A brown-and-white cow lying in a grassy mountain meadow. — Photo: Kim Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cow

Bos taurus

Domestic cattle, descended from the extinct aurochs and raised around the world for milk and meat.

🐐 Farm Animals 🦓 Hoofed Mammals

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About the Cow

Cattle are domestic animals raised for meat, milk and work. Breeds such as Angus, Hereford and Holstein belong to the species Bos taurus. All modern cattle come from an ancient wild ancestor called the aurochs; the last aurochs died in Poland in 1627. Cattle eat hay, grass, corn, soybeans, wheat and silage. Female cattle usually have their first calf around age 2.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Bos taurus^[1]
Diet: Herbivore. Hay, grass, corn, soybeans, wheat and silage.^[1]
Habitat: Farms, pastures and rangeland.^[1]
Where it lives: Raised around the world.^[1]
Group life: Herds.^[1]
Babies: Usually one calf after about nine months.^[1]
Conservation status: Domesticated animal. Not assessed by the IUCN.^[1]

Fun facts

The word cattle comes from an Old French word meaning 'possession.'^[1]
Cattle can see almost all the way around themselves.^[1]
The last wild aurochs, the ancestor of cattle, died in 1627.^[1]

Vocabulary

ruminant: A hoofed animal that chews cud and has a stomach with several chambers.
domesticated: Tamed and raised by people over many generations.
heifer: A young female cow that has not had a calf.
silage: Fermented plant feed for farm animals.
herbivore: An animal that eats only plants.

See it in person

Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · Kids' FarmSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Cow.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/cow (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

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