Scientific Classification
- Common Name
- Scottish highland cattle
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus Species
- Bos taurus
Fast Facts
- Description
- Scottish highland cattle have handlebar shaped horns and long, thick, shaggy coats
- Size
- Shoulder height: 0.9 to 1.1 m (2.95 to 3.6 ft.)
Male: Males (bulls) grow larger than females (cows) - Weight
- 450 to 1,000 kg (992 to 2,204 lbs.)
- Diet
- Mainly grazes on grasses
- Incubation
- Mating occurs throughout the year. Gestation lasts approximately 277 to 290 days. A single calf is most common, although occasionally twins are born.
- Sexual Maturity
- At about 18 months
- Life Span
- May be more than 20 years
- Range
- Originally native to Scotland. Now quite popular in the United States.
- Habitat
- Originally rough and rocky terrain
- Population
- Global: Unknown
- Status
- IUCN: Not listed
CITES: Not listed
USFWS: Not listed
Fun Facts
- Scottish highland cattle are an ancient, Celtic breed of cattle.
- Cattle consume as much as 70 kg (150 lbs.) of grass and graze about eight hours each day.
Ecology and Conservation
At one time these cattle were quite rare. They are now a well-developed breed in the United States and in Britain.
Bibliography
MacDonald, D. The Encyclopedia of Mammals: 2. London: George Allen & Unwin Co., 1985.
Nowak, R. M. Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999.