List of cattle breeds — Over 1000
breeds of
cattle are recognized worldwide, some of which
adapted to the local
climate, others which were bred by humans for specialized uses.
Cattle breeds fall into two main types, which are regarded as either two closely related
species, or two
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
of one species. ''Bos indicus'' (or ''
Bos taurus indicus
The zebu (; ''Bos indicus'' or ''Bos taurus indicus''), sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in the Indian sub-continent. Zebu are characterised by a fatty ...
'') cattle, commonly called zebu, are adapted to hot climates and originated in the tropical parts of the world such as India, Sub-saharan Africa, China, and Southeast Asia. ''Bos taurus'' (or ''
Bos taurus taurus
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...
''), typically referred to as "taurine" cattle, are generally adapted to cooler climates and include almost all cattle breeds originating from Europe and northern Asia.
In some parts of the world further species of cattle are found (both as wild and domesticated animals), and some of these are related so closely to taurine and indicus cattle that
interspecies hybrids have been bred. Examples include the
Dwarf Lulu cattle of the mountains of
Nepal with
yak
The domestic yak (''Bos grunniens''), also known as the Tartary ox, grunting ox or hairy cattle, is a species of long-haired domesticated cattle found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, Kachin Sta ...
blood, the
Beefalo of North America with
bison
Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised.
Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North Ame ...
genes, the
Selembu
Selembu is a dual purpose dairy and beef breed of cattle. It is the result of gaur/ zebu hybridisation. The name is a hybrid from Malay name of Seladang (gaur) and Lembu (Cow
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, ...
breed of
India and
Bhutan with
gayal genes. The
Madura breed of
Indonesia may have
banteng
The banteng (''Bos javanicus''; ), also known as tembadau, is a species of cattle found in Southeast Asia. The head-and-body length is between . Wild banteng are typically larger and heavier than their domesticated counterparts, but are otherw ...
in its parentage.
In addition to these fertile hybrids, there are sterile hybrids such as the male
Dzo
A dzo (also spelled zo, zho and dzho, bo, མཛོ་, mdzo) is a hybrid between the yak and domestic cattle. The word dzo technically refers to a male hybrid, while a female is known as a or . In Mongolian, it is called a (хайнаг). ...
of Nepal, a cattle-yak hybrid which is bred for agricultural work - like the
mule
The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...
and the
hinny, they have to be continually bred from both of the parent species.
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See also
*
List of dairy cattle breeds
*
List of beef cattle breeds
*
Lists of domestic animal breeds
References
External links
Breeds of Cattle– Oklahoma State University
Breeds of Cattle– Cattle.com
– Cow World
– Embryoplus.com
Breeds of Cattle– Official 2nd Edition
EuReCa - Towards self-sustainable EUropean, REgional CAttle breedsNative cow varieties of India
{{Breed
Cattle