The Niata or Ñata is an extinct

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 ...

dwarf Dwarf, dwarfs or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a supernatural being from Germanic folklore * Dwarf, a human or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a sh ...

cattle from Uruguay and Argentina. It was observed and described by

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

in the 1830s. One was exhibited at the in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

in April 1890. By the early twentieth century the Niata was nearly or completely extinct.

History

An early description of the Niata is that from November 1833 by

, who twice saw cattle of this type.

George Ernest Gibson George Ernest Gibson (November 9, 1884 – August 26, 1959) was a Scottish-born American nuclear chemist. Early years George Ernest Gibson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and educated partly in Germany where he attended a gymnasium in Darmstadt ...

bought two in 1889, one of which was exhibited at the in

in April 1890. Darwin described the Niata as a true breed, in which mating of a cow and bull resulted in calves of the same type; a

morphometric Morphometrics (from Greek μορΦή ''morphe'', "shape, form", and -μετρία ''metria'', "measurement") or morphometry refers to the quantitative analysis of ''form'', a concept that encompasses size and shape. Morphometric analyses are co ...

and genetic study of museum specimens in 2018 found it to conform to modern definitions of a breed. He suggested that the Niata had been eradicated by ''estancieros'' who believed it to be poorly adapted to the environment and of little use. By the early twentieth century it was nearly or completely extinct.

Characteristics

The Niata differed from other cattle only in its markedly foreshortened skull; it did not display other signs of

chondrodysplasia An osteochondrodysplasia,Etymology: . or skeletal dysplasia, is a disorder of the development of bone and cartilage. Osteochondrodysplasias are rare diseases. About 1 in 5,000 babies are born with some type of skeletal dysplasia. Nonetheless, if t ...

. The shape of the skull did not impede its breathing. According to Gibson, the usual colour was

dun Dun most commonly refers to: *Dun gene, which produces a brownish-gray color (dun) in horses and other Equidae * Dun (fortification), an ancient or medieval fort Dun or DUN may also refer to: Places Scotland * Dun, Angus, a civil parish in ...

, with black legs. Both Darwin and

Ramón Lista Ramón Lista (13 September 1856 – 23 November 1897) was an Argentinian soldier and explorer. He was the second governor of the Territorio Nacional de Santa Cruz, precursor of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. He played a key role in the Selkʼna ...

describe the Niata as fierce or wild; Gibson discusses a small herd that was "exceedingly tame'".

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. Charles Darwin (1845)
''Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the world, under the Command of Capt. Fitz Roy, R.N.''
second edition. London: John Murray. Note: his account of the Niata is not included in the entry for 18 November 1833 in th
first publication
of the ''Journal'' in 1839. Charles Darwin (1868)
''The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication''
volume II. London: John Murray. Ernest Gibson (1915)
Some Notes on the Niata Breed of Cattle (Bos taurus)
''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London''. 85: 273–277. {{doi, 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1915.tb07417.x. .n.(June 1916)
"Bull-Dog" Cattle: Niata Breed, Described by Darwin, Becoming Exceedingly Scarce – Presumed Mutation Accounts for Extraordinary Jaw and Face – Inheritance of Peculiarities Is Blended
''Journal of Heredity''. 7 (6): 263–265. {{doi, 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a110716. {{subscription required. Barbara G. Beddall (1975)
"Un Naturalista Original": Don Félix de Azara, 1746-1821
''Journal of the History of Biology'' 8 (1): 15–66. {{subscription required. .n.(19 June 2018)
Research Reveals Secrets of Short-Faced Niata Cow
''Sci.News''. Archived 24 June 2024. Kristof Veitschegger, Laura A. B. Wilson, Beatrice Nussberger, Glauco Camenisch, Lukas F. Keller, Stephen Wroe, Marcelo R. Sánchez-Villagra (14 June 2018)
Resurrecting Darwin's Niata - anatomical, biomechanical, genetic, and morphometric studies of morphological novelty in cattle
''Scientific Reports''. 8: 9129 (2018). {{doi, 10.1038/s41598-018-27384-3. {{open access. Extinct cattle breeds Cattle breeds originating in Argentina Cattle breeds originating in Uruguay