Cow
Featured in: Year 1: Animals, including humans
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Cow
Mammal
A large farm animal kept for its milk and meat.
💡 Fun Facts
- Cows have a highly specialized stomach with four compartments to help digest tough grass.
- They have a nearly 360-degree panoramic vision.
- A cow can produce up to 200,000 glasses of milk in a lifetime.
Name Story
Bos taurus
means “the ox and the bull”
What does its name mean?
- Bos — ox, cattleLatin (related to Greek bous)
- taurus — bullLatin, from Greek tauros
The cow's scientific name is really the word for 'cattle' said twice over in two of the oldest livestock words we have: 'Bos' is the Latin for an ox or for cattle in general, and 'taurus' means 'a bull'. Put together, 'Bos taurus' names the animal twice — 'the ox, the bull' — a plain, ancient naming for the most familiar of all farm animals.