Aside form humans, cows happen to be the most abundant species of mammal on Earth. Best known for being America’s main source of both meat and dairy, the role cows play in our lives can not be overstated. They play such a large economic role in our world, that they have the power to bring entire industries to their knees if they experience even the slightest illness. Considering the long history of cows, it goes without saying that there are tons of interesting, little know facts about them. Read below to learn some surprising cow wall art facts!
Origins
Did you know that modern cows are descendants of a wild breed of oxen? These oxen were called “Aurochs”, and were first domesticated in Turkey Nearly 11,000 years ago. Another, closely related, subspecies rose to prominence in India around 7,000 years ago as well. This Indian subspecies was called “Zebu”. Unfortunately, the aurochs went extinct in the mid 1600s due to the abundance of hunters outpacing the actual auroch population. However, the aurochs successfully passed on their genetic code to a number of descendants including buffalo, yaks, and our modern cows. Read below for the next cow wall art fact.
Social Butterflies
Cows, like most mammals, benefit from spending time with other creatures. Research has shown that cows can create close bonds to other cows and humans. When these bonds are disrupted by separation, it has been shown that cows experience elevated heart rates and cortisol levels. Essentially, cows get stressed out when they don’t see their friends! In addition, cows produce more milk and have meat meat with better fat marbling when they’re treated well by humans. Read below for the next cow wall art fact.
Sleep
Cows have a reputation in both life and popular media as being lazy animals who do nothing but sleep throughout the day. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Although cows do spend the majority of their time laying down, they actually aren’t sleeping! After grazing and being milked, cows usually sit down for an extended 10 to 12 hour period of conscious relaxation. They only devote a very small part of their day to sleep: about 4 hours! It’s also worth addressing the myth that cows sleep standing up. They don’t! All cows lie down before falling asleep. Read below for the next cow wall art fact.
Symbolism
Throughout human history, many animals have been deemed sacred for religious purposes. This is no different for cows! Cows are considered a sacred symbol in cultures where Hinduism is the major religion. In many parts of India, there are even laws that protect cows from violence. In the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, a person can be imprisoned for 7 years for severely injuring or killing a cow. Read below for the next cow wall art fact.
Stomach
There’s yet another myth about cows that we need to address. It is often said that cows have four stomachs, which is what makes them such hungry animals. Although this myth isn’t too far from the truth, it is still inaccurate. Just like humans, cows only have one stomach. Unlike humans, however, a cow stomach is divided into four individual compartments that each have a specialized role in digestion. This complex system allows cows to eat upwards of 50 pounds of grass and hay every day. Did you enjoy our cow wall art facts?
Conclusion
Cows. They’re the producers of our delicious ribeye steaks. They’re the reason that we have ice cream and milkshakes. They are the reason why farmland stinks! Throughout their long history, cows have helped us more than they’ve hindered us, and Wall26 is grateful for them. We hope you learned something new from these cow wall art facts!