Cow Pictures, Page 1 of 3
Below are cow pictures and pictures of calves. Please scroll down below the photos to find a short article with interesting information on cows.
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About Cows
- A cow is a mature female belonging to the genus Bos. This includes the species cattle. The species cattle includes both domestic cattle and wild cattle such as bison, water buffalo, and more. Some females of other large animals, such as elephants and whales, are also called cows.
- Cows are ungulates. "Ungulate" means they are a mammal with hooves. Cows are
even-toed ungulates (called Artiodactyls) and
horses are odd-toed ungulates
(called Perissodactyls).
- More examples of even-toed ungulates: Pigs, goats, sheep, and camels.
- More examples of odd-toed ungulates: Rhinoceroses and zebras.
- Cows are ruminants. A ruminant is an even-toed animal that digests its food
by first swallowing it, then regurgitating it later to re-chew and re-swallow
it. This process may be repeated several times. The regurgitated food is referred
to as a "cud." Ruminants have four different digestive chambers. The
chambers are the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and the obamasum. Ruminant animals
like cows are very efficient at extracting the most nutrition possible from poor
quality feed.
- More examples of ruminants: Goats, sheep, deer, llamas, bison, and buffalo.
- The gestation period for a cow is nine months.
- Some common "cow" terms:
- Cattle - An animal belonging to the family Bovidae, genus Bos, and species cattle. "Cattle" is a plural term used to refer to more than one animal.
- Calf - A young member of the genus Bos. A calf can be either male or female. The plural of "calf" is "calves."
- Heifer - A young female member of the genus Bos. When a heifer matures, she is called a cow.
- Cow - A mature female belonging to the genus Bos.
- Bull - A male belonging to the genus Bos.
- Steer - A castrated male belonging to the genus Bos.
- Ox - A male belonging to the genus Bos that has been castrated after having reached sexual maturity. The term can also mean any member of the Bos genus (usually male, but can also be female) that is used for draft work. The plural of "ox" is "oxen."
