Professor Catrin Rutland - The Cow: A Natural and Cultural History
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A richly illustrated introduction to the science and history of the cow
We populate the countryside with cows the world over, and their familiar presence ensures that global demands for milk and beef are met. But with more than a billion cattle on the planet, the importance of cows extends well beyond food production. Cows are venerated by some religions and shunned by others; they provide leather for shoes, clothing, and other uses; and they have long been central to the agricultural way of life, working the fields, pulling carts, and providing fertilizer. The Cow is a comprehensive guide to help us understand these important animals, offering a wealth of information about their anatomy and behaviors, breed varieties, and place in human culture past and present. Exploring the cows livestock credentials and beyond, this book combines engaging and informative text, beautiful photographs, and explanatory diagrams to examine the cows fascinating biology, its hard-wired behaviors, and its relationship with humankind.- Provides an in-depth look at the evolution of the cow, its role in agriculture, and the development of breeds
- Includes chapters on Anatomy & Biology, Society & Behavior, and Cattle & People
- Features a photographic directory of forty global cattle breeds
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A Natural & Cultural History
CATRIN RUTLAND
T oday, ancient, historic, and very new breeds of cattle are found throughout the world, and they have all played a major part in society over the years. As we shall see in the pages to come, modern cattle breeds have descended from the now extinct auroch and the first domesticated cattle. Aurochs interacted with people, and slowly cattle became domesticated, which is shown in cave paintings through to the first farming techniques. Some modern breeds now dominate the planet, while others have become extinct or are presently endangered. Understanding their close relatives from an evolutionary point of view helps us to understand how and why cattle have adapted or have died out.
Although cattle are common throughout the world, some breeds are so rare they are officially classified as endangered. This may be because they do not produce large quantities of milk or beef, or because their breed numbers have been limited in number for other reasons. Many groups across the world work to preserve the species, and some even look at crossbreeding the original auroch genes back into the cattle genome, to create a modern breed that more closely resembles the ancient creatures. The genome sequence of modern cattle was published in 2009 and included information about 22,000 genes. Knowledge increases daily about both modern and extinct cattle, which can inform us about breeding, developing new types of cows, and quite possibly bringing back lost characteristics in some cattle. Over the years, farmers have taken great care with breeding in a bid to increase milk yields, improve beef quality, or to aid survival in difficult climates. As a result, some breeds have become more resistant to disease, while others can now cope with high temperatures and periods of drought. Combining traditional breeding knowledge with advancing techniques such as genetics and artificial insemination is helping to reduce disease incidence and target specific traits or disorders in herds.
As the ancient auroch became domesticated, our ancestors drew pictures of their animals. This prehistoric art in the Lascaux IV caves, France, gives us a glimpse into this past.
From the first domestication events to the present day, cattle have become increasingly important to people. They provide us with milk, meat, leather, and even their waste products are used to build houses and fuel fires. India now has the highest number of cattle in the world, and also has the highest number of people following vegan and vegetarian diets. Therefore, to many, beef is not important, and their religion tells us why cattle are so revered. Hinduism is widely followed in India, and cattle are treated as sacred animals rather than used for their meat.
Some countries have very few cattle, usually because the climate is inconducive to keeping large numbers of these large herbivores. Greenland presently has very few cattle, but when the Vikings arrived in the tenth century, the island was covered in vegetation, so these seafaring Scandinavians successfully settled on the land, farmed, and kept cattle. As the climate and vegetation changed, cattle became more difficult to rear, so today the numbers are reduced, but the population still values its cattle.
With more than a billion cattle on the planet, the importance of cows extends well beyond food production. These animals have been a key species in moving people away from the hunter-gatherer system into the agriculture-dependent way of living for so many societies throughout the world. Cattle have worked the fields alongside farmers, pulled carts, and provided the fields with fertilizer. They have provided leather for clothing, shoes, and other essential items, and have even been used as decorative ornaments, and as sporting and show animals. Bovines have also played important roles in culture and religionchildren grow up learning, singing, and reading about these important animals in their everyday lives.
Zebu cattle originated in South Asia from Indian aurochs and have the characteristic fatty hump and dropped ears. Providing meat and dairy products, in addition to dung for fuel and manure and hides for clothes, shoes, ornaments, and household goods, their interactions with people have a rich history.
With 7 billion dairy consumers and around 210 gallons of milk produced from cows annually, milk is an international commodity.
The major role of cow-related products in food production inevitably attaches an economic value to cattle. People in most countries will associate the cow with milk production. For years cows have produced milk for their calves, but increasingly the cow is bred to provide milk for humans. Whether that is milk for our breakfasts, in our recipes, or as feed for infants, it is a vital economy. Understanding the anatomy and physiology of milk production is essential to fully appreciate the economic value of cattle.
Over the years the anatomy of some breeds has changed greatly in order to produce vast quantities of milk. Milk is produced via the mammary glands, which are actually modified sweat glands. Cows have also developed the ligaments and strong tissue needed to contain the heavy weights of milk in the udder, and for the whole body to cope with the demands made in order to keep up with milk production. Particular breeds have adapted and been bred for high milk yields, and the economic ramifications of this have huge impacts across the globe. In addition, a number of illnesses and diseases are directly related to milk production, therefore much care has to be taken to understand and treat these conditions.
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