According to genetic data, what is the approximate temporal gap between the natural split of Bos taurus and Bos indicus lineages?

Around 200,000 years ago

Molecular data indicates a significant and ancient evolutionary separation between the lineage leading to *Bos taurus* and the lineage leading to *Bos indicus*. This divergence is estimated to have occurred roughly 200,000 years ago. This vast period predates the time when humans first intentionally managed these animals—which occurred approximately eight to ten thousand years ago in the Indian subcontinent. The long span separating the natural genetic divergence from human-directed selection implies that environmental pressures, particularly those associated with tropical conditions like heat and pathogens, had already extensively shaped the *Bos indicus* physiological adaptations long before they became essential agricultural stock for early human settlements.