10 Most Exceptional Cattle Breeds

Cows have first domesticated somewhere around 10,000 years ago. In that time, humans have selectively bred them for specific qualities. And sometimes those qualities are extraordinary. In this article, we have listed 10 of the more visually amazing breeds of cattle from around the world. Here we go.

10- Ankole-Watusi Cow

What to see the count. Not to be outdone in the giant horns department, the Ankole-Watusi is a breed native to Africa. This breeds impressive horns that can grow as long as eight feet from tip to tip proportionally, they look impossibly large, but they do have a practical purpose. The large horns are used to disperse heat, and they also act as intimidating weapons to ward off predators.

9- Texas Longhorn Cow

Texas LongHorn cattle this breed is descended from a mix between a breed from Iberia and a breed from India and they were some of the first cattle brought to North America by Europeans. The longhorn is well known for well, longhorns, the horns can grow as much as seven feet from tip to tip. Despite the intimidating horns, they are quite gentle and smart for a cow.

8- Highland Cow

Highland cow moving from the heat of Africa to the code of Scotland, we see another Calvary adapted to its environment. The Highland cow has a thick shaggy code that keeps it warm against wind and rain. Plus the wavy code also gives it an endearingly silly appearance. The breed has the longest hair of any breed of cattle.

7- Belgian Blue Cow

Belgian blue cow winning the trophy for one of the most bizarre-looking outcomes of our experimentation with beef cattle breeding is the Belgian blue. The strangely lumpy appearance is called double muscling, a genetic trait that creates an increased number of muscle fibres. This interesting condition was first noted in 1808 and since then, the breed has carefully been selected specifically for this double muscle condition which results in about 20% more muscle than the average cow and extra lean meat.

6- Zebu Cow

Zebu Cow lumpy and bumpy in a different way is this cow Zaboo is a type of cattle originating from South Asia. They have been developed into more specific breeds, and we’ll get to one of those soon but the umbrella breed is the boss indicus this breed is easily identified by the prominent hump on its shoulders, as well as the dewlap or baggy skin hanging from its neck between the extra high shoulder hump and extra-low dangling neck the profile is unmistakable.

5- American Brahman Cow

One specific breed is the American Brahman, which has both a distinctive shoulder hump and prominent dewlap as well as a few interesting features all its own that include some unusually long years. They aren’t quite as long as the Indu Brazil, which has the longest years of any beef cattle breed, but they’re long enough to give the breed an almost go-like appearance at first glance.

4- Dexter Cow

Just as they are miniature horses there are miniature cows. These tiny cows stand only about three to four feet tall at the shoulder, but they aren’t bred just to be adorable. their small size makes them great for small farms. For those cows raised for dairy, they provide one to two gallons of milk a day as opposed to eight to 10 gallons from a typical Holstein dairy cow. Or if you’re raising one for me, you get about 400 pounds of me compared to about twice that much from the average size, and Steve that makes them more than manageable for a family farm. Plus, they’re cute which is always a bonus.

3- Miniature Belted Galloway Cow

Another adorable and unusual cattle breed is the Mini Belted Galloway or Mini Belting these little cows sport a black coat with a belt of white around their middle. Their code is also quite thick, which is ahead nod to where the breed has developed the Highlands of Scotland. They’re not nearly as shaggy as the Highland cow but because they naturally don’t have horns, they look all the more cuddly.

2- Miniature Jersey Cow

New Jersey cows are common enough but what about miniature jerseys they stand a mere three to 3.5 feet tall at the shoulder. Like the other smaller breeds, they were developed to be more manageable for small farms that don’t need as much milk or meat or don’t want to invest as much space or feed into livestock. Everything about Miniature Jerseys is like their larger counterparts just smaller.

1-  Miniature Panda Cow

Finally, we have a particularly rare count. The panda cow is known for its markings that are just like giant pandas right down to the dark eye patches. In fact, it isn’t a panda cow if the markings aren’t right, the white belts around the middle, and distinct black eye patches on the white face. There are only a handful of these in the world somewhere around 30 total. There are so rare that when one is born, it usually makes the news and there is even a pair of miniature panda cows at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington.