All breeds
291 breeds so far, best known first. 124 more are on the list to be written.
🇷🇺 RussiaIstoben
A dairy breed of Russia's Kirov region, recognised in 1943Dairy
🇮🇹 ItalyVarzese-Ottonese-Tortonese
A pale wheaten, horned dairy-and-beef breed from Lombardy and its border hillsDual-purpose
🇮🇹 ItalyPontremolese
A horned beef breed from Tuscany, red-coated with black round the eyesBeef
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreRarámuri Criollo
A desert Criollo type from Copper Canyon, kept by the Tarahumara for 500 yearsTaurine · Beef · Drought-hardy
🇸🇪 SwedenSwedish Red PiedRödbrokig Svensk Boskap
A red and white Swedish dairy breed, extinct, merged into the Swedish Red-and-WhiteTaurine · Dairy
🇵🇹 PortugalMarinhoa
A large, docile breed from Aveiro District, central Portugal, in a light brown coatTaurine · Docile
🇨🇺 CubaSiboney de Cuba
A Cuban dairy cross of Holstein Friesian and zebu, bred for milk since the 1960sComposite · Dairy · Thrifty foragers
🇿🇦 South Africa and 5 moreDrakensberger
Always-black dual-purpose cattle from South Africa's Drakensberg escarpmentComposite · Dual-purpose · Thrifty foragers
🇳🇬 NigeriaAdamawa
A multipurpose humped breed from Adamawa in Nigeria, with crescent-curled hornsZebu · Triple-purpose
🇦🇺 AustraliaAustralian Milking Zebu
An Australian dairy composite, Jersey in shape with the loose skin of its zebu parentsComposite · Dairy · Heat-tolerant
🇦🇺 AustraliaTasmanian Grey
A polled beef breed from Tasmania, grey or dun, with Angus and Shorthorn rootsTaurine · Beef · Polled
🇮🇳 IndiaMeetei Sanꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯁꯟ
A hardy medium-sized breed from Manipur, kept for ploughing, with low milk yieldDraught · Thrifty foragers
🇦🇺 AustraliaGreyman
An Australian beef breed blending Murray Grey and Brahman blood, grey and hornlessComposite · Beef · Heat-tolerant
🇸🇩 SudanButana and Kenana
Sudan's milk zebu: the deep red Butana and the Kenana that whitens with ageZebu · Dairy
🇺🇸 United StatesAmerican Breed
A rare American beef hybrid with a small share of bison blood, bred in 1950s New MexicoComposite · Beef · Thrifty foragers
🇩🇪 GermanyGerman Black Pied DairySchwarzbuntes Milchrind (SMR)
A three-way dairy cross bred in East Germany from Jersey, Black Pied and Holstein bloodComposite · Dairy · Rich milk
🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreTabapuan
A polled zebu beef breed from São Paulo, first of Brazil's humped cattleZebu · Beef · Heat-tolerant
🇺🇸 United StatesAleutian wild cattle
Feral cattle of the Alaskan Aleutians, linked by genetics to Highland cattleTaurine · Beef
🇧🇾 BelarusBelarus RedБеларуская чырвоная
A red dairy breed of Belarus, long-lived and easy to feedTaurine · Dairy · Long-lived
🇹🇼 TaiwanYuanxing源興牛
A rare Tajima-line beef breed from Taiwan, black-brown and horned, saved by Lee Teng-huiTaurine · Beef
🇮🇹 ItalyCinisara
A black, horned milk-and-beef cow from the Palermo province of Sicily.Dual-purpose
🇻🇪 VenezuelaTipo Carora
A Venezuelan dairy breed, pale fawn or white with black skinTaurine · Dairy · Heat-tolerant
🇬🇧 United KingdomWhitebred Shorthorn
An always-white beef Shorthorn from the border hills, hardy and thriftyTaurine · Beef · Thrifty foragers
🇮🇹 ItalyMucca Pisana
A horned beef cow from Tuscany, chestnut-coated with a red stripe down the spineTaurine · Beef
🇨🇴 ColombiaFrankeston Red
A red, dual-purpose Colombian breed built for milk and meat in the tropicsComposite · Dual-purpose · Heat-tolerant
🇺🇸 United StatesAmerican Angus
Hornless black beef cattle from Scottish stock, now the most common beef breed in the USATaurine · Beef · Polled
🇺🇬 Uganda and 4 moreAnkole
A sanga cattle group of east and central Africa with at least five regional strainsSanga
🇧🇷 BrazilMocho Nacional
A hornless beef breed of Brazil, of European descent rather than zebuTaurine · Beef · Polled
🇪🇹 EthiopiaRaya
A red and black Sanga ox breed from Tigray, with heavy horns in the malesSanga · Draught · Long-horned
🇪🇸 SpainAndalusian BlackNegra Andaluza
A black taurine beef breed from western Andalusia, long-horned and now endangeredTaurine · Beef · Docile
🇻🇪 VenezuelaVenezuelan CriolloCriollo Limonero
A taurine landrace dairy cow from Zulia, Venezuela, yellow to red and heat-hardyTaurine · Dairy · Heat-tolerant
🇪🇹 EthiopiaAfar
A long-horned, humped Ethiopian breed kept mainly for milkTaurine · Dairy
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreMilking Shorthorn
A North American dairy breed, red, roan or white, sometimes hornlessTaurine · Dairy · Polled
🇸🇩 Sudan and 1 moreBaggara
A short-horned zebu of Sudan and Chad, lean and hardy, kept for beefZebu · Beef · Heat-tolerant
🇮🇳 IndiaMewati
A white dual-purpose Indian breed from the Mewat region, kept for milk and workDual-purpose
🇬🇧 United KingdomBlue Grey
A blue roan suckler cow, bred from a black Galloway dam and a white Shorthorn sireTaurine · Beef · Polled
🇮🇹 ItalySardo Bruna
A horned, mouse-grey beef breed from the island of SardiniaTaurine · Beef
🇧🇷 BrazilJunqueira
A rare, long-horned taurine breed from São Paulo, BrazilTaurine · Heritage · Long-horned
🇳🇵 NepalAchham
A very small zebu cow from the hills of far western Nepal, kept mainly for milkZebu · Dairy · Thrifty foragers
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreMiniature Zebu
Tiny humped cattle from America, registered since 1991 and standing no taller than 107 cmZebu · Miniature
🇨🇲 CameroonBakosi
A Savannah Shorthorn from Cameroon's south-west, kept for meat, hides and bride price.Taurine · Beef
🇮🇹 ItalySardo Modicana
A horned beef breed from Sardinia, its red coat ranging from pale to deep wine-redTaurine · Beef
🇪🇹 EthiopiaArado
A small red and black zebu from the north Ethiopian highlands, kept first for ploughingZebu · Draught · Thrifty foragers
🇨🇮 Ivory Coast and 1 moreBaoulé
A dwarf shorthorn of the Ivory Coast savanna, black-coated and kept by Fula herdersTaurine · Dairy
🇺🇸 United StatesBuelingo
A large belted beef breed from North Dakota: black or red with a white middle bandComposite · Beef
🇵🇹 PortugalJarmelista
A beef breed from the Guarda district of central Portugal, near the Serra da EstrelaBeef
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreBraunviehSchweizerisches Braunvieh
A brown Alpine dairy breed from Schwyz, once kept for milk, meat and workTaurine · Dairy
🇬🇧 United KingdomSwona
A feral herd on an Orkney island, on its own since the last people left in 1974Taurine · Beef · Disease-resistant
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreRarámuri Criollo
A desert Criollo type from Copper Canyon, kept by the Tarahumara for 500 yearsTaurine · Beef · Drought-hardy
🇸🇪 SwedenSwedish Red PiedRödbrokig Svensk Boskap
A red and white Swedish dairy breed, extinct, merged into the Swedish Red-and-WhiteTaurine · Dairy
🇵🇹 PortugalMarinhoa
A large, docile breed from Aveiro District, central Portugal, in a light brown coatTaurine · Docile
🇨🇺 CubaSiboney de Cuba
A Cuban dairy cross of Holstein Friesian and zebu, bred for milk since the 1960sComposite · Dairy · Thrifty foragers
🇿🇦 South Africa and 5 moreDrakensberger
Always-black dual-purpose cattle from South Africa's Drakensberg escarpmentComposite · Dual-purpose · Thrifty foragers
🇳🇬 NigeriaAdamawa
A multipurpose humped breed from Adamawa in Nigeria, with crescent-curled hornsZebu · Triple-purpose
🇦🇺 AustraliaAustralian Milking Zebu
An Australian dairy composite, Jersey in shape with the loose skin of its zebu parentsComposite · Dairy · Heat-tolerant
🇦🇺 AustraliaTasmanian Grey
A polled beef breed from Tasmania, grey or dun, with Angus and Shorthorn rootsTaurine · Beef · Polled
🇮🇳 IndiaMeetei Sanꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯁꯟ
A hardy medium-sized breed from Manipur, kept for ploughing, with low milk yieldDraught · Thrifty foragers
🇦🇺 AustraliaGreyman
An Australian beef breed blending Murray Grey and Brahman blood, grey and hornlessComposite · Beef · Heat-tolerant
🇸🇩 SudanButana and Kenana
Sudan's milk zebu: the deep red Butana and the Kenana that whitens with ageZebu · Dairy
🇺🇸 United StatesAmerican Breed
A rare American beef hybrid with a small share of bison blood, bred in 1950s New MexicoComposite · Beef · Thrifty foragers
🇩🇪 GermanyGerman Black Pied DairySchwarzbuntes Milchrind (SMR)
A three-way dairy cross bred in East Germany from Jersey, Black Pied and Holstein bloodComposite · Dairy · Rich milk
🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreTabapuan
A polled zebu beef breed from São Paulo, first of Brazil's humped cattleZebu · Beef · Heat-tolerant
🇺🇸 United StatesAleutian wild cattle
Feral cattle of the Alaskan Aleutians, linked by genetics to Highland cattleTaurine · Beef
🇧🇾 BelarusBelarus RedБеларуская чырвоная
A red dairy breed of Belarus, long-lived and easy to feedTaurine · Dairy · Long-lived
🇹🇼 TaiwanYuanxing源興牛
A rare Tajima-line beef breed from Taiwan, black-brown and horned, saved by Lee Teng-huiTaurine · Beef
🇮🇹 ItalyCinisara
A black, horned milk-and-beef cow from the Palermo province of Sicily.Dual-purpose
🇻🇪 VenezuelaTipo Carora
A Venezuelan dairy breed, pale fawn or white with black skinTaurine · Dairy · Heat-tolerant
🇬🇧 United KingdomWhitebred Shorthorn
An always-white beef Shorthorn from the border hills, hardy and thriftyTaurine · Beef · Thrifty foragers
🇮🇹 ItalyMucca Pisana
A horned beef cow from Tuscany, chestnut-coated with a red stripe down the spineTaurine · Beef
🇨🇴 ColombiaFrankeston Red
A red, dual-purpose Colombian breed built for milk and meat in the tropicsComposite · Dual-purpose · Heat-tolerant
🇺🇸 United StatesAmerican Angus
Hornless black beef cattle from Scottish stock, now the most common beef breed in the USATaurine · Beef · Polled
🇺🇬 Uganda and 4 moreAnkole
A sanga cattle group of east and central Africa with at least five regional strainsSanga
🇧🇷 BrazilMocho Nacional
A hornless beef breed of Brazil, of European descent rather than zebuTaurine · Beef · Polled
🇪🇹 EthiopiaRaya
A red and black Sanga ox breed from Tigray, with heavy horns in the malesSanga · Draught · Long-horned
🇪🇸 SpainAndalusian BlackNegra Andaluza
A black taurine beef breed from western Andalusia, long-horned and now endangeredTaurine · Beef · Docile
🇻🇪 VenezuelaVenezuelan CriolloCriollo Limonero
A taurine landrace dairy cow from Zulia, Venezuela, yellow to red and heat-hardyTaurine · Dairy · Heat-tolerant
🇪🇹 EthiopiaAfar
A long-horned, humped Ethiopian breed kept mainly for milkTaurine · Dairy
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreMilking Shorthorn
A North American dairy breed, red, roan or white, sometimes hornlessTaurine · Dairy · Polled
🇸🇩 Sudan and 1 moreBaggara
A short-horned zebu of Sudan and Chad, lean and hardy, kept for beefZebu · Beef · Heat-tolerant
🇮🇳 IndiaMewati
A white dual-purpose Indian breed from the Mewat region, kept for milk and workDual-purpose
🇬🇧 United KingdomBlue Grey
A blue roan suckler cow, bred from a black Galloway dam and a white Shorthorn sireTaurine · Beef · Polled
🇮🇹 ItalySardo Bruna
A horned, mouse-grey beef breed from the island of SardiniaTaurine · Beef
🇧🇷 BrazilJunqueira
A rare, long-horned taurine breed from São Paulo, BrazilTaurine · Heritage · Long-horned
🇳🇵 NepalAchham
A very small zebu cow from the hills of far western Nepal, kept mainly for milkZebu · Dairy · Thrifty foragers
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreMiniature Zebu
Tiny humped cattle from America, registered since 1991 and standing no taller than 107 cmZebu · Miniature
🇨🇲 CameroonBakosi
A Savannah Shorthorn from Cameroon's south-west, kept for meat, hides and bride price.Taurine · Beef
🇮🇹 ItalySardo Modicana
A horned beef breed from Sardinia, its red coat ranging from pale to deep wine-redTaurine · Beef
🇪🇹 EthiopiaArado
A small red and black zebu from the north Ethiopian highlands, kept first for ploughingZebu · Draught · Thrifty foragers
🇨🇮 Ivory Coast and 1 moreBaoulé
A dwarf shorthorn of the Ivory Coast savanna, black-coated and kept by Fula herdersTaurine · Dairy
🇺🇸 United StatesBuelingo
A large belted beef breed from North Dakota: black or red with a white middle bandComposite · Beef
🇵🇹 PortugalJarmelista
A beef breed from the Guarda district of central Portugal, near the Serra da EstrelaBeef
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreBraunviehSchweizerisches Braunvieh
A brown Alpine dairy breed from Schwyz, once kept for milk, meat and workTaurine · Dairy
🇬🇧 United KingdomSwona
A feral herd on an Orkney island, on its own since the last people left in 1974Taurine · Beef · Disease-resistant
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Greyman: Cgoodwin, CC BY 3.0, source
- Miniature Zebu: Garitzko, Public domain, source
- Ankole: flowcomm, CC BY 2.0, source
- Baggara: Imogen Thurbon, CC BY 4.0, source
- Meetei San: Haoreima, CC0, source
- Belarus Red: Homoatrox, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cinisara: HaguardDuNord, CC BY 4.0, source
- Whitebred Shorthorn: Dave Spicer, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- American Angus: Bill Tarpenning, Public domain, source
- Blue Grey: stuad70, CC BY 2.0, source
- Arado: Jnyssen (Jan Nyssen), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Braunvieh: CosyCobra, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rarámuri Criollo: Mmontanamcintosh, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Swona: Ian Balcombe, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Drakensberger: JIRCAS Library, CC BY 2.0, source