Breeding back is an attempt to assemble the genes of an extinct subspecies or domesticated breed, which may still be present in the larger gene pool of the overall species or other interbreedable species.

One animal this has been attempted with is the aurochs, an extinct forerunner of cattle. The product of these attempts is the Heck Cattle. Another prominent breeding back effort is the Quagga-Project to bring back the extinct subspecies of the Plains Zebra called Quagga. A phenotypic copy of the tarpan has also been produced.

Breeding back is controversial, especially claims that an extinct animal has been recreated. Phenotypical reconstruction (similar appearance) does not assure behavioral similarity. For some of the species that are being bred back, questions remain about the ecological niche, hardiness, and disease resistance of the original species. For instance, the aurochs died out almost 400 years ago and the records kept cannot definitively answer some of these questions.

See also

• Dedomestication

External link

• Grazing Ecology and Forest History

• Bart Gremmen & Paul Koene: Genetics of dedomestication in large herbivores Koene, 2001