Totally True Tuesday - Guess Who

I’m a very common animal that likes to graze in a field. The first of my species arrived in America with the pilgrims in 1611. I provide 90 percent of the world’s supply of milk.

Can you guess who I am?

I’m a cow!

The Not-So-Boring Cow

Cows have been around for so long we tend to take them for granted. However, cows are not only important to us humans, they’re also very interesting. Did you know…

…there are 920 different breeds of cows?
…cows were domesticated around 5000 years ago?
…like a humans fingerprints, no two Holstein cows have the same pattern of spots?
…Cows have cloven hooves?
…the average cow weighs 1400 pounds

Moo Moo Chew Chew
Cows spend a lot of time eating, 8 hours in fact! However, 6 hours of the eating is actually chewing its cud. This is called rumination. The cow has no upper front teeth so rather than bite the grass, they curl their tongue around it and pull it out.

All this chewing makes a cow thirsty so on average they drink about 30 gallons of water a day. That`s like drinking a bathtub full!

It`s All in the Moo

Have you ever met someone who speaks with an accent? So do cows! It`s been observed that cows from different regions moo with an accent, too.

Cows are very social animals and will bond with other members of the herd and avoid the cows they don`t like. Plus, they not only moo to communicate, but they use facial expressions and body language to get their feelings out.

More Amoozing Cow Facts

Check out these totally true facts;

- A cow can give up to 25 gallons (400 glasses) of milk a day.
- Cows in the U.S. can give 200 gallons of milk a year or over 30,000 glasses!
- Approximately 9.2 million cows on 110,000 farms are milked each day in the U.S.
- Cows can see colours (except red), they can detect smells up to 5 miles away and can hear higher and lower sounds better than us humans.

Now that you know all about our friend the cow, remember to wave to them if you pass by a farm. Until then print and colour your very own cow picture, and remember, milk cows are black and white.

Wonder Words

* domesticated – to tame an animal as a pet or farm use
* cloven – a divided hoof
* rumination - to crew the cud

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