The Niata or Ñata is an extinct

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

cattle from Uruguay and Argentina. It was observed and described by

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...

in the 1830s. One was exhibited at the in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

in April 1890. By the early twentieth century the Niata was nearly or completely extinct.

History

An early description of the Niata is that from November 1833 by

, who twice saw cattle of this type.

George Ernest Gibson George Ernest Gibson (November 9, 1884 – August 26, 1959) was a Scottish-born American nuclear chemist. Early years George Ernest Gibson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and educated partly in Germany where he attended a gymnasium in Darmstadt ...

bought two in 1889, one of which was exhibited at the in

in April 1890. By the early twentieth century it was nearly or completely extinct.

References

{{Reflist, refs= Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016)
''Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding''
(sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. {{ISBN, 9781780647944. Charles Darwin (1845)
''Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the world, under the Command of Capt. Fitz Roy, R.N.''
second edition. London: John Murray. Note: his account of the Niata is not included in the entry for 18 November 1833 in th
first publication
of the ''Journal'' in 1839. Charles Darwin (1868)
''The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication''
volume II. London: John Murray. Ernest Gibson (1915)
Some Notes on the Niata Breed of Cattle (Bos taurus)
''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London''. 85: 273–277. {{doi, 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1915.tb07417.x. Barbara G. Beddall (1975)
"Un Naturalista Original": Don Félix de Azara, 1746-1821
''Journal of the History of Biology'' 8 (1): 15–66. {{subscription required. Stable URL: Extinct cattle breeds Cattle breeds originating in Argentina Cattle breeds originating in Uruguay Cattle breeds