Intersting Facts About a Cow

Cows are mature females and bulls are mature males from the bovine family, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Over 920 different breeds of cows exist. Cows are very social animals and usually travel together in large herds. Cows will often form their own groups within herds while avoiding certain cows.

  1. Time Frame

    • Cows were domesticated for the first time approximately 5,000 years ago, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Pilgrims were the first group of people to bring cows to America. Cows usually live to be the age of 25 years. The first cow brought to America was brought to Jamestown in 1611. Until the 1850s, almost every family in America owned a cow for the milk they produce. The age of a cow is determined by counting the number of rings on their horns. Each ring represents one year of life.

    Considerations

    • Most modern domesticated cows either come from the Bous taurus or Bous indicus species. Some modern domesticated cows are across between these two species, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

    Function

    • Cows have almost 360 degrees of vision because of the placement of their eyes, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. The only color that a cow cannot see is red. Cows are capable of smelling odors from five miles away. Cows are also capable of hearing higher and lower frequencies than humans.

      Cows spend approximately 8 hours of their day eating. They have no front teeth, but instead curl their tongue around blades of grass. On average, cows drink approximately 30 gallons of water and 95 lb. of feed each day. Each cow produces an average of ten tons of manure per year.

    Reproduction

    • Cows have gestation periods that last for between 279 and 290 days. After birth, cows protect their calves fiercely. Calves stay with their mothers until they mature fully. Some calves take three years to mature, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

    Size

    • The average cow weighs approximately 1,400 pounds at maturity, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

    Quick Facts

    • Gail Borden invented the condensed milk process in 1856, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. This removes some of the water found in milk which reduced the amount of space required to store milk. The first milk pasteurization machine was developed in 1895.