Miniature cattle

Miniature cattle are found in various parts of the world. Some, such as the Dexter of Ireland and the Vechur of Kerala, India, are traditional breeds; others have been created by selective breeding. The Australian Lowline was the unexpected result of a scientific experiment.^[1]: 3 Some, but not all, miniature breeds display achondroplasia, or dwarfism.^[2]: xxvi

Compared to larger cattle, miniature cattle require less space and less feed,^[3] and may be easier to handle.^[4] They do less damage to pasture land, do not need such high or strong fencing,^[5] and do not produce as much methane.^[3]

Breeds

Breed	Origin	Height/weight	Image	Notes
Achham	zebu, Achham District of Nepal[2]: 259	Males: 97 cm Females: 88 cm
Australian Lowline	derived from Aberdeen Angus in Australia[6]	Males: 110 cm Females: 100 cm
Dexter	traditional Irish breed	92–107 cm[7]
Kasagarod	traditional breed, Kerala, India	80–90 cm[2]: 322
Lagune or Dahomey	Benin, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Togo	Males: 100 cm Females: 80 cm[8]
Miniature Texas Longhorn	United States	not over 115 cm[9]
Miniature Zebu	modern breed register, United States	Males: 182–272 kg Females: 136–227 kg Maximum height: 107 cm (42 in)[2]: 245
Minivaca	Mexico	about 100 cm[10]: 105		developed from the 1970s at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City by selective breeding of Indu-Brasil for small size.[10]: 105
Niata	Uruguay, Argentina; now extinct[2]: xxvi
Panda cow	United States			rare type of black-and-white belted miniature; in 2011 the total number world-wide was estimated at 24 head.[11]
Punganur	Andhra Pradesh, India	Males: 107 cm, 240 kg Females: 97 cm, 170 kg[12]
Somba	Benin, Togo	Males: 110 cm Females: 85 cm[13]
Vechur	traditional breed, Kerala, India[2]: xxvi

An American breeder, Richard Gradwohl, has developed eighteen different strains of miniature cattle.^[3] Miniature Galloway, Hereford and Holstein have been bred.^{[2]: 245 [3]} In the United States, small zebuine cattle deriving from stock imported from Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Sweden may be registered as "Miniature Zebu";^[2]: 245 in Australia, similar cattle may be known as "Nadudana".^{[citation needed]} In the United States, Jersey cattle of the original island type may be known as "Miniature Jersey"; Jersey cows stand about 115–120 cm and weigh some 350 kg.^[2]: 212

The Ethiopian Goffa and Guraghe breeds in the Abyssinian Shorthorned Zebu group are also small.^[2]: 99