Brahman

What do Brahman cattle look like?

A large beef animal that wears its Indian ancestry openly: a hump above the shoulders, and a coat in grey or red. Cows stand 128 to 145 cm at the withers, the ridge between the shoulder blades, and weigh 450 to 675 kg, while bulls run to about 887 kg. Its ability to shrug off heat, sunlight, humidity, biting insects and parasites sets it apart from humpless breeds, and it keeps going where grazing is poor. That hardiness is heritable, which is why European crosses gain so much from Brahman blood.

Where does the Brahman come from?

Cattle of the humped Indian kind had reached North America by 1849, when a single bull landed in South Carolina after a crossing from Britain. The decisive step came in 1885: two grey bulls shipped directly from India to Texas, one over 800 kg and the other little more than half that, were mated with local humpless cows, and their offspring began the breed. More small consignments of Indian cattle arrived up to about 1906, most going to Texas; a few had first appeared in travelling circuses before ranchers bought them. Between 1924 and 1925, 210 bulls with just 18 cows came up from Brazil by way of Mexico, Guzerá hybrids mostly, with Gir and Nelore among them.

What the Brahman is known for

Heat is the breed's signature. It bears strong sun and steamy air without distress, holds its own against biting insects and parasites, and stays productive on thin pasture. American observers found it doing well along the humid southern seaboard, where such conditions wear other cattle down. Best of all for the beef farmer, these qualities travel into crosses: a Brahman-sired calf from a European dam inherits much of that staying power, on top of the hybrid vigor, the extra thrive of a first cross.

How the Brahman is bred and kept

The American Brahman Breeders Association opened its book in 1924 and shut it to fresh foundation animals in 1939, after which only calves from registered parents could be listed. Two doors stayed ajar: eighteen Brazilian bulls, chiefly Indu-Brasil and Gir, were accepted in 1946, with a few later importations. Until 1991 every humped American animal was recorded together; in that year the Gir, Guzerat, Indu-Brasil, Nelore and Tabapua lines received books of their own, leaving the American Red and Grey Brahman with the original one. Today breeders work two ways: mating registered bulls to European cows for cross calves, or fixing new composite breeds.

What the Brahman is kept for

Beef is the breed's business, above all in hot regions where European types struggle. Its own meat is judged inferior to that of Europe's specialist beef breeds, so it is commonly crossed with them, either by rearing cross calves from pure-bred parents on both sides or by building new composite breeds. Several pairings grew into breeds in their own right: Brangus (with Angus), Brahmousin (with Limousin) and Simbrah (with Simmental). Others never won that status, among them the Braford, Bra-Swiss, Sabre, Brahorn, Bravon and South Bravon.

The land and climate of the Brahman

This is cattle for the warm belt. The breed spread chiefly through the tropics, and its Australian stronghold lies in the tropical north of that country. In the United States it made its name along the humid southern coast, where damp heat and insect pressure drain other breeds. Tolerance of muggy air, blazing sun and meagre grazing lets it hold rough country through seasons that European stock would find punishing.

The Brahman at fairs and festivals

In Oman and in Fujairah, bulls of the breed are the competitors in bull-butting, a traditional sport in which two bulls test their strength against each other. Handlers prepare their animals with special feeding, and milk and honey may be given to ready a bull for his bout. The contest is a Gulf custom, one use of the breed far from its American home.

Related breeds and crosses

Few breeds have sired so many offshoots. Brangus (with Angus), Brahmousin (with Limousin) and Simbrah (with Simmental) are recognised breeds in their own right; the Braford (Hereford), Brahorn (Shorthorn), Bravon (Devon), South Bravon (South Devon), Bra-Swiss (Brown Swiss) and Sabre (Sussex) never quite made that grade. Its founding stock, the Gir, Guzerá and Nelore of India, are now recorded separately in the United States.

Numbers, conservation and the herd book

The world holds an estimated 1.8 million-plus, spread over fifty-five countries on every inhabited continent. Seven nations each count more than 100,000 head: Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico and the Dominican Republic in the Americas, Mozambique and South Africa in Africa. The United States last gave a figure in 2014, just under 9,500 animals, for the breed's centre of gravity long ago moved abroad. Australia received 49 head between 1933 and 1954; their offspring passed 225,000 by 1973, imports after 1981 added about 700 more, and Queensland alone held over a million by 1987. By the close of the century no other breed outnumbered it there. The FAO classed it as not at risk in 2007.

Questions people ask about Brahman

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle

• American Brahman on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data