milk copiously on feed that is otherwise
useless to humans and that can be stockpiled
as straw or silage. Without them there would
be no dairying.
Dairy Animals of the World
Only a small handful of animal species
contributes significantly to the world’s milk
supply.
The Cow, European and Indian The
immediate ancestor of Bos taurus, the
common dairy cow, was Bos primigenius, the
long-horned wild aurochs. This massive
animal, standing 6 ft/180 cm at the shoulder
and with horns 6.5 in/17 cm in diameter,
roamed Asia, Europe, and North Africa in the
form of two overlapping races: a humpless
European-African form, and a humped central
Asian form, the zebu. The European race was
domesticated in the Middle East around 8000