- Domestic cows are one of the most common farm animals around the world
- Cows belong to the family Bovidae (hollow-horned ruminants)
- The size and weight of a cow are highly dependent on the breed. Mature males weigh 450–1,800 kg (1,000–4,000 pounds) and females weigh 360–1,100 kg (800–2,400 pounds)
- Vision is the dominant sense, almost 50% of their information is obtained visually.
- Both males and females have horns, and although these may be short in many breeds, they can grow to be spectacularly large.
- Cattles most important mode of communication is vocalizations, it can provide information on the age, sex, dominance status and reproductive status of the caller.
- The most specialized adaption that cows have is their massive four-chambered stomach, which acts as a fermentation vat
- Global stocks of cows were estimated at nearly one billion animals in 2016, with India, Brazil, and China has the largest populations
- Cows were first domesticated between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago from the aurochs (B. Taurus primigenius), a wild species of cattle that once ranged across Eurasia
- Cows usually have their first calf when they are just under two years old—with single calves being typical, although twins sometimes occur
- Cows can live for 20 years or more
