Cattle

Class: Mammal
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Species: Bos taurus

Ungulates are a group of mammals that support their body weight on the tips of their toes (that is, on their nails — hence the name ungulate). For this reason, they have developed a hoof to protect the limb.
They are divided into:

• Artiodactyls = even-toed ungulates (such as cows, deer, pigs, and wild boars).
• Perissodactyls = odd-toed ungulates (such as horses).

Did you know that...

…it’s a ruminant!
Unlike the horse (a non-ruminant herbivore with a single-chamber stomach), cattle are herbivorous ruminants. They eat grass and hay like horses, but their digestive system includes a complex stomach made up of 3 fore-stomachs (rumen, reticulum, omasum) and 1 true stomach (abomasum).

…both males and females have horns!
The horns — bones covered with keratin — are not a sexual characteristic of the animal and vary depending on the breed. To tell a male from a female, you’ll have to look elsewhere!

…the cow used to be considered a supermarket!
Today, cattle are raised mainly for milk and meat, but in the past, they provided much more: hides for shoes and clothing, horns for tools, labor for fields, pulling power for carts, and even heating, thanks to the warmth produced in the barn.

Continue your visit and find out if it has a wild relative living in the forest!

Its prehistoric ancestor is called the Aurochs...

…a kind of prehistoric bison that already existed in the time of Neanderthals.
Around 10,000 years ago, humans realized it was more useful to raise than to hunt, and thus it became a domesticated animal.

Scan and play!
You’ll find more fun facts and insights.

How to behave?

To get along with me, remember that I’m not a toy: sometimes I don’t want to be touched, or I may get scared by something I don’t understand.
Respect my mood and learn to read the signals I send you.
Here are the main ones!

✅ KEEP A SAFE DISTANCE
1 adult arm’s length

Do not enter the enclosure!
The fence is electrified.

💛 We love cuddles, but when you come close, pay attention:

1️⃣ We are big and heavy, but even small insects can really bother us… so we shake our head and tail to get rid of them! Sometimes we also stamp our feet on the ground.

2️⃣ We don’t have a good awareness of the power of our horns: if you’re too close when we move or ask for cuddles, we might hurt you without meaning to.

⚠️ Watch out for the tongue!
We’re greedy and lick everything to get to know it. We might try to lick you — but remember never put your hand in our mouth!

✅ If you want to give us grass, drop it inside the fence!
Our teeth are very sharp, and sometimes we’re not very gentle.
Don’t feed us from your hands.