Beefalo

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Beefalo
XJ-B1 Beefalo.jpg
Beefalo bull
Domesticated
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Bovinae
Tribe: Bovini
Subtribe: Bovina
Hybrid: Bos taurus × Bison bison

Beefalo constitutes a hybrid offspring of domestic cattle (Bos taurus), usually a male in managed breeding programs, and the American bison (Bison bison), usually a female in managed breeding programs. [1] [2] The breed was created to combine the characteristics of both animals for beef production.

Contents

Beefalo are primarily cattle in genetics and appearance, with the breed association defining a full Beefalo as one with three-eighths (37.5%) bison genetics, while animals with higher percentages of bison genetics are called "bison hybrids". [3] However, genomic analysis has found that the vast majority of "Beefalo", even those considered pedigree by the breed association, have no detectable bison ancestry, with no sampled Beefalo having higher than 18% bison ancestry, with most "Beefalo" consisting of a mixture of taurine cattle and zebu cattle ancestry. [4]

History and genomics

Accidental crosses were noticed as long ago as 1749 in the Southern states of North America, during British colonization. Cattle and bison were first intentionally crossbred during the mid-19th century. [5]

One of the first efforts to cross-breed bison and domestic cattle was in 1815 by Robert Wickliffe of Lexington, Kentucky. Mr. Wickliffe's experiments continued for up to 30 years. [6]

Another early deliberate attempt to cross-breed bison with cattle was made by Colonel Samuel Bedson, warden of Stoney Mountain Penitentiary, Winnipeg, in 1880. Bedson bought eight bison from a captive herd of James McKay and inter-bred them with Durham cattle. The hybrids raised by Bedson were described by naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton: [7]

The hybrid animal is [claimed] to be a great improvement on both of its progenitors, as it is more docile and a better milker than the Buffalo, but retains its hardihood, while the robe is finer, darker and more even, and the general shape of the animal is improved by the reduction of the hump and increased proportion of the hind-quarters.

After seeing thousands of cattle die in a blizzard in 1886, Charles "Buffalo" Jones, a co-founder of Garden City, Kansas, also worked to cross bison and cattle at a ranch near the future Grand Canyon National Park, with the hope the animals could survive the harsh winters. [8] He called the result "cattalo" in 1888. [9] Mossom Martin Boyd of Bobcaygeon, Ontario first started the practice in Canada, publishing about some of his outcomes in the Journal of Heredity. [10] After his death in 1914, the Canadian government continued experiments in crossbreeding up to 1964, with little success. For example, in 1936 the Canadian government had successfully cross-bred only 30 cattalos. [11]

It was found early on that crossing a male bison with a domestic cow would produce few offspring, but that crossing a domestic bull with a bison cow apparently solved the problem. The female offspring proved fertile, but rarely so for the males. Although the cattalo performed well, the mating problems meant the breeder had to maintain a herd of wild and difficult-to-handle bison cows.[ citation needed ]

In 1965, Jim Burnett of Montana produced a hybrid bull that was fertile. [12] Californian cattle rancher D.C. “Bud” Basolo developed the Beefalo breed in the 1970s. He did not reveal the precise pedigree of the breed. [4]

The breed is defined by The American Beefalo Association as being genetically at least five-eighths Bos taurus and at most three-eighths Bison bison. [4]

In 2024, a genetic study, including historical samples from Basolo's foundational herd, found that the majority of "Beefalo" cattle who were genomically sequenced (39 out of 47 sampled), including those from Basolo's original herd, had no detectable bison ancestry. Of the 8 that did have some bison ancestry, this was no higher than 18% (and as low as 2% in some individuals), which is much lower than that of the supposed pedigree. Most "Beefalo" were instead found to be either entirely of taurine cattle ancestry or more commonly, mixed with varying levels of zebu ancestry in proportions of 2% to 38%. [4]

Nutrition characteristics

A United States Department of Agriculture study found Beefalo meat, like bison meat, to be lower in fat and cholesterol than standard beef cattle. [13]

Registration

In 1983, the three main Beefalo registration groups reorganized under the American Beefalo World Registry. Until November 2008, there were two Beefalo associations, the American Beefalo World Registry [14] and American Beefalo International. These organizations jointly formed the American Beefalo Association, Inc., which currently operates as the registering body for Beefalo in the United States. [15]

Effect on bison conservation

Most current bison herds are "genetically polluted", meaning that they are partly crossbred with cattle. [16] [17] [18] [19] There are only four genetically unmixed American bison herds left, and only two that are also free of brucellosis: the Wind Cave bison herd that roams Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota; and the Henry Mountains herd in the Henry Mountains of Utah. [20]

Dr. Dirk Van Vuren, formerly of the University of Kansas, however, points out that "The bison today that carry cattle DNA look exactly like bison, function exactly like bison and in fact are bison. For conservation groups, the interest is that they are not totally pure." [21]

Environmental impacts

Although popular with tourists and hunters, escaped beefalo have been destroying parts of the ecosystem, as well as ancient stone ruins, in the Grand Canyon and threatening native species. By 2015, numbers were growing by 50% per year and there were at least 600 animals roaming the park. [22] Grand Canyon National Park was reporting an accident a day due to tourist interactions with beefalo. [23] In 2018, the park began trapping the animals and giving them to Native American tribes outside the state. In addition, volunteer hunters were enlisted to cull the herds, with a goal of reducing the population to 200 animals. [24] As of 2022, the herd was down to 216 individuals, with only 4 having been taken by hunters. [25]

Cattalo

The term "cattalo", a portmanteau of cattle and buffalo, is defined by United States law as a cross of bison and cattle which have a bison appearance. [26]

In some American states, cattalo are regulated as "exotic animals", along with pure bison and deer. However, in most states, bison and hybrids which are raised solely for livestock purposes similar to cattle, are considered domestic animals like cattle, and do not require special permits.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bison</span> Genus of mammals

A bison is a large bovine in the genus Bison within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American bison</span> Species of bovid artiodactyl mammal

The American bison, commonly known as the American buffalo, or simply buffalo, is a species of bison that is endemic to North America. It is one of two extant species of bison, along with the European bison. Its historical range circa 9000 BC is referred to as the great bison belt, a tract of rich grassland spanning from Alaska south to the Gulf of Mexico, and east to the Atlantic Seaboard, as far north as New York, south to Georgia, and according to some sources, further south to northern Florida, with sightings in North Carolina near Buffalo Ford on the Catawba River as late as 1750.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zebu</span> South Asian domestic cattle

The zebu, sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle, Camel cow or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in South Asia. Zebu, like many Sanga cattle breeds, differs from taurine cattle by a fatty hump on their shoulders, a large dewlap, and sometimes drooping ears. They are well adapted to withstanding high temperatures and are farmed throughout the tropics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Brahman</span> American breed of cattle

The Brahman is an American breed of zebuine-taurine hybrid beef cattle. It was bred in the United States from 1885 using cattle originating in India, imported at various times from the United Kingdom, India, and Brazil. These were mainly Gir, Guzerá and Nelore stock, with some Indu-Brasil, Krishna Valley and Ongole. The Brahman has a high tolerance of heat, sunlight and humidity, and good resistance to parasites. It has been exported to many countries, particularly in the tropics; in Australia it is the most numerous breed of cattle. It has been used in the creation of numerous taurine-indicine hybrids, some of which – such as the Brangus and Brahmousin – are established as separate breeds.

A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. A domestic animal of unknown ancestry, where the breed status of only one parent or grandparent is known, may also be called a crossbreed though the term "mixed breed" is technically more accurate. Outcrossing is a type of crossbreeding used within a purebred breed to increase the genetic diversity within the breed, particularly when there is a need to avoid inbreeding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afrikaner cattle</span> Breed of cattle

The Afrikaner or Africander is an African breed of taurine-indicine cattle in the Sanga group of African cattle. It is derived from the cattle of the Khoikhoi (Hottentot) people which were already present in the area of modern South Africa when the Dutch East India Company established the Cape Colony in 1652.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bovid hybrid</span> Crossbreeds in the bovid family

A bovid hybrid is the hybrid offspring of members of two different species of the bovid family. There are 143 extant species of bovid, and the widespread domestication of several species has led to an interest in hybridisation for the purpose of encouraging traits useful to humans, and to preserve declining populations. Bovid hybrids may occur naturally through undirected interbreeding, traditional pastoral practices, or may be the result of modern interventions, sometimes bringing together species from different parts of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Żubroń</span> Cattle and European bison hybrid

Żubroń is a hybrid of domestic cattle and wisent. The wisent is the European bison; hence, the żubroń is analogous to the American beefalo. The name żubroń was officially chosen from hundreds of proposals sent to the Polish weekly magazine Przekrój during a contest organised in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limousin cattle</span> French breed of cattle

The Limousin, French: Limousine, is a French breed of beef cattle from the Limousin and Marche regions of France. It was formerly used mainly as a draught animal, but in modern times is reared for beef. A herd-book was established in France in 1886. With the mechanisation of agriculture in the twentieth century, numbers declined. In the 1960s there were still more than 250 000 head, but the future of the breed was not clear; it was proposed that it be merged with the other blonde draught breeds of south-western France – the Blonde des Pyrénées, the Blonde de Quercy and the Garonnaise – to form the new Blonde d'Aquitaine. Instead, a breeders' association was formed; new importance was given to extensive management, to performance recording and to exports. In the twenty-first century the Limousin is the second-most numerous beef breed in France after the Charolais. It is a world breed, raised in about eighty countries round the world, many of which have breed associations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Gertrudis cattle</span> American breed of cattle

The Santa Gertrudis is an American breed of beef cattle. It is a taurine-indicine hybrid breed, descended from both zebu and European cattle. It was bred in the early twentieth century in Texas, and received official recognition in 1940. It has been exported to many countries including Australia, Brazil and South Africa, and has contributed to the development of a number of modern breeds, among them the Barzona and the Droughtmaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bovini</span> Tribe of cattle

The tribe Bovini or wild cattle are medium to massive bovines that are native to Eurasia, North America, and Africa. These include the enigmatic, antelope-like saola, the African and Asiatic buffalos, and a clade that consists of bison and the wild cattle of the genus Bos. Not only are they the largest members of the subfamily Bovinae, they are the largest species of their family Bovidae. The largest species is the gaur, weighing up to 1,500 kg (3,300 lb).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanwoo</span> Korean cattle breed

The Hanwoo, also Hanu or Korean Native, is a breed of small cattle native to Korea. It was formerly used as a working animal, but is now raised mainly for meat. It is one of four indigenous Korean breeds, the others being the Chikso, the Heugu and the Jeju Black.

The American Breed is an American bovid hybrid of cattle with a small percentage of American Bison blood. It was developed in the 1950s by a New Mexico rancher looking for beef cattle which could survive on poor fodder in the arid Southwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cattle</span> Large, domesticated, cloven-hooved herbivores

Cattle are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus Bos. Mature female cattle are called cows and mature male cattle are bulls. Young female cattle are called heifers, young male cattle are oxen or bullocks, and castrated male cattle are known as steers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antelope Island bison herd</span> Population of bison in Utah, USA

The Antelope Island bison herd is a semi–free-ranging population of American bison in Antelope Island State Park in Great Salt Lake, Utah. Bison were introduced to Antelope Island in 1893. The herd is significant because it is one of the largest and oldest publicly owned bison herds in the nation. The Antelope Island bison herd currently numbers between 550 and 700 individuals. Though the bison on Antelope Island are plains bison, which was the most common bison subspecies in North America, the bison have a distinct genetic heritage from many of the other bison herds in the United States and they are considered to be desirable as part of the breeding and foundation stock for other bison herds, because of their separate genetic heritage and some of the distinct genetic markers that are found in the population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowstone bison herd</span> Oldest public herd in the United States

The Yellowstone bison herd roams the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The bison herd is probably the oldest and largest public bison herd in the United States, estimated in 2020 to comprise 4,800 bison. The bison are American bison of the Plains bison subspecies. Yellowstone National Park may be the only location in the United States where free-ranging bison were never extirpated, since they continued to exist in the wild and were not reintroduced.

The animals in the Henry Mountains bison herd are of the plains bison subspecies. Yellowstone National Park may be the only location in the United States where free-ranging bison were never exterminated since they continued to exist in the wild and were not re-introduced as has been done in most other bison herd areas. As a result, the Yellowstone Park bison herd became the foundation herd for many others in the United States, including the Henry Mountains bison herd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind Cave bison herd</span> American bison in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota

The Wind Cave bison herd is a herd of 250–400 American bison in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, United States. As an active participant in the conservation of American bison, it is believed to be one of only seven free-roaming and genetically pure herds on public lands in North America. The other six herds are in Yellowstone Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Henry Mountains, Blue Mounds State Park (Minnesota), Minneopa State Park (Minnesota), and Elk Island National Park. The Wind Cave herd are of the Plains bison subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North American Piedmontese</span> Breed of cattle

North American Piedmontese cattle are a breed of domestic beef cattle originating from an imported herd of select Italian purebred Piedmontese cattle. The foundation line of breeding stock was first imported from Italy into Canada in 1979, and into the United States in the early 1980s. Piedmontese cattle are distinguished by a unique, naturally occurring gene identified as the myostatin allele mutation, or inactive myostatin gene. Myostatin prohibits muscle growth whereas an inactive gene has the opposite effect. Purebred Piedmontese are homozygous,, which means they have two identical alleles present for this unique gene. Research indicates the presence of the myostatin allele mutation produces morphological characteristics unique to the breed, such as double-muscling, beef tenderness, reduced fat content and high yield. According to the North American Piedmontese Association (NAPA), they are the first breed registry to base animal registration requirements on the presence of this specific gene which can be easily verified by DNA testing.

References

  1. ↑ Porter, Valerie (2008). The Field Guide to Cattle. Voyageur Press. p. 70. ISBN   978-0-7603-3192-7 . Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  2. ↑ Drew, K. R.; Baskin, L. M. (1989). Wildlife Production Systems: Economic Utilisation of Wild Ungulates. CUP Archive. p. 354. ISBN   978-0-521-34099-1 . Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Breeds – Beefalo". The Cattle Site. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Shapiro, Beth; et al. (2024). "Most Beefalo cattle have no detectable bison genetic ancestry". eLife. 13. doi: 10.7554/elife.102750.1.sa3 .
  5. ↑ Dafoe, John W. (April 1889). "Domestication of the Buffalo". Popular Science Monthly. 34. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  6. ↑ Hornaday, William (2002). The Extermination of the American Bison. Outlook Verlag Press. p. 98. ISBN   9783752310689.
  7. ↑ Brower, Jennifer (2008). Lost Tracks: National Buffalo Park, 1909–1939. Athabasca University Press. pp. 132–133. ISBN   978-1-897425-10-7 . Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  8. ↑ "Charles Jesse "Buffalo" Jones". Kshs.org. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  9. ↑ "The Story of Cattalo". canadiangeographic.ca. May 2011. Archived from the original on 1 September 2005.
  10. ↑ Boyd, M. M. (1914). "Crossing bison and cattle". J Hered. 5 (5: 189–197): 189–197. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a107838.
  11. ↑ Magazines, Hearst (December 1934). "Cattle Developed for North are Part Buffalo". Popular Mechanics. Hearst Magazines. p. 863. ISSN   0032-4558 . Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  12. ↑ "A Missouri family raises beefalo as a low-fat alternative to beef cattle". Columbia Missourian. 21 July 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  13. ↑ Beefalo Facts
  14. ↑ "ABWR". ABWR. Archived from the original on 12 October 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  15. ↑ "American Beefalo Association" . Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  16. ↑ "Strands of undesirable DNA roam with Buffalo, By Jim Robbins, 9th January 2007, The New York Times". Wildcattleconservation.org. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  17. ↑ Polzhiehn, R.O.; C. Strobeck; J. Sheraton & R. Beech (1995). "Bovine mtDNA Discovered in North American Bison Populations". Conservation Biology. 9 (6): 1638–43. Bibcode:1995ConBi...9.1638P. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1995.09061638.x. JSTOR   2387208. S2CID   85575841.
  18. ↑ "Halbert, N.D., Ward, T.J., Schnabel, R.D., Taylor, J.F and Derr, J.N. (2005) Conservation genomics: disequilibrium mapping of domestic cattle chromosomal segments in North American bison populations. Molecular Ecology (2005) 14, 2343–2362" (PDF). Animalgenomics.missouri.edu. 12 February 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 April 2006. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  19. ↑ "Halbert, Natalie Dierschke (2003) The utilization of genetic markers to resolve modern management issues in historic bison populations: implications for species conservation Ph. D. Dissertation, Texas A&M University, December 2003" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  20. ↑ "Genetically Pure Bison Found in Utah". UPR Utah Public Ratio. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  21. ↑ Catherine Brahic (15 October 2008). "American icons aren't the animals they used to be". New Scientist . Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  22. ↑ Clark, Laura (4 March 2015). "A Beefalo Invasion Is Causing Trouble in the Grand Canyon". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  23. ↑ Bullock, Anne-Marie (2 March 2015). "How do you solve a problem like the 'Beefalo'?". BBC News. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  24. ↑ Dungan, Ron (20 June 2018). "How Many Beefalo Is Too Many Beefalo?". Sierra Club. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  25. ↑ Gulliford, Andrew (7 January 2023). "Buffalo Jones and bison that don't belong at the Grand Canyon". Durango Herald. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  26. ↑ "Code of Federal Regulations (9CFR352.1) rev 2004. — "Catalo or Cattalo means any hybrid animal with American bison appearance resulting from direct crossbreeding of American bison and cattle."". Access.gpo.gov. Archived from the original on 26 August 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
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