I love random facts (science teacher) and today I’m sharing some cow facts with you.
First the nomenclature–A cow is a female bovine. A bull is an intact male bovine. A steer is a neutered male. A heifer is a young cow that has not yet had a calf. Cattle is the term for a group of various bovines. I’m calling them all cows today. 🙂
Now the factoids–
Cows can run up to 25 miles per hour, however, they only run in short bursts.
Cows can jump a 5-foot fence, often from a standing position.
Cows have eyes set to the side and have trouble seeing directly in front of them. They see very well to the side and behind, so it’s difficult to sneak up on them. Their panoramic vision is close to 360 degrees.
Cows are super social. They depend on the herd for protection, so they don’t like to be alone. Cows will
sometimes make best friends.
Cows can smell up to six miles away.
Cows are good swimmers. A cow in the Netherlands swam 62 miles during a flood.
Cows live 15-20 years.
Cows can weigh up to 3,000 pounds. Most weight between 900 and 2,000 pounds.
Cows have no upper teeth in the front of their mouth. They grind their food between the teeth in their bottom jaw and a hard dental pad on the roof of their mouth. They have molars in both upper and lower jaws, however, and when they burp their food back into their mouths to chew for a second digestion (the cud) they chew with the molars to further break it down.
Cows do not really have four stomachs–they have a compartmentalized stomach with each of the four compartments having a different job in digestion.
Oxen are cows or bulls that have been bred to work. They are larger and stronger than the average bull or cow, thus the term “as strong as an ox.” If male, they are generally neutered.
Cows produce 20-40 quarts of saliva a day. They need this much saliva to get dry hay processed in their digestive system. The saliva also aids in cud chewing.
And finally…cow tipping is probably NOT a thing, because cows sleep laying down.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the random cow facts. If it weren’t for cows, we’d have no cowboys, so I’m grateful for this amazing animal!
