Monosyllabic Pedantry

Monday, July 10, 2006

Wild Cows

Over the weekend, the local radio had a guy call in and ask, "Where did cows come from?". This started a discussion of what cows were like before they became the domesticated kind we're familiar with.

I don't have an answer.

I assume they were some feral version, kind of like wild horses. I imagine they are scruffier, and they probably didn't have that black/white look to them, since they weren't bred into "dairy cows" vs "beef cows".

But I don't know.

Mmmmm.....

5 Comments:

  • Does it suck to have friends who know everything or do you find it refreshing, like having access to a fabulous library without the trouble of sorting through things for yourself?

    I hope you find it pleasant.

    Anyway, aurochs are/were (until the Poles killed them) the wild ancestors of our modern cows. There's been some attempt to recreate the animals, but the results have not been entirely satisfactory.

    The second rune in the elder futhark is uruz--aurochs.

    By Blogger Aunt B, at 6:54 AM  

  • Immediately after posting this, I did a yahoo search and came up with a story from Sweden, where they are letting the cows roam free. They have found that the cows are returning to their wild instincts and are getting more aggressive; charging people, etc.

    By Blogger Exador, at 8:01 AM  

  • Don't cows roam fairly free now? I mean, sure, they have fences, but the fields seem pretty big.

    Or free like up and down the streets of Stockholm?

    In the 1800s Springfield, Illinois was terrorized by feral pigs, so I guess feral cows could be a problem, too.

    By Blogger Aunt B, at 8:11 AM  

  • Originally, in Europe at least, livestock roamed free and crops were fenced in.

    I'm sorry. I don't know why I know that.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:08 AM  

  • Where did cows come from? *scratches head**thinks of question**ponders answer**nods head to self in agreement to answer*

    okay

    Q: where do cows come from?
    A: back in 230 B.C. the caveman jumped on top of a rock and then got pushed off!!! Then this guy with his dog walked over and asked him if he was hurt. He said NO! get away or i will turn you in to a cow. (sidenote: the caveman was a witch) the man refused to leave so he threw little sticks at the caveman to make sure he was okay. then the caveman ate a pebble and then POOF the man became a COW!!!

    By Blogger sitsonchair, at 9:39 AM  

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