A Highland Cow resting on a hillside near Loch Lomond in Scotland.
Highland cattle are iconic to Scotland and often feature in souvenirs for tourists. They have been imported to, and are still found in, several other countries.
They can be black, or the better-known orange colour and are bred mainly for their beef. However, their milk is high in butterfat, so they were traditionally kept as house cows. Conversely, because their hair keeps them warm, even in winter, their meat is lower in fat than most beef.
As they originated in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, their unusual double coat of hair, a fluffy undercoat to keep them warm in winter and an oily long coat, which helps rain to slide off. Their coat is the longest of any cattle breed. Their long horns help them to dig through snow to help them find buried plants. They can be grown on land which would otherwise be poor for agriculture.
A study in 2015 indicated the probability that Scottish Highland Cattle have the now-extinct wild cattle, Aurochs, as part of their gene pool.
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