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An udder is an organ formed of two or four mammary glands on the females of dairy animals and ruminants such as cattle, goats, and sheep. [1] An udder is equivalent to the breast in primates, elephantine pachyderms and other mammals. The udder is a single mass hanging beneath the animal, consisting of pairs of mammary glands with protruding ...
Prey animals, sheep, goats, pigs and cattle, were progressively domesticated early in the history of agriculture. [3] Pigs were domesticated in the Near East between 8,500 and 8000 BC, [4] sheep and goats in or near the Fertile Crescent about 8,500 BC, [5] and cattle from wild aurochs in the areas of modern Turkey and Pakistan around 8,500 BC. [6]
However, beef cattle can also be bred through artificial insemination, [1] depending on the cow and the size of the herd. Cattle are normally bred during the summer so that calving may occur the following spring. [1] However, cattle breeding can occur at other times of year. Depending on the operation, calving may occur all year round.
A freemartin is the normal outcome of mixed twins in all cattle species which have been studied. [16] It is most frequent in cattle and does not normally occur in most other mammals, [16] though it has been recorded in sheep, [17] [18] goats, [19] [18] and pigs. [20]
Within the American beef cattle industry, the older term beef (plural beeves) is still used to refer to an animal of either sex. Some Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and British people use the term beast. [11] Cattle bred specifically for milk production are called milking or dairy cattle; [1] a cow kept to provide milk for one family may be ...
Domesticated sheep are herd animals that are bred for agricultural trade. A flock of sheep is mated by a single ram, which has either been chosen by a farmer or, in feral populations, has established dominance through physical contests with other rams. [1] Sheep have a breeding season (tupping) in the autumn, though some can breed year-round. [1]
A Holstein Friesian bull A Charolais bull. A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species Bos taurus ().More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, including for sacrifices.
Cattle are kept as livestock almost everywhere except in parts of India and Nepal, where they are considered sacred by most Hindus. Bovids are used as draft animals and as riding animals. Small breeds of domestic bovid, such as the Miniature Zebu, are kept as pets.