<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zebu</span>

Zebu

<p>The <b>zebu</b> (<span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt"><a href="/en/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English" class="wl">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span>ˈ</span><span>z</span><span>iː</span><span>b</span></span>(<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span>j</span></span>)<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span>uː</span></span>,<span class="wrap"> </span><span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span>ˈ</span><span>z</span><span>eɪ</span><span>b</span><span>uː</span></span>/</a></span></span>; <i><b>Bos indicus</b></i> or <i><b>Bos taurus indicus</b></i>), sometimes known in the plural as <b>indicine cattle</b> or <b>humped cattle</b>, is a <a href="/en/Species" title="Species" class="wl">species</a> or <a href="/en/Subspecies" title="Subspecies" class="wl">subspecies</a> of <a href="/en/Bos_taurus" title="Bos taurus" class="mw-redirect wl">domestic cattle</a> originating in the <a href="/en/Indian_sub-continent" title="Indian sub-continent" class="mw-redirect wl">Indian sub-continent</a>.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[2]</span></a></span> Zebu are characterised by a fatty hump on their shoulders, a large <a href="/en/Dewlap" title="Dewlap" class="wl">dewlap</a>, and sometimes drooping ears. They are well adapted to withstanding high temperatures, and are farmed throughout the <a href="/en/Tropics" title="Tropics" class="wl">tropical</a> countries, both as pure zebu and as <a href="/en/Hybrid_(biology)" title="Hybrid (biology)" class="wl">hybrids</a> with <a href="/en/Taurine_cattle" title="Taurine cattle" class="mw-redirect wl">taurine cattle</a>, the other main type of domestic cattle. Zebu are used as <a href="/en/Draught_animal" title="Draught animal" class="mw-redirect wl">draught</a> and <a href="/en/Riding_animal" title="Riding animal" class="mw-redirect wl">riding animals</a>, <a href="/en/Dairy_cattle" title="Dairy cattle" class="wl">dairy cattle</a>, and <a href="/en/Beef_cattle" title="Beef cattle" class="wl">beef cattle</a>, as well as for byproducts such as <a href="/en/Hide_(skin)" title="Hide (skin)" class="wl">hides</a> and <a href="/en/Feces" title="Feces" class="wl">dung</a> for <a href="/en/Fuel" title="Fuel" class="wl">fuel</a> and <a href="/en/Manure" title="Manure" class="wl">manure</a>. Some small breeds such as the <a href="/en/Miniature_Zebu" title="Miniature Zebu" class="wl">miniature zebu</a> are also kept as <a href="/en/Pet" title="Pet" class="wl">pets</a>. In 1999, researchers at <a href="/en/Texas_A&M_University" title="Texas A&amp;M University" class="wl">Texas A&amp;M University</a> successfully cloned a zebu.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-3"><a href="#cite_note-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[3]</span></a></span></p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Domestic species of cattle</div>
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</span><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: Zebu, Conservation status, Scientific classif...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox biota mobile-collapse-element" style="text-align: left; width: 200px; font-size: 100%">
<tbody><tr>
<th colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-color: rgb(235,235,210)" class="notheme">Zebu</th></tr>
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<td colspan="2" style="text-align: center"><span class="mw-default-size"><a href="/en/File:Bos_taurus_indicus.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Bos_taurus_indicus.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Bos_taurus_indicus.jpg/220px-Bos_taurus_indicus.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="2700" data-file-height="1793" data-file-type="bitmap" height="146" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Bos_taurus_indicus.jpg/330px-Bos_taurus_indicus.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Bos_taurus_indicus.jpg/440px-Bos_taurus_indicus.jpg 2x" alt="Bos_taurus_indicus.jpg"></a></span></td></tr>


<tr style="text-align: center; background-color: rgb(235,235,210)" class="notheme">
<th colspan="2"><div style="text-align: center"><a href="/en/Conservation_status" title="Conservation status" class="wl">Conservation status</a></div></th></tr>
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<td colspan="2"><div style="text-align: center">Domesticated <small></small></div></td></tr>

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<th colspan="2" style="min-width:15em; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(235,235,210)" class="notheme"><a href="/en/Taxonomy_(biology)" title="Taxonomy (biology)" class="wl">Scientific classification</a> <span class="plainlinks" style="font-size:smaller; float:right; padding-right:0.4em; margin-left:-3em;"><span class="mw-default-size"><a href="/en/Template:Taxonomy/Bos" title="e" class="image wl"><img loading="lazy"alt="e" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Red_Pencil_Icon.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="16" data-file-height="16" data-file-type="bitmap" height="16" width="16"></a></span></span></th></tr>
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<td>Kingdom:</td>
<td><a href="/en/Animal" title="Animal" class="wl">Animalia</a></td></tr>
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<td>Phylum:</td>
<td><a href="/en/Chordate" title="Chordate" class="wl">Chordata</a></td></tr>
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<td>Class:</td>
<td><a href="/en/Mammal" title="Mammal" class="wl">Mammalia</a></td></tr>
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<td>Order:</td>
<td><a href="/en/Even-toed_ungulate" title="Even-toed ungulate" class="wl">Artiodactyla</a></td></tr>
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<td>Family:</td>
<td><a href="/en/Bovidae" title="Bovidae" class="wl">Bovidae</a></td></tr>
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<td>Subfamily:</td>
<td><a href="/en/Bovinae" title="Bovinae" class="wl">Bovinae</a></td></tr>
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<td>Genus:</td>
<td><a href="/en/Bos" title="Bos" class="wl"><i>Bos</i></a></td></tr>
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<td>Species:</td>
<td><div style="display:inline" class="species"><i><a href="/en/Bos_taurus" title="Bos taurus" class="mw-redirect wl">B.<span>&nbsp;</span>taurus</a></i></div></td></tr>
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<td>Subspecies:</td>
<td><div style="display:inline" class="subspecies"><i><b>B.<span>&nbsp;</span>t. indicus</b></i></div></td></tr>








<tr style="text-align: center; background-color: rgb(235,235,210)" class="notheme">
<th colspan="2" style="text-align: center"><a href="/en/Trinomial_nomenclature" title="Trinomial nomenclature" class="wl">Trinomial name</a></th></tr>
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<td colspan="2" style="text-align: center"><b><span class="trinomial"><i>Bos taurus indicus</i></span></b><br><div style="font-size: 85%;"><a href="/en/Carl_Linnaeus" title="Carl Linnaeus" class="wl">Linnaeus</a>, <a href="/en/10th_edition_of_Systema_Naturae" title="10th edition of Systema Naturae" class="wl">1758</a><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-Linnaeus_1-0"><a href="#cite_note-Linnaeus-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span></div></td></tr>






























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<th colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-color: rgb(235,235,210)" class="notheme"><a href="/en/Synonym_(taxonomy)" title="Synonym (taxonomy)" class="wl">Synonyms</a></th></tr>
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<td colspan="2" style="text-align: left">
<ul><li><i>Bos indicus</i></li></ul></td></tr>


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<p>In some regions, such as parts of India, zebu are among the cattle that have significant <a href="/en/Cattle_in_religion" title="Cattle in religion" class="mw-redirect wl">religious meaning</a>.</p>



The zebu uː, ˈzeɪbuː/; Bos indicus or Bos taurus indicus), sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in the Indian sub-continent. In some regions, such as parts of India, zebu are among the cattle that have significant religious meaning. 