Cattle (called cows in vernacular usage, kine archaic, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat (called beef and veal), dairy products (milk), leather and as draught animals (pulling carts, plows and the like). In some countries, such as India, they are subject to religious ceremonies and respect. It is estimated that there are 1.3 billion head of cattle in the world today ^*.

Cattle were originally identified by Carolus Linnaeus as three separate species. These were Bos taurus, the European cattle, including similar types from Africa and Asia; Bos indicus, the zebu; and the extinct Bos primigenius, the aurochs. The aurochs is ancestral to both zebu and European cattle. More recently these three have increasingly been grouped as one species, sometimes using the names Bos primigenius taurus, Bos primigenius indicus and Bos primigenius primigenius. Complicating the matter is the ability of cattle to interbreed with other closely related species. Hybrid individuals and even breeds exist, not only between European cattle and zebu but also with yaks, banteng, gaur, and bison, a cross-genera hybrid. For example, genetic testing of the Dwarf Lulu breed, the only humpless "Bos taurus-type" cattle in Nepal, found them to be a mix of European cattle, zebu and yak. Cattle cannot successfully be bred with water buffalo or African buffalo. (See aurochs for the history of domestication, and zebu for peculiarities of that group.)

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Isn't it terrible to kill healthy goats? Is this Q-fever at least the starting point of small-scale cattle farming? Or eating goat meat?
Talkinfood (Marjan Ippel) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:45:30 -0000
Isn't it terrible to kill healthy goats? Is this Q-fever at least the starting point of small-scale cattle farming? Or eating goat meat?
Cattle Futures - If you have to eat a dog, do it when it's a pup.
BradConradt (Brad Conradt) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:43:45 -0000
Cattle Futures - If you have to eat a dog, do it when it's a pup.
If all nite casting calls werent bad enuf, last nites Hereos was a cattle call- 500 background actors! 4pm-6am!!
splworldchamp (Jeffrey Fernandez) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:39:10 -0000
If all nite casting calls werent bad enuf, last nites Hereos was a cattle call- 500 background actors! 4pm-6am!!
A holiday card we just received at the office: "The cattle are lowing, The Baby Awakes Inside us." WHUT.
gaminette (gaminette) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:38:31 -0000
A holiday card we just received at the office: "The cattle are lowing, The Baby Awakes Inside us." WHUT.
New Cattle Call Post December Motivation: I think our ticket get punched this ye.. http://bit.ly/7QjKce #YPC
BeefUSA (NCBA) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:37:47 -0000
New Cattle Call Post December Motivation: I think our ticket get punched this ye.. http://bit.ly/7QjKce #YPC
@mackbrook Lucky dogs! Do you have them work the cattle? We no longer have border collies. Miss them!
nycUlla (Goldilocks) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:36:10 -0000
@mackbrook Lucky dogs! Do you have them work the cattle? We no longer have border collies. Miss them!

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