Conservation status | |
---|---|
Country of origin | United States |
Distribution | international |
Use | beef |
Traits | |
Weight | |
Coat | cherry-red |
Horn status | horned or polled |
|
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 [3] : 290 and the Droughtmaster. [4] : 721
The Santa Gertrudis was developed on the King Ranch in southern Texas. The name derives from that of the Spanish-owned estate of Los Cerros de Santa Gertrudis, where in 1851 the King Ranch was established. [3] : 290
The ranch was initially stocked with Texas Longhorn cattle. From about 1880 bulls of the British Hereford and Beef Shorthorn breeds were used to improve them; [3] : 290 substantial separate Shorthorn and Hereford herds were kept to supply the bulls. [5] : 115 In 1910 a part-zebuine bull, descended from an Ongole bull imported in 1906 directly from India, was acquired and was cross-bred with cows of the Shorthorn stock. [3] : 290 The results were promising, and in 1918 the ranch bought fifty-two taurindicine bulls with no less than 75% zebuine parentage, in the hope of creating a composite breed of about 37% zebuine and 62% taurine ancestry. Between 1923 and 1935 a bull named Monkey was extensively used to fix the characteristics of the breed, which was officially recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1940. [3] : 290 All Santa Gertrudis stock descends from this bull. [5] : 124
In 1931 the ranch imported from South Africa eleven cows and sixteen bulls of Afrikander stock, with the idea of using them to help fix the deep red coat color of the new breed. In the event, this was not found to be necessary, and the cattle were sold off; some were used to create the Africangus cross-breed, and others contributed to the development of the Barzona. [4] : 759
A breed association was formed in 1951, and the first bulls were sold in the same year. [3] : 290
The Santa Gertrudis has been exported to many countries, and is reported to DAD-IS by about forty, in all five inhabited continents. [6] In 2021 the total number worldwide was estimated at approximately 72 000. The largest population was reported from South Africa, at approximately 25 000; significant numbers were reported from Australia, Brazil, Morocco, Namibia, Paraguay and South Africa. [6]
In the United States there were 28 000 head in 1975; [2] by 1990 this had fallen to about 15 200, and to just under 8500 in 2000–2001. [7] : 41 In 2013 the population was reported at 5000, and in 2021 the local conservation status was "at risk". [2]
The cattle are a solid deep cherry-red in color, with only minimal traces of white on the underline; they may be either polled or horned. [3] : 290 They are hardy, with good resistance to ticks and bloat, and good tolerance of heat. [8] Signs of their indicine heritage include a small hump in bulls, medium-large ears, and loose skin with heavy folds below the neck. The coat is smooth and short. [8]
The Santa Gertrudis is reared for beef. It was bred to be better adapted than imported British beef breeds to the environmental conditions of Texas – the semi-arid landscape, the sub-tropical climate and the abundance of ticks [5] : 115 – and has been exported to a number of other countries where conditions are similar, including Australia, Brazil and South Africa. [3] : 290
It has contributed to the development of a number of modern composite breeds, among them the Barzona (with Aberdeen Angus, Afrikander and Hereford in roughly equal proportions); the Brazos (with Hereford and Gelbvieh); [3] : 290 the Droughtmaster (with Beef Shorthorn, Devon, Hereford, Red Brahman, Red Poll, and possibly Afrikander); [4] : 721 and the Santa Cruz (with Gelbvieh and Red Angus). [9] : 51
The Texas Longhorn is an American breed of beef cattle, characterized by its long horns, which can span more than 8 ft (2.4 m) from tip to tip. It derives from cattle brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the Americas by Spanish conquistadores from the time of the Second Voyage of Christopher Columbus until about 1512. For hundreds of years the cattle lived a semi-feral existence on the rangelands; they have a higher tolerance of heat and drought than most European breeds. It can be of any color or mix of colors. In some 40% of the cattle it is some shade of red, often a light red; the only shade of red not seen is the deep color typical of the Hereford.
The Aberdeen Angus, sometimes simply Angus, is a Scottish breed of small beef cattle. It derives from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Kincardine and Angus in north-eastern Scotland. In 2018 the breed accounted for over 17% of the UK beef industry.
The Brahman is an American breed of zebuine-taurine hybrid beef cattle. It was bred in the United States from 1885 from cattle originating in India, imported at various times from the United Kingdom, from India and from 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.
The Corriente is an American breed of small cattle, used principally for rodeo events. It derives from Criollo Mexicano stock, which in turn descends from Iberian cattle brought to the Americas by the Conquistadores, and introduced in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to various parts of what is now Mexico.
The Afrikaner or Africander is an African breed of taurine-indicine cattle in the Sanga group of African cattle. It derives from 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.
The Buelingo is a modern American composite breed of belted beef cattle, created in North Dakota, in the United States. It is named for Russ Bueling, who owned the foundation stock in the early 1970s.
The Gir or Gyr is an Indian breed of zebuine cattle originating in the state of Gujarat. Other names include Bhodah, Desan, Gujarati, Kathiawari, Sorthi and Surti.
The Maine-Anjou is a French breed of domestic cattle, raised mainly in the Pays de la Loire region in north-western France. It was created in the nineteenth century in the historic province of Maine by cross-breeding the local Mancelle dairy cattle with Durham stock from Britain, and was at first called the Durham-Mancelle. In France it has been known since 2004 as the Rouge des Prés, but the Maine-Anjou name continues to be used elsewhere. It was formerly a dual-purpose animal, raised both for meat and for milk, but is now principally a beef breed.
The Hungarian Grey, also known as the Hungarian Grey Steppe, is a Hungarian breed of beef cattle. It belongs to the group of Podolic cattle and is characterised by long lyre-shaped horns and a pale grey coat. It is well adapted to extensive pasture systems and was formerly raised in very large numbers in the Hungarian puszta. In the twentieth century it came close to extinction, but numbers have since risen.
The Japanese Black is a breed of Japanese beef cattle. It is one of six native Japanese cattle breeds, and one of the four Japanese breeds known as wagyū, the others being the Japanese Brown, the Japanese Polled and the Japanese Shorthorn. All wagyū cattle derive from cross-breeding in the early twentieth century of native Japanese cattle with imported stock, mostly from Europe. In the case of the Japanese Black, the foreign influence was from European breeds including Braunvieh, Shorthorn, Devon, Simmental, Ayrshire and Holstein.
The Droughtmaster is an Australian breed of beef cattle. It was developed from about 1915 in North Queensland by crossing zebuine cattle with cattle of British origin, principally the Beef Shorthorn. It was the first Australian taurindicine hybrid breed; it is approximately 50% Bos indicus and 50% Bos taurus.
The Lincoln Red is a British breed of red-coated beef cattle. It originates in, and is named for, the county of Lincolnshire in the eastern Midlands of England. It was selectively bred in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries by crossing large local draught cattle of the region with Teeswater Shorthorns of medium size. It was at first known as the Lincolnshire Red Shorthorn, and was a dual-purpose breed, reared both for milk and for beef. The polling gene was introduced in the early twentieth century, and the cattle are now usually polled; the word 'shorthorn' was dropped from the breed name in 1960. In the twenty-first century it is reared for beef.
The Hanwoo, also Hanu or Korean Native, is a breed of small cattle native to Korea. It was formerly used as a draught animal, but this use has almost disappeared. It 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.
The Lucerna is a Colombian breed of dual-purpose cattle. It is a composite breed, created in the twentieth century by cross-breeding local Criollo cattle of the Hartón breed with imported dairy cattle of European type. This was the earliest composite breed to be developed in South America.
The Blue Albion was a British breed of cattle with an unusual blue roan coat. It originated in the English Midlands in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, and was a dual-purpose breed, reared both for beef and for milk. It became extinct following the foot-and-mouth outbreak of 1967.
The Japanese Shorthorn is a breed of small Japanese beef cattle. It is one of six native Japanese cattle breeds, and one of the four Japanese breeds known as wagyū, the others being the Japanese Black, the Japanese Brown and the Japanese Polled. All wagyū cattle derive from cross-breeding in the early twentieth century of native Japanese cattle with imported stock, mostly from Europe. In the case of the Japanese Shorthorn, the principal foreign influence was from the Shorthorn, with some contribution from the Ayrshire and Devon breeds.
The Drakensberger is a South African breed of cattle. It is a dual-purpose breed, reared both for milk and for meat. Its origins go back to the early nineteenth century, to the time of the Great Trek or earlier, when imported European stock from Holland with was cross-bred with black cattle of Sanga type obtained from nomadic pastoralist Khoikhoi peoples. It is one of several successful African composite breeds of Sanga and European stock. In the early days it was selected for adaptation to the sourveld biome of South Africa, and for black colour; it was kept principally along the Drakensberg escarpment, which gave rise to its modern name. It was established as a breed with the formation of the Drakensberger Cattle Breeders' Society in 1947.
The Guzerá or Guzerat is a Brazilian breed of domestic cattle. It derives from cross-breeding of Indian Kankrej cattle, imported to Brazil from 1870 onwards, with local taurine Crioulo cattle of European origin. The name is a Portuguese spelling of that of the western Indian state of Gujarat.
The Red Brangus is an American breed of hybrid beef cattle, with both taurine and indicine genetic heritage. Development began in Texas in the 1940s. It is a colour variant of the Brangus, a hybrid of American Angus and Brahman cattle, and differs from it only in colour. There are two herd-books, one international and one American. For international registration the animal must be of 5/8 Angus and 3/8 Brahman descent; in the United States, it may be any mix of the two breeds, but registration is conditional on inspection.