Bizarre Breeds And Species of Cattle
Cattle or cow are domestic animals raised as livestock for meat, dairy products, leather and as draft animals.
It is estimated that there are 1.3 billion cattle in the world today. There are over 800 breeds of cattle recognized
worldwide. Out of this number, here are the most peculiar breeds ever developed.
Unique Breeds
Highland Cattle
The hardy and brightly colored Highland Cattle or Kyloe of Scotland has long horns and long wavy pelts which
are colored black, brindled, red, yellow or dun. It is known as a hardy breed due to the rugged nature of their
native Scottish Highlands, with high rainfall and strong winds. They both graze and browse and eat plants many
other cattle avoid. The meat tends to be leaner than most beef, as highlands get most of their insulation from
their thick shaggy hair rather than subcutaneous fat. The coat also makes them a good breed for cold Northern
climates.
Ankole-Watusi
Ankole-Watusi is an unusual-looking breed originally native to Africa. It has very large, distinctive horns because
of their great circumference instead of their length. It is sometimes known as Ankole or Watusi. The cattle
provided food, currency, and tribal status. In Rwanda, where the Tutsi ruled, Watusi were known as "Insanga" or
"the ones which were found" and "Inyambo" or "the cows with long, long horns." Those with the largest and
longest horns belonged to the King and were considered sacred, with some individuals having horns that
measure twelve feet from tip to tip. The breed is often referred to as the "Cattle of Kings".
A Watusi steer named Lurch is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest horn circumference.
For details and photo see it HERE.
Texas Longhorn Cattle
The handsome-looking and intelligent Texas Longhorn is a breed of cattle known for its impressively long horns.
Its hors can extend to 4 feet or 1.2 m from tip to tip for steers and exceptional cows and bulls in the 70 to 80 inch
tip to tip range. Horns can have a slight upward turn at their tips or even triple twist. Texas Longhorns are also
known for their extreme diversified coloring. Texas Longhorns with elite genetics can often fetch up to $40,000 or
more at auction with the record of $160,000 in recent history for a cow. Due to their innate gentle dispositions and
intelligence, Texas Longhorns are increasingly being trained as riding steers.
Salers
The Salers of France is unique for having curly hair. It is a large breed of cattle, with the female weighing in at
between 700 and 750 kg or 1,543 to 1,653 lb and standing 1.40 meters or 4.6 feet tall. It is especially appreciated
for its ability to withstand extreme variations in temperature, its fertility, its ease of breeding, its milk and its meat.
A female can produce almost 3,000 kg or 6,614 lb of fat-rich milk each year of her life.
Longhorn Cattle
Longhorn Cattle of England with a peculiar set of horns is a long-horned brown and white breed of beef cattle.
They have a white patch along the line of their spine and under their bellies. They are not to be confused with
the Texas Longhorn breed, which is often called simply "Longhorn cattle". The beef is particularly delicious.
Yak
The famous Yak or Bos grunniens of the Himalayas are distinct for having long hair. A Yak typically stands about
2 to 2.2 meters or 6.6 to 7.2 ft tall at the shoulder and average 1,000 kg or 2,200 lb for male; the females weigh
about one third of this. Yaks can be brown, white or black. Both males and females have horns. Yaks may live to
somewhat more than 20 years.
Unique Species
Wood Bison
The odd-looking Wood Bison or Wood Buffalo (Bison bison athabascae) is a distinct northern subspecies of the
North American Bison. It looks peculiar because 2/3 of its body is coated while the rest is not. It is a threatened
species that's why Canadian wood bison were transferred from Elk Island National Park of Canada to the Alaska
Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage, Arkansas in an effort to repopulate the wood bison in their native habitat.
Wisent
The unique and nasty-looking Wisent or Bison bonasus is the heaviest surviving land animal in Europe. It is
typically about 3 m or 10 ft long and 1.8 m to 2.2 m or 6 to 7 ft tall and weighs 300 to 920 kg or 660 to 2,000 lbs.
It is also known as the ?ubr or European bison. It is classified as an endangered species.
American Bison
The American Bison (Bison bison) looks weird because about 1/3 of its body is coated while the remaining part is
not. It is also commonly known as the American Buffalo and is closely related to the Wisent or European Buffalo.
It is the largest extant land animal in North America.
Hope you enjoyed this. Thank you!
For more unique animal breeds see
12 Amazingly Unique Sheep Breeds
Unique Horse Breeds
Amazingly Unique Guinea Pig Breeds
World's Most Unique Breeds of Cat
Bizarre Breeds of Chicken
Fantastic and Bizarre Breeds of Pigeon
15 Absolutely Unique Breeds of Dog
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