The Corse or Corsicana is a French

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

indigenous to the island of

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

History

The Corse is the traditional cattle breed of Corsica, formerly kept principally for draught work in agriculture. It is officially recognised by the Ministère de l'Agriculture et de l'Alimentation, the French ministry of agriculture, but no

herd-book 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 wh ...

is kept. Since the 1960s there has been intromission of several breeds from mainland France, among them the

Aubrac Aubrac () is a volcanic and granitic plateau located in the south-central Massif Central of France. This region has been a member of the Natura 2000 network since August 2006. It straddles three ''départements'' (Cantal, Aveyron and Lozère) an ...

, the Brune des Alpes, the Charolaise, the Gasconne, the

Limousine A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment which can be operated mechanically by hand or by a button electronically. A luxu ...

and the Tarentaise. On low-lying pasture where there is abundant forage,

cross-bred A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. A domestic animal of unknown ancestry, where the breed status of only one parent or grandparent is known, may also be called a crossbreed though ...

calves put on weight more rapidly than purebred indigenous stock; they are not suitable for rearing on the thinner grazing of mountainous areas, to which the Corse is well adapted. This cross-breeding has threatened the survival of the original Corse breed, which may now require conservation. In 2001 there were 28,000 cows and 1,300 bulls for natural and 6 for artificial insemination. The numbers are stable and 60% of females reproduce purebred.

Morphology

The breed has a tan coat with shades ranging from blond to dark wheat and gray. The belly is often lighter. The mucous membranes are dark. The lyre-shaped horns are brought up. The breed is of small size and low weight. Cows measures and , the bulls and .

Use

Cattle in Corsica were traditionally used as

draught animals A working animal is an animal, usually domesticated, that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks. Some are used for their physical strength (e.g. oxen and draft horses) or for transportation (e.g. riding horses and camels), while other ...

in agriculture, particularly in

cereal A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize ( Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, ...

farming; cows gave a small quantity of milk, and oxen no longer fit for work yielded some beef. Following the decline in cereal farming in the island, the cattle are reared mostly for beef, usually from bullocks slaughtered at an age of 10 to 12 months (), when they have a live weight of some . These a managed extensively, grazing freely on the '' maquis'' and woodland undergrowth of the mountains.

History

Morphology

Use

References

Further reading