Sessions

The Hungarian grey cattle is a native beef breed of Hungary, which, thanks to Professor Imre Bodó, did not become extinct in the 1960s. At that time, the herd consisted of only 160 cows and 6 bulls. Professor Bodó developed a new method of selective breeding to preserve genetic diversity, ensuring that the herd, now numbering 380 breeding bulls and 10,000 registered cows, remains low in inbreeding. However, only 110 of the original 160 cow families still exist. Professor Bodó's original theory was that the skull shape of grey cattle elongates along the longitudinal axis as inbreeding increases. To test this theory, we compared skulls from the 1960s in the Hungarian Agricultural Museum's bone collection with recent skulls from after 2010. By using 3D scanning, a new database of cleaned and merged 3D skull models (.obj) was formed. By applying geometric morphometrical analysis tools, the samples were compared. Geometric morphometry displays only differences in shape, as it compensates for size differences during the superimposition step. Based on the results, the axial dimensions of the grey cattle skulls in the current collection have elongated. Based on the results, I have confirmed Imre Bodó’s hypothesis, namely that the skull of the Hungarian Grey cattle has elongated over the past 60 years.