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Concept
Zebu
Summary
The zebu (ˈziːb(j)uː,_ˈzeːbuː; Bos indicus or Bos taurus indicus), sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in the Indian sub-continent. Zebu are characterised by a fatty hump on their shoulders, a large dewlap, and sometimes drooping ears. They are well adapted to withstanding high temperatures, and are farmed throughout the tropical countries, both as pure zebu and as hybrids with taurine cattle, the other main type of domestic cattle. Zebu are used as draught and riding animals, dairy cattle, and beef cattle, as well as for byproducts such as hides and dung for fuel and manure. Some small breeds such as the miniature zebu are also kept as pets. In 1999, researchers at Texas A&M University successfully cloned a zebu.
In some regions, such as parts of India, zebu are among the cattle that have significant religious meaning.
The scientific name Bos indicus was introduced by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 for humped cattle in China. The zebu was classified as a distinct species by Juliet Clutton-Brock in 1999, but as a subspecies of the domestic cattle, Bos taurus indicus, by Peter Grubb in 2005.
In 2011, Colin Groves and Peter Grubb classified it as a distinct species again. The American Society of Mammalogists also considers it to be a species.
Zebu cattle are thought to be derived from the Indian aurochs Bos primigenius namadicus, a subspecies of the aurochs. Wild Asian aurochs disappeared during the time of the Indus Valley civilisation from its range in the Indus River basin and other parts of the South Asian region possibly due to interbreeding with domestic zebu and resultant fragmentation of wild populations due to loss of habitat. Bos primigenius namadicus was likely extinct long before 1300 AD and no remains younger than 1800 BC were ever found.
Believed to be first bred in northwestern South Asia, between 7000 and 6000 BCE, indicine cattle is understood to have been dispersed throughout northwestern South Asia by 4000 BCE, and spread across much of South Asia by 2000 BCE.
Official source
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