10 Fun Facts About Cows For Kids

Cows play a crucial role in people’s lives, whether it’s for spiritual or commercial reasons. They’re also just really adorable!

But what if I told you that they unintentionally destroy our planet?

Here, you’ll discover why that’s the case, along with other interesting facts, ranging from why certain religions don’t eat their meat to all kinds of fun cow-related statistics.

So, before you moove on to greener pastures, take a look at these cool cow facts!

1. For everyday purposes, we often incorrectly use the term “cow” to describe both male and female forms of Bos taurus, or cattle.
2. In reality, though, it’s just female cattle that are cows; male cattle are bulls. To complicate it further, young female cattle are heifers, and young bulls are oxen or bullocks (until they’re castrated, when they become steers!)
3. Johne’s disease, a disease typically found in dairy cows, causes chronic diarrhea, immense weight loss, and a decline in milk production.
4. Cows can’t produce milk without becoming pregnant, and they can only give birth once every year!
5. Cows are ruminants, which are basically herbivorous animals that bring back swallowed food (the cud) into their mouths to chew it again till it becomes easily digestible.
6. While cows do have both upper and lower teeth, their upper teeth are covered by a dental pad. This feature is common to all ruminants, like goats and sheep, as it helps them chew the cud.
7. Believe it or not, eating cow tongues can be nutritious. They contain lots of iron, zinc, and protein, at about 0.58 ounces (16.4 grams) of protein per 3 oz (85 g) serving!
8. In 2015, cows became Nepal’s national animal. As a result, slaughtering cows in the country is forbidden.
9. Numerous Indian religions also forbid the taking of cow’s lives for religious and spiritual purposes. For example, Buddhists believe that protecting animals and living a plant-based diet will bring good karma in the afterlife.
10. There are about twice as many cows in New Zealand as there are people, with around 10 million cows and 5 million Kiwis!