes to the peak of the jaw bone. These characteristics are definitely typical of all Hungarian Grey cattle skulls. Between the sizes of the