Use : expectant or small , zebus are the quintessential cattle for live , randy climates where non - hunchbacked Bos taurus stock fail to flourish . Not only used as squawk and family dairy producers in tropic and semi - tropic parts of the world , zebu bull are used to sire stalwart , heat - resistant calf from cow of other breeds . reckon the Brahmin Samson in our own Southern states . He ’s been used to create breed as diverse as the Brahmousin ( Brahmin and Limousin ) , Beefmaster ( a combining of Hereford , Shorthorn and Brahman genetics ) , Braford ( Brahmin and Hereford ) , Brangus ( Brahmin and Angus ) , and Santa Gertrudis ( a alone blend of Brahmin , Hereford , and Shorthorn genetics go at the immense King Ranch in Texas ) .
History : The ancient aurochs , a grandiloquent , massively built bovine that once ranged from Asia to Europe and south to the Middle East , was cultivate in several position , one of them being the Indus Valley of Pakistan . These humped kine became Bos indicus , better known to the modern world as zebus . Two types of zebus call North America menage : the Brahman and the Miniature Zebu . Brahmin ( sometimes referred to as Brahma ) cattle were developed in our Southern land in the former 1900 ’s using the genetics of four different Indian breeds , some by way of Brazil where zebu Bos taurus are treasured for their heating system leeway , hardiness , and disease resistance . Miniature Zebus are a separate strain and not miniaturize versions of their larger Brahmin cousins . They are descended from Indian Nadudana zebu cattle imported by zoos during the other age of the twentieth century .
Conformation : Zebus of all stock ( and there are an estimated 75 breeds world - widely ) have a number of characteristic in vulgar . All have distinct jut over their shoulders and necks that are larger in zebu bull and tip than the jut on zebu cows . Both sexes have pendulous dewlaps hanging from their necks to leave more hide surface for cooling . Zebus have more sweat glands than non - zebu cattle so they also dissipate hotness through sweating . Their unusually mobile , oily tegument helps repel plaguy hemipteron . All have dark skin pigmentation , so skin cancer rarely lay a problem . Zebus are also resistant to tropical diseases like cattle plague in Africa and to parasites that promptly fall European Bos taurus breeds . They ’re known for being docile , friendly , intelligent animals when handled with kindness . Most Brahmins are gray , ranging from porcelain to almost disastrous , but come in other color , particularly cherry-red . cattle matter in the neck of the woods of 1000 to 1400 pound , while bulls tip the scale at 1600 to 2000 pound . They ’re noted for their long , nodding ears and attractive , up - curve horns that often angle back at the tips . Miniature Zebus come in an array of color including cream , gray , black , red , and descry . Mature cows weigh only 300 to 500 pounds ; bulls , 400 to 600 pounds . They are measured at the withers behind the bulge and can not surmount 42 inches tall at three age of eld . Unlike Brahmins , Miniature Zebus have shorter , less pendulous auricle . They are show by two governing body , the American Miniature Zebu Association and the International Miniature Zebu Association . There are fewer than 1000 Miniature Zebu in North America .
Special Considerations / Notes : While most people consort zebus with southerly climes , in fact brahman and Miniature Zebus are intrepid , adaptable animate being that given auspices from weather extremum , make out well in northerly states too . Both breeds boom on low - quality forage . They are exceptionally long - lived and due to their sura ’ small nascence weight , calve problems are rare indeed .
