Moooooo Trivia Quiz

Named for the county of Herefordshire, Hereford cattle are an old breed originating from at least the 1600s. The pedigree breed, though, can be dated from 1742, when crossbreeding created the animal that set the breed standard.

Herefords are raised for beef and are particularly long living. They are recognisable by their reddish brown coats and white faces. The breed is adaptable and is found in countries ranging from Finland in the north and Uruguay to South Africa in the south.

The Charolais is a French breed of beef cattle named for the region in which it originated. Although it is a long established breed in France, exports to other countries only began after the end of the Second World War.

The Charolais is distinctive for its white coat with a pink nose, although some sources refer to some breeders experimenting with red and black varieties. If you see a white cow or bull, it's likely to be a Charolais.

As the name implies, this is an American cattle breed and among the oldest in the USA. It originated from cows brought to the New World by Spanish explorers in the fifteenth century. The European cattle didn't thrive in the alien conditions and heat but natural selection meant that they adapted, with the Florida Cracker becoming a separate breed.

By the late nineteenth century, new breeds which could tolerate the heat had developed and medication helped them survive. As a result, the Florida Cracker came under threat. The breed survived, and the cattle are now thriving. Although smaller than many other breeds, the cattle are classed as multi-purpose, providing both meat and milk. The coat patterns vary, with those in the picture more representative of the strains found in northern Florida with the patterning. Those in south Florida tend to have coats with more solid colours.

Also known just as the Angus, this beef breed was developed in Scotland in the early years of the nineteenth century. The breed standards were adopted rather later. Although usually black, some Angus cattle can have red coats.

Coming from the northeastern area of Scotland, the breed is hardy and copes well with cold weather. They are also found in many other countries, including Australia, and are renowned as producing some of the best beef on the market.

The Friesian is primarily a milking breed of cattle, although it is also used to produce beef. It is regularly cross bred with the Holstein breed, and is often referred to as the Holstein-Friesian, particularly in America. The breed originated in the Netherlands, and the name derives from the region of Friesland in that country.

The breed is often black and white, although red and white is also an acceptable coloration. It is valued as a reliable producer of milk, and is the breed most people would imagine if asked to picture a cow. In America, the breed is said to produce as much as 90% of the total milk supply.

The hardy Highland cow has developed a long coat to provide protection from the climate of the Scottish Highlands where the breed originated and from where it received its name. As well as the brown coat shown in the photo, black, brindle and red are available.

The beef they produce is described as high quality and the animals do not need special supplements, thriving on natural grazing. They do well in countries which are even colder than Scotland, such as Canada and the Scandinavian countries.

Closer inspection of the photo will give you a clear clue to the name of these cattle. Galloway is an area of Scotland and it is there that the breed originated in the sixteenth century. The coat is double, with a soft undercoat and a longer haired outer coat - well, it is cold in Scotland. The distinctive feature is, of course, the wide belt of white which covers the middle of the cattle's bodies.

Although they are often black in colour, they can also be seen with red, brown or brindle (mixed colours) coats. The are primarily raised for beef and are closely related to the plain coloured Galloway breed.

Often described as one of the prettiest breeds, Jersey cows are named for the island of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands which lie between England and France. It is probable that they originated in northern France, but they have been around for so long that their history is uncertain.

These are cattle raised for their milk, which is of a high quality. It is creamy and enriched with protein and minerals. The breed is wide spread and is said to be have the second highest number of dairy cows worldwide. They mostly have the light brown coats depicted, although other colours do appear. Their distinctive feature is a black nose, surrounded by a white muzzle.

Limousins are big, sturdy cattle which originated in France. They may be one of the oldest breeds around as cave paintings in the famous Lascaux Caves depict animals which look very like them. Limousin is a region in central France, towards the south and gives its name to the vehicle as well as the cattle.

Bred for beef, Limousins are a distinctive reddish gold colour and produce lean meat with a low percentage of fat. They are no longer restricted to France as the demand for low fat meat has made the breed a popular choice in many countries.

The photo rather gives this one away, but you deserve to see those impressive horns. Although the ancestry of the Longhorn is Spanish, they are more 'American' than 'Spanish'. After the departure of the Spaniards, many of the cattle were effectively wild animals, filling, and taking advantage of, the gap left by the buffalo herds.

The Texas Longhorn is a beef cow and comes in a range of colours from the reddish brown in the picture through most shades of brown, black and white. What is unmistakeable, though, are the horns which give them their name.