A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance ( phenotype ), homogeneous behavior , and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species . In literature, there exist several slightly deviating definitions. Breeds are formed through genetic isolation and either natural adaptation to the environment or selective breeding , or a combination of the two. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry and agriculture, no single, scientifically accepted definition of the term exists. A breed is therefore not an objective or biologically verifiable classification but is instead a term of art amongst groups of breeders who share a consensus around what qualities make some members of a given species members of a nameable subset.
16-528: The Podolica is an Italian breed of domestic cattle . It belongs to the Podolic group of grey cattle . It is raised in the southern Italian regions of Abruzzo , Basilicata , Calabria , Campania , Molise and Puglia . It was formerly distributed throughout most of mainland Italy and as far as Istria , now part of Croatia , and where it is now regarded as a separate breed, the Istrian or Boškarin . The Podolica
32-411: A breed does so by selecting individual animals from within a gene pool that they see as having the necessary qualities needed to enhance the breed model they are aiming for. These animals are referred to as foundation stock . Furthermore, the breeder mates the most desirable representatives of the breed from his or her point of view, aiming to pass such characteristics to their progeny . This process
48-487: A requirement for a breed. Plant breeds are more commonly known as cultivars . The offspring produced as a result of breeding animals of one breed with other animals of another breed are known as crossbreeds or mixed breeds. Crosses between animal or plant variants above the level of breed/cultivar (i.e. between species, subspecies , botanical variety , even different genera ) are referred to as hybrids . The breeder (or group of breeders) who initially establishes
64-560: Is 650 kg, and 800 kg for bulls. The Podolica was in the past mainly kept for draught work; meat and milk production were secondary to this. After the Second World War the progressive mechanisation of agriculture meant that demand for draught oxen disappeared. The breed is now raised mainly for meat; in some areas it is also kept for milk. Calves are weaned no sooner than four months; they are normally sent to slaughter at 15–16 months, at which time they weigh 300–350 kg . The meat
80-491: Is a rustic breed capable of surviving on harsh terrain and poor pasture. It can exploit food sources that would not otherwise be used, including stubble , scrub and maquis , and woodland undergrowth. The animals are fed hay and straw only in winter. The colour of the Podolica shows pronounced sexual dimorphism : cows are pale grey, tending to white, while males are darker and may be almost black. As in other breeds of grey cattle,
96-516: Is considered to be of high quality and carries a registered mark of quality. The average milk yield is low; a figure of 1500 kg was cited in the 1950s. The milk is used to make caciocavallo ; the sought-after Caciocavallo Podolico del Gargano from the Gargano Peninsula in the province of Foggia is made only from it. List of cattle breeds Over 1000 breeds of cattle are recognized worldwide, some of which adapted to
112-429: Is known as selective breeding . A written description of desirable and undesirable breed representatives is referred to as a breed standard . Breed specific characteristics, also known as breed traits, are inherited, and purebred animals pass such traits from generation to generation. Thus, all specimens of the same breed carry several genetic characteristics of the original foundation animal(s). In order to maintain
128-668: The Montanara, the Murgese, the Pugliese, the Pugliese del Basso Veneto and others. The name "Podolico" for grey cattle came into use in Italy from the early twentieth century. The need for a herdbook was recognised in 1976; it was established in 1984, and a breed standard drawn up from observation of about 15 000 animals. In 1986 the standards of selection were modified to allow meat production to be favoured over other characteristics. The total population
144-411: The breed, a breeder would select those animals with the most desirable traits to achieve further maintenance and developing of such traits. At the same time, the breed would avoid animals carrying characteristics undesirable or not typical for the breed, including faults or genetic defects. The population within the same breed should consist of a sufficient number of animals to maintain the breed within
160-462: The calves are born wheat-coloured but become grey at about three months. The skin is black, as are the natural openings. The horns are light, lyre-shaped in cows, half-moon-shaped in bulls; they are slate-grey in young animals, becoming pale at the base and dark at the tip with maturity. The breed is of medium size and lightweight; the skeleton is light. The average height at the withers is 145 cm in females, and 150 cm in males; average weight for cows
176-602: The fifth century AD or by the Lombard king Agilulf in the sixth century. This hypothesis is based on the zoological theories of the nineteenth century, going back to the Bos taurus podolicus of Johann Andreas Wagner . It is not supported by modern genetic, zoological or archaeological research. There were numerous regional and other types of Italian grey cattle: the Abruzzese, the Calabrese,
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#1732847841131192-652: The local climate , others which were bred by humans for specialized uses. Cattle breeds fall into two main types, which are regarded as either two closely related species , or two subspecies of one species. Bos indicus (or Bos taurus indicus ) cattle, commonly called zebu, are adapted to hot climates and originated in the tropical parts of the world such as India, Sub-saharan Africa, China, and Southeast Asia. Bos taurus (or Bos taurus taurus ), typically referred to as "taurine" cattle, are generally adapted to cooler climates and include almost all cattle breeds originating from Europe and northern Asia. In some parts of
208-543: The male Dzo of Nepal, a cattle-yak hybrid which is bred for agricultural work - like the mule and the hinny , they have to be continually bred from both of the parent species. Breeds Another point of view is that a breed is consistent enough in type to be logically grouped together and when mated within the group produce the same type. When bred together, individuals of the same breed pass on these predictable traits to their offspring, and this ability – known as " breeding true " – is
224-700: The world further species of cattle are found (both as wild and domesticated animals), and some of these are related so closely to taurine and indicus cattle that interspecies hybrids have been bred. Examples include the Dwarf Lulu cattle of the mountains of Nepal with yak blood, the Beefalo of North America with bison genes, the Selembu breed of India and Bhutan with gayal genes. The Madura breed of Indonesia may have banteng in its parentage. In addition to these fertile hybrids, there are sterile hybrids such as
240-456: Was estimated in 2008 at 100 000 head, of which about 25 000 were recorded in the herdbook. At the end of 2013 the total number registered in the herdbook was 27,509, including 391 registered bulls; more than 80% of the registered stock was in Basilicata and Campania. The breed is considered to be at risk from indiscriminate cross-breeding with bulls of specialised meat breeds. The Podolica
256-592: Was in the past bred principally as a draught animal ; with the mechanisation of agriculture following the Second World War , demand for draught oxen disappeared, and the Podolica is now raised for meat and – to a lesser extent – for milk. The origins of the Podolica breed are not known. As with other European grey cattle, it has been suggested that it derives from cattle of the Podolian (Ukrainian) steppes of eastern Europe, possibly brought to Italy by invading Goths in
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