Fun Facts About Cows
Are you curious about cows? Learn all about these gentle giants with these fun facts about cows.
Basic Facts About Cows
Did you know all cows are female? Cows are the female type of cattle, while male cattle are called bulls.
Cows are mammals, which means they have fur and nurse their young. Some cows have horns; others don’t.
They have cloven hooves, which means they walk on hooves with two toes. Cows are related to sheep, goats, and antelopes.
You will see cows on many farms and ranches. People raise cows for milk, meat, and leather.
Now that you know some basic facts about cows, let’s move on to some fun facts!
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10 Fun Facts About Cows
Who knew cows were so fascinating? Check out this list of fun facts about cows.
Cows Chew Their Cud for Hours
Cows primarily eat grass, which is challenging for the stomach to break down and absorb.
The digestive system of a cow is especially suited to digesting grass.
Cows have stomachs with four compartments.
When cows eat grass, they chew it and swallow it, and the grass goes to the first and largest stomach compartment: the rumen.
The rumen stores a lot of grass; over the day, the cow will regurgitate the swallowed grass in bite-sized amounts back into its mouth.
The cow chews this regurgitated grass (now called the “cud”) and grinds it thoroughly with its back teeth.
Then, the cow swallows the cud, and it eventually moves into the next compartment of the stomach.
Cows spend roughly 8 hours a day chewing their cud.
Cows Produce Gallons of Spit
Cow saliva has special enzymes to help break down the starchy grasses it loves to eat.
A cow produces a lot of saliva to help with digestion.
In fact, cows produce anywhere from 50-150 liters of saliva daily. That’s as much as 25-75 big bottles of soda!
By contrast, humans only produce 1-2 liters of saliva daily.
Cows Produce a Lot of Milk
People love to drink cow’s milk, and cows produce a lot of milk. Cows are milked twice a day.
The Holstein variety of cows produces the most milk, around 7 to 9 gallons per day.
90% of the milk in grocery stores comes from Holsteins.
The flavor of the milk is affected by a cow’s diet. If a cow eats grass, that produces the sweetest milk. If a cow eats hay, the milk can taste slightly bitter.
The breed of cow also affects the taste of the milk. Guernsey and Jersey cows produce creamier milk with a higher fat content.
Cows Need Friends
Cows are social animals, which means they are happiest in a group.
Cows will groom each other by licking the head and neck of another cow.
They will also play with one another, running around and chasing each other.
Cows are excellent mothers, nurturing and protecting their young. Typically, cows give birth to one calf per year.
Cows recognize the cries of their calves. They will walk for miles to reunite with them.
Cows Can See Behind Them
A cow has eyes on the sides of its head, which means it can see 300 degrees around its head without even turning its neck.
This eye placement has its drawbacks. A cow cannot see directly above or below itself without raising or lowering its head.
Cows can see in color, but they cannot see red or green. They see blue, yellow, brown, black, white, and grey.
Cows Can Smell Much Better Than You
Cows have an excellent sense of smell. It is more than five times better than humans.
They use their sense of smell to locate water and food, identify one another (yes, cows each have a particular smell), and detect predators.
Amazingly, a cow can smell scents as far as six miles away!
Cows Are Athletic
When you think of a cow, you probably picture a gentle, lazy creature munching on grass and warming itself in the sunshine.
Cows are surprisingly athletic. They can run up to 25 miles an hour. (That’s 4-5 times faster than a human.)
They can jump over fences and other obstacles.
Cows are also capable of swimming!
The First Cows in America Arrived in 1611
Cattle are not native to North America.
The first cows were brought to America with the Jamestown colony in 1611.
Today, there are around 98 million cows in the United States!
However, there are more cows in other countries. India, China, and Brazil have the most cows.
Cows Are Sacred in India
The cow is a sacred animal in the Hindu religion. Therefore, Hindus do not eat beef. In some states in India, killing a cow is punishable by 7-10 years in jail.
Hindus celebrate a festival of the cow called Vasubaras. It is the official start of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
You Can Tell a Cow by Its Nose Print
Every human being has a distinct set of fingerprints.
Cows don’t have fingerprints (they have hooves, after all), but they do have distinct noses. No two cow noses are alike.
Researchers have developed “nose recognition” software to correctly identify a cow by a picture of its nose (the same way your phone uses FaceID).
Read More About Cows
If you liked these fun facts about cows, check out these books about cows.
Cows
This early reader for K-3 is perfect for independent reading.
Facts About the Cow
This fact-filled book for elementary features full-color photos.
Know Your Cows
Each page of this book features information on 1 of 44 breeds of cows.
Interesting Cow Facts
Cows are more than just farm animals. They are fascinating!
Learn more about these gentle mammals with these fun facts about cows.
