History

Domestic cattle are believed to be descended from the aurochs, a large European wild ox. The earliest dates of domestication are probably 6200 B.C. in Europe and 5800 B.C. in Asia.

Cattle were not native to America, but were brought to the West Indies by Columbus on his second voyage in 1493. The English, Dutch, and French colonists who settled on the east coast of America brought their own cattle.

Cattle belong to the family Bovidae. All domestic cattle are of the species Bos taurus, except the Brahman, which is Bos indicus.