Cattle, or cows, have been domesticated for more than 10,000 years. Hundreds of breeds of cattle exist, but there are seven main breeds of dairy cow: Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein, Jersey and Milking Shorthorn. A seventh breed, the Red and White Holstein, is a variation of the Holstein breed.

What They Eat

Cows eat grasses in pastures or are fed a commercial mix of plants and nutrients. Their four-part fermenting stomach, allows them to eat plants that most other animals could never digest. One cow may eat as much as 100 pounds of roughage in a day. Cows also drink a lot of water – about 30-50 gallons per day!

Where They Live

Cattle live wherever people live but are best suited to places with grass for grazing. Different breeds around the world have traits that relate to their surroundings. Brahman cattle in India, for example, have a thin, glossy coat that helps reflect that region’s intense sun and heat. Ayrshires are particularly good at finding food. They come from Scotland, where grazing plants were historically sparse.

What They Do

Cows eat food that is high in cellulose, and therefore difficult to digest. In order to obtain as much nutrition as possible from their food, cows spend as much as four out of every six hours eating and chewing. Along with other ruminants, they chew and partially digest, then re-chew and digest their grassy diet. In cows, this re-chewing behavior is called “chewing cud.”

How They’re Doing

While cows are numerous across the planet, some breeds are very rare. Dutch Belted cattle, for instance, are extremely rare, with only a few hundred in the United States. The Minnesota Zoo’s dairy herd includes Dutch Belted cattle to ensure that such rare breeds survive.

Common Names

Bull: an adult male
Calf: a young cow, either male or female
Cow: a female that has had at least one baby
Heifer: a young female that has not had a baby
Polled: cattle born without horns
Sire: a father bovine
Steer: a castrated male
Yearling: a cow between 1 and 2 years old
Herd: a group of cattle

Animal Facts

Height : 49-52 inches
Weight: Cows 900-2,000 pounds; Bulls up to 3,000 pounds
Lifespan: up to 20 years, most are in dairy herds for 7 – 8 years
Births per year: 1 calf

Taxonomic Category

Mammal, hoofed

Where at the Zoo

Wells Fargo Family Farm