The Miniature Zebu is a modern American breed of
zebu
The zebu (; ''Bos indicus''), also known as indicine cattle and humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of Bos taurus, domestic cattle originating in South Asia. Zebu, like many Sanga cattle breeds, differs from taurine cattle by a fatty hump ...
ine
miniature cattle. It is a rare breed of Zebu that is critically endangered.
A
breed association was established in 1991.
History
India has numerous traditional breeds of very small
zebuine cattle, such as the
Vechur breed of southern
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
. These may be collectively known as ''nadudana'', "small cattle".
The Miniature Zebu was established as a breed in the United States with the formation of the International Miniature Zebu Association, a
breed registry
A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry, the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders w ...
, in 1991. At that time, there were small zebuine cattle in twenty-three American zoos, and others were held by some fifty private owners. The parent stock had originally been imported from Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Sweden. By 2016 more than 6200 animals were registered.
Characteristics
The maximum
withers
Withers are the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, this ridge is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, catt ...
height permitted for registration is .
References
{{Reflist, 45em, refs=
[Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016)]
''Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding''
(sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. {{ISBN, 9781780647944.
[Heather Smith Thomas (January/February 2010)]
Miniature Zebu cattle
''Countryside & Small Stock Journal'' 94 (1): 68–70. Accessed June 2018. {{subscription required.
[Welcome to IMZA]
International Miniature Zebu Association. Accessed June 2018.
Cattle breeds originating in the United States