Cow Facts

25 Cow Facts For Kids

1. The cow is a domesticated cloven-hooved mammal that is a member of the Bos genus in the Bovidae family.
2. The cow’s binomial name is Bos taurus.
3. Cows were first domesticated about 10,500 years ago in Asia around the central Anatolia and Levant regions.
4. Cows are widely known and popular for their meat, milk, and hide production.
5. Cows are one of the most recognizable farm animals.
6. There are more than a thousand different cow breeds found around the world.
7. There are between 900 million and 1 billion cows living worldwide.
8. Cows are so big and plentiful that scientists estimate they are the largest biomass of a single animal species.
9. Cows are herbivores and eat only plant material.
10. Cows have a mixed diet, but research has shown they prefer clovers and grass.
11. Cows consume around two percent of their body weight every day, which is between 20 and 40 pounds per day.
12. Cow breeds can be divided into two different groups, dairy cows, and beef cows.
13. A dairy cow is a cattle breed that is bred and raised for its ability to produce milk.
14. A beef cow is a cattle breed that is bred and raised for its ability to produce meat (beef).
15. There are some cow breeds also used as draft animals (working animals) and are used to pull farm equipment and materials.
16. There are some cow breeds also used to produce hides (cowhides) to create rugs and leather.
17. The waste (poop or dung) produced by cows can be used as manure for crops or in certain types of biofuels.
18. It is estimated that the waste created by cows’ accounts for about 10% of the human created greenhouse gas emissions.
19. The average adult male cow weighs around 2,400 pounds.
20. The average adult female cow weighs around 1,600 pounds.
21. The average adult male cow can run at about 17 miles per hour.
22. An adult male cow is called a bull.
23. An adult female cow is called a heifer before having offspring and simply a cow after giving birth to offspring.
24. A juvenile cow (young), regardless of its gender, is called a calf.
25. Cows are considered sacred in India and there are laws in place to prevent their slaughter in most Indian states.

Cow Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on cows. Below are three pictures of cows. These pictures should help you better understand what different cows look like.

A picture of a herd of female cattle (cows).

A picture of a large male cow (bull).

A picture of a common dairy cow.