Weird cow question?

Question

Ok this might seem like an odd topic, but bare with me. Picture a cow, like the average dairy cow, and where do you see it? Generally on a farm, right? Seems that all cows like this are at farms or whatever. But what I wonder is, WHERE did they originally come from? They didn't just appear out of nowhere on farms, but at the same time I have a really hard time picturing dairy cows running around in the wild! Are there no wild herds of undomesticated "dairy" cows still? LOL

Just thougth I'd pose an odd question for the fun of it. ; )

Lots of really good points! Now why didn't breeding, like with dogs, cross my mind. lol

Answer 1

Your puzzlement is understandable since the wild ancestor of domestic cattle, unlike those of pigs, sheep, goats, and most other domesticated species, became extinct several centuries ago. While this beast looked like modern cattle, it was much bigger, swift, powerful, fierce, and very dangerous.

The aurochs (Bos primigenius), also known as the urus, originally ranged through much of Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa. The English name is derived the German Auerochse or Urochs ("Ur-ox"), meaning "primeval ox," or "proto-ox," as does the Latin name. Males, which were about one-fourth larger than females, ranged up to six feet tall at the shoulder (compared to a typical height of less than four feet for most domestic breeds), and weighed over a ton. The curved, sharp-pointed horns could be over 30 inches long. The great impression made by these massive creatures on our own ancestors (probably often a fatal one) is attested to by their frequent depictions in cave paintings, such as those of Lascaux and Chauvet in France, as well as in carvings from the same period. These early art works suggest that the aurochs was imbued by Cro-Magnon hunters and shamans with great magical and symbolic import. This mystical significance persisted into the Iron Age and even later in what is now modern Turkey and the Near East, where the aurochs was worshiped as a sacred animal, the Lunar Bull, which was associated with the Great Goddess and later with the cult of Mithra.

The aurochs disappeared in southern Asia in early historical times, and from Great Britain before the Romans arrived, but survived in parts of western and central Europe until much later. Julius Caesar wrote of them in an account of the Black Forest in Germany: "They are but a little less than elephants in size, and are of the species, color, and form of a bull. Their strength is very great, and also their speed. They spare neither man nor beast that they see. They cannot be brought to endure the sight of men, nor be tamed, even when taken young. The people, who take them in pitfalls, assiduously destroy them; and young men harden themselves in this labor, and exercise themselves in this kind of chase; and those who have killed a great number – the horns being publicly exhibited in evidence of the fact – obtain great honor." Due to such intense hunting, as well as conversion of land to agriculture, the aurochs herds of Europe dwindled till by the Middle Ages there were few left. Although efforts were made to preserve the species, the last known surviving wild aurochs, in the Jaktorow Forest in Poland, died in 1627.

Caesar's remarks notwithstanding, some varieties of the aurochs were capable of domestication, which is thought to have occurred 8,000-10,000 years ago. Two distinct kinds of domestic cattle have long been recognized: European cattle, known as Bos taurus, and humped Indian cattle (or zebu), known as Bos indicus. Recent genetic studies suggest that these two groups represent independent domestication events, involving different subspecies of aurochs, in Europe/western Asia and in south Asia. African breeds, which outwardly resemble zebu, are in fact hybrids of the European and south Asian lineages. Since they can interbreed, all these forms, including the aurochs itself, should probably be considered a single species under the name Bos taurus. Other species of wild cattle in Asia include the guar (Bos guarus), banteng (B. javanicus), kouprey (B. sauveli), and yak (B. grunniens). All are threatened in the wild, and the kouprey is on the verge of extinction. It was once thought some of these Asian species were ancestors of the zebu, but that's now discounted. However, all except the kouprey have been independently domesticated. Feral herds of cattle derived from domestic stock may be found in several parts of the world. More distantly related are the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalus), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), and American and European bison (Bison bison and B. bonasus respectively).

Several primitive domestic breeds resemble the aurochs in some of their external features. These include Spanish fighting bulls, Corsican country cattle, Scottish highland cattle, and English park cattle. Attempts have been made to recreate the aurochs by "breeding back" from some of these stocks, most notably in the 1920s by two German zookeepers, the brothers Heinz and Lutz Heck. These "Heck cattle" resemble the aurochs in external appearance except for size, being not much bigger than most domestic breeds. However, their genetic makeup undoubtedly differs greatly from a true aurochs, and they cannot be considered an actual reincarnation of this majestic beast.

Answer 2

Well, cows were domesticated early in human history, and being the largest domesticated animal (for now), it produced the most amount of milk by volume (there's goats milk, buffalo mozzarella and others which are staples in international diets). As for the boobie thing - it all lies in the eye of the beholder - much like people's adversion to shellfish, broccoli, yogurt, etc. I'm chinese - not much foodstuff phases me, but that's how I've been raised. Knowing where a food comes from should improve your appreciation and respect for the food. So avoid that cow's milk because you respect the cow and hope the cows can instead use it to feed their young, not because you're appalled. It is along these lines that i am upset with the practice of "finning" of sharks. I love shark fin soup, but the harvesting methods ruin the quality and availability of this ingredient. Take care!

Answer 3

Cows are like dogs in this regard. Lots of different breeds. It's done by artificial selection. Originally, only one or two domesticated packs of dogs, but by picking who gets to breed and who doesn't, you can end up with whole different breeds. When we do this it's artificial selection, when nature does it, it's evolution. Anyway, all cows started out their relationship with humans from just a few herds and were domesticated. We selected parents and bred for characteristics we liked to create breeds. Some cows were specifically selected for high milk production and those became our dairy breeds. So dairy herds were just artificially selected from previously existing herds. The relationship between cows and humans goes back tens of thousands of years, we've had lots of time to develop different breeds and types.

Answer 4

My guess is, when people started to domesticate animals, they came across some female bovine beings that gave a little more milk than the rest. With that done they tried to breed those beings and pick out which gives even more milk. rinse, repeat.
Fast forward a few thousand generations, when people discovered hormones and steriods, the cows get a syringe full of those every now and then and u get a super milk cow.

ok that's not the best answer but it's my most sarcastic one. :P

Answer 5

Most breeds of cattle come from certain areas. It is very similar in hogs and sheep. This is why there are many breeds of livestock that have names that originate from places such as Hampshire, Jersey, Yorkshire, and South Devon.

These breeds were originally from these areas and were likely domesticated around the same time. Many breeds were bred to bring out certain strengths (such as the Jersey for milking and high milk fat). Other, "newer breeds" breeds were developed when these breeds eventually crossbred or were selectively bred.

Most cattle were domesticated first for use as work animals and then milk and meat. Before this cattle did roam the earth much like deer or buffalo.

Answer 6

Well, that is something I haven't thought of as of now. My best guess would be that cows were domesticated so long ago that there really aren't any wild cows.

How about Bison? They are probably closely related to the cows on farms, and they are wild.

Answer 7

I like that question! Weird questions are always welcome. ;)
I thought they originally came from England with the first colonists, and I was right. Here is what I found for ya:

"The first cow in America arrived in Jamestown colony in 1611. Until the 1850's, nearly every family had its own cow. The first regular shipment of milk by railroad was between Orange County, New York, and New York City and began in 1841."

I think they also brought over chickens and horses and dogs and cats. From what I remember, only turkeys were here with the natives. :)

Answer 8

Cows today are not like their ancient kins. Along the way, humans domesticated cows and bred them to what they are now. Century after century, there has been a lot of changes to get to where the cow is nowadays.

Long ago, cows were wild animals too. Human intervention has made them what they are today.

Answer 9

In North America, people did not use domesticated (tame) cattle for plowing, but they did hunt and eat wild cattle called buffalo or bison. When people from Europe came to America, about 1600 AD, they brought their domesticated cattle with them, and by the 1800's AD there were many oxen plowing fields in both North and South America, and many more grazing on the pastures of American plains, being herded by cowboys. I hope this sums it up for you.

Answer 10

You don't see "cows" in the wild because cows are a domesticated species. Our human ancestors decided that rather than hunting the wildly roaming antelopes, it would be a lot easier to catch a few, put rings in their noses, and keep them handy as a ready supply of things like meat and milk.

Any zoo has large antelope-like creatures that are heavy and slow like cows. Imagine a creature like this to be the great great grandfather of the cow. (You can see antelope-like traits especially in young calves--running and prancing like his cousin.) Once humans started selecting the physical traits we wanted them to possess, like short legs, lots of meat, copious milk production, we started breeding to achieve those traits, Hence over thousands of generations, cows developed as human society evolved. "Cows" never existed on their own in the wild. (Bison, water buffalo, and other cow-like creatures do exist in the wild in certain places. But these are not domesticated--much more unpredictable in behavior and more dangerous to be around.)

If this seems unbelievable, just picture the house cat or loyal mutt that lives with you. These are relatives of dangerous predators. They became our pets as we chose the traits we wanted to see them possessing. (Small bodies, friendly temperament, etc.)

Answer 11

Cattle have been domesticated for thousands of years.

The original animals were captured from the wild--gnus, widebeasts, yaks,...whatever.

By means of selective breeding, the various varieties of domestic cattle came into being.

Same process with dogs---descended from wild wolves.

Same process with wheat.

Neither cattle, dogs, now wheat can survive on their own.