ANKOLE-WATUSI CATTLEBos tarurus indicus
Conservation Status: Low Risk / Least Concern
Domesticated, Rare Breed

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Color:
Varies; can be black, brown, tan, red, or white with spotting of those colors
Size:
Up to 52 in tall at shoulders
Weight:
Cows weigh from 800 to 1200 pounds and bulls weighing from 1000 to 1600 pounds.
Average Lifespan:
12-20 years
Captive Lifespan:
26 years
Domestic populations world wide, originally from Africa.
Mating:
Anytime of the year
Gestation/Incubation:
280 - 290 days
Litter/Clutch Size:
1
Mature:
8-10 months
Grasses, herbs, leaves, and twigs
A domesticated, diurnal breed of cattle, watusi are kept by the native peoples of Africa where they are raised as a status of wealth. These cattle demonstrate a social hierarchy, having a dominant bull and his harem of females and young. Watusi are used by their owners for milk production and for “bleeding” where the blood is collected as a food; watusi are rarely killed for meat except in important ceremonies.
1. They posses the largest and most dramatic horns of any breed of cattle. Individuals in this country have been known to have horn bases that measure 28 inches in circumference, 8 inches in diameter and eight feet from tip to tip.