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cattle

File:Cow_(Fleckvieh_breed)_Oeschinensee_Slaunger_2009-07-07.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Also known as bovine, cows, cow, domestic cattle, domestic cow, Bos taurus + indicus

Cattle (Bos taurus) are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus Bos. Mature female cattle are called cows and mature males are called bulls.

OverviewAI-generated

Cattle are a taxon with the common name vaca, also known as taurine cattle and zebu. They are subclassed as cattle and include parts such as bulls, cows, and oxen. The subject is distinct from the terms cow and cattle. Their primary food source is Poaceae. They are a source of beef, cow's milk, and cowhide.

The earliest recorded date for cattle is about 10.5 thousand years ago. They have a gestation period of 9 months and a litter size of 1. Sexual maturity begins at age 8, and the period of lactation lasts 11 months. The longest observed lifespan is 48 months. Audible sounds range from a minimum frequency of 23 to a maximum of 35000. Unicode characters for the subject are 🐄 and 🐮.

Synthesized by Vinony from 25 facts across 3 sources: Wikidata, PubMed, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Research

419,063 papers

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~33 min read

Encyclopedic overview

36 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • Characteristics
  • Description
  • Digestive system
  • Reproduction
  • Cognition
  • Senses
  • Behavior
  • Dominance hierarchy
  • Grazing behavior
  • Temperament and emotions
  • Sleep
  • Genetics
  • Evolution
  • Phylogeny
  • Taxonomy
  • Husbandry
  • Practices
  • Population
  • Economy
  • Meat
  • Dairy
  • Draft animals
  • Hides
  • Health
  • Pests and diseases
  • Role of climate change
  • Impact of cattle husbandry
  • On public health
  • On the environment
  • On animal welfare
  • In culture
  • See also
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links

Cattle (Bos taurus) are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus Bos. Mature female cattle are called cows and mature males are called bulls.

Taurine cattle are widely distributed across Europe and temperate areas of Asia, the Americas, and Australia. Zebus are found mainly in India and tropical areas of Asia, America, and Australia. Sanga cattle are found primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. These types, sometimes classified as separate species or subspecies, are further divided into over 1,000 recognized breeds.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “cattle” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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