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Texas Longhorn

The Texas Longhorn is a cattle breed known for its impressively large horns-- some bulls have spreads of close to 7ft!

Texas Longhorn
The origins of the breed actually date back to Christopher Columbus. Early trips to "the New World" introduced Spanish Cattle to the continent. Many of these Cattle turned feral in Texas and other eventual southern states for a few hundred years, and were re-domesticated in the early 19th century. Those cattle were interbred with English stock from the East Coast, and the Texas Longhorn breed was born.

Thanks to the mixed Spanish and English ancestry, the Texas Longhorn comes in many, many different color varieties. You'll find them in grey, brown, red, black, and white. Some are solidly colored, others have patches, while others have speckles. Quite the color palette! They also range in size, and can weigh anywhere from 700 to 1500lbs!

Texas Longhorns are primarily bred for their meat, though they are occasionally used for dairy purposes as well.

Status : Domesticated
Location : North America
Size : Varies, maximum weight around 1,500lbs (680kg)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Bovidae -- Genus : Bos -- Species : B. primigenius
Image : Tomballpi, Myrna Spurrier

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