Not so much to beef about... the docile cow

The following text is originally lifted from the trivia section of The Jakarta Post dated Saturday, 4 August 2007.

~Compiled from various sources~

• Today's cattle are descended from two species: wild aurochs - fierce and agile herd animals that populated Asia, North Africa and Europe - and eotragus - an antelope-like, Asian forest creature.
• At least 10,000 years ago, cave men raised dairy cattle.
• There are an estimated 920 different breeds of cows in the world.
• In an average herd, there is one bull to every 30 cows.
• Cows can live 25 years.
• Cows spend six hours a day eating and eight hours chewing cud.
• A cow chews its cud 42,000 times a day.
• Most cows chew at least 50 times per minute.
• Cows clean their noses with their tongues.
• A cow's heart beats between 60 and 70 beats per minute.
• Cattle can hear lower and higher frequencies better than humans.
• Cattle have almost total 360-degree panoramic vision.
• Cows eat eat 40 kilos of food a day.
• Cow's teeth are different from humans'. On the top front, cows have a tough pad of skin instead of teeth. They have eight incisors on the bottom front and six strong molars on the top and bottom of each side to grind their food. Cows have a total of 32 teeth.
• Bulls are colour blind, therefore will usually charge at a matador's waving cape no matter what colour it is - be it red or yellow.
• A cow stands up and sits down about 14 times a day.
• Cows can detect odours up to eight kilometres away.
• Cows drink 130 litres of water a day - the equivalent of a bathtub full of water.
• A cow produces 200 times more gas a day than a person.
• The age of a head of cattle can be determined by counting the rings on its horns.
• Cows - that is, mature female cattle - can have horns. There are several cattle breeds in which the cows have horns. To name just a few: the Danish Red, the White Park and the Texas Longhorn. Likewise, cattle without horns can also be bulls. The Angus and the Red Poll are examples of breeds that are hornless, be they cow or be they bull.
• Most cows give more milk when they listen to music.
• The average dairy cow produces about 35 litres of milk a day.
• There are approximately 350 "squirts" in four litres of milk.
• The Holstein produces the most milk of all breeds.
• It is possible to lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs, because a cows' knees can't bend properly to walk back down.
• The Moscow Circus has a troupe of dancing cows that dance to Russian music and play football.
• Old cows in India have their own nursing homes.
• A bison can jump as high as two metres off the ground.
• A newborn buffalo's mother rubs it with her tongue to make its blood flow properly, which is what she painstakingly does until it stands on its own.