DNA reveals the Higgs bison, a hybrid Ice Age species depicted in ancient cave art

Using DNA analysis, researchers have discovered that anunexpected hybrid of cattle and bison once roamed the Earth.

The 120,000-year-old species was a cross-breedof the aurochs, the ancestor of modern cattle, and the Ice Age steppe bison, ancestors of the modern American bison or buffalo.

"Finding that a hybridisation event led to a completely new species was a real surprise as this isn't really meant to happen in mammals," Alan Cooper, director of theAustralian Centre for Ancient DNAat the University of Adelaide and leader of the study, said in a release.

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It was such a surprise, in fact, that whenresearchersfirst noticed adistinctive genetic signal from many bison fossils, theyweren't entirely certainit wasa different species.

"So we referred to it as theHiggsbison," Cooper said. The name is a reference to the Higgs Boson,a subatomic particle suspected to exist since the 1960sbutonly confirmed in 2012.

With the help of an international team of bison conservation researchers and paleontologists, the researchers studied ancient DNA extractedfrom radiocarbon-dated bones in teeth from caves acrossEurope, the Urals and the Caucasus to confirm their discovery.

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The researchers believe theHiggsbisoneventually became the ancestor of the modern European bison, previously hunted to extinction in the wild but slowly rebuilding theirpopulation thanks to conservation efforts on protected reserves like theBialowiezaforest between Poland andBelarus.

'Helpfully painted pictures'

But it turns out thescientists weren't the first people to come acrossthe Higgsbison.Our ancestors appear to havedepicted the beast in great detailon cave walls some 15,000 years ago.

"The dated bones revealed that our new species and the steppe bison swapped dominance in Europe several times, in concert with major environmental changes caused by climate change,"said lead authorJulien Soubrierfrom the University of Adelaide.

"When we asked, French cave researchers told us that there were indeed two distinct forms of bison art in Ice Age caves, and it turns out their ages match those of the different species."

The drawings show bison with long horns and large forequarters likely the steppe bison and ones with shorterhorns and humps likelytheHiggs.

"We'd never have guessed the cave artists had helpfully painted pictures of both species for us."

The study was published today in the journal Nature Communications.

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