Caracu
A solid-red Brazilian Criollo beef breed from Minas Gerais, humpless and horned
A Criollo beef breed of Brazil, shaped in southern Minas Gerais from Portuguese stock that began arriving in 1532. Solid red, smooth-haired and horned, it once hauled loads and gave milk as well, but today it is farmed chiefly for meat.
- A Criollo beef breed of Brazil with little or no zebu blood
- Descends from Portuguese cattle landed by conquistadors from 1532
- Down to about 12,000 head in 1979; past 162,000 by 2020
- Cows about 135 cm at the withers, bulls about 143 cm
- So like the polled Mocho Nacional that the two may be merged
What do Caracu cattle look like?
The Caracu is a middle-sized animal. Cows stand about 135 cm at the withers, the ridge between the shoulder blades, and bulls about 143 cm. Females weigh 550–650 kg and males 950–1200 kg, though a second set of records gives 450–650 kg and 800–1000 kg. The hair lies short, smooth and in one even shade, which may be any sort of red: reddish yellow, orange-yellow or bay. The belly and the rings round the eyes and muzzle look lighter than the rest. The moist inner skin of nose and lips carries no dark pigment. Most animals grow horns; a few are polled, meaning born without them.
Where does the Caracu come from?
The breed's story begins with Portuguese cattle that reached Brazil with the conquistadors, the first landing in 1532 and more following them. Nobody can say what kind those founders were, but the Alentejana, Arouquesa, Barrosã, Minhota and Mirandesa of Portugal today may give a hint. The Caracu took shape in the south of Minas Gerais and later moved into São Paulo. Nicolas Athanassof described it early, in 1911, and a breeders' body, the Associação Brasileira de Criadores de Caracu, got to work in 1916. A 1913 book by Eduardo Cotrim, printed in Brussels and full of colour plates, spoke harshly of Brazilian cattle and husbandry, and may have set the breed's fortunes sliding.
What the Caracu is known for
Among Brazilian cattle the Caracu is unusual for its old European blood. It is a Criollo, the name for Latin American stock descended from the first Iberian arrivals, and it carries little or no zebu inheritance, so there is no hump. Most animals grow horns. The colour is reliably one even shade, which makes the breed easy to pick out in a mixed herd. Perhaps its best-known claim is the comeback: all but erased by crossing in the twentieth century, it was brought back by breeders and state researchers.
How the Caracu is bred and kept
Pure breeding is overseen by the national association, which fell quiet in 1960 and started up again in 1980. A milking strain, the Caracu Caldeano or simply Caldeano, has run a herd-book, or register of pedigree animals, of its own since 1960. The low point came from careless crossing with zebu and other taurine breeds, which nearly erased the breed altogether. Recovery owes much to the Instituto de Zootecnia at Sertãozinho in São Paulo, which took the Caracu into its research work in 1976. From then on head-count climbed steadily, helped by the association's revival four years later.
Caracu, drawn
What the Caracu is kept for
Originally this was a triple-purpose animal. Oxen supplied draught power and transport, cows gave milk, and the stock could also be finished for meat. These days the balance has tipped: beef is the main reason for keeping Caracu, though dairy lines persist. The best known is the Caracu Caldeano, sometimes just called Caldeano. The breed has also been drawn into several crossing programmes that produced new Brazilian types, both milking and beefing.
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
At its lowest ebb, through much of the twentieth century, the head-count had collapsed; 12,000 animals were counted in 1979. Recovery was quick: about 31,000 by 1994, more than 85,000 by 2010, and a reported total of just over 162,000 in 2020. Both the FAO, in its 2007 listing, and the DAD-IS database in 2022 class the Caracu as not at risk. The Associação Brasileira de Criadores de Caracu keeps the register.
Questions people ask about Caracu
Where does the Caracu come from?
It took shape in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil, from Portuguese cattle carried over by the conquistadors, the first landing in 1532. Nobody knows exactly what those founders were like, though breeds such as the Alentejana and Minhota may resemble them.
What are Caracu cattle kept for today?
Mainly beef. The breed began as a three-way farm animal, giving ox power for transport as well as milk and meat, and dairy lines still exist, notably the Caracu Caldeano, which has had its own herd-book since 1960.
Does the Caracu have a hump?
No. It is a Criollo breed of Bos taurus stock with little or no zebu inheritance, so it is humpless. Most animals grow horns, though some are polled, and the coat is one solid shade of red.
How big do Caracu cattle grow?
Cows stand about 135 cm at the withers and bulls about 143 cm, a medium height. Weights run from 550–650 kg in the cow to 950–1200 kg in the bull, though a second set of records gives lower figures.
Is the Caracu rare?
No longer. Crossing with zebu and other breeds nearly wiped it out in the twentieth century, but numbers climbed from about 12,000 in 1979 to over 162,000 in 2020. FAO and DAD-IS both list it as not at risk.
Good reading and sources
- Caracu on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Caracu", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryCow rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Sizes, colours and customs differ from one herd, valley or breeder to the next. Folk beliefs are described as tradition, never as advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-16.
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