What are bulls without horns called? The largest horns in the world
Just one glance is enough to understand why the Watussi bull is so famous. This animal is one of the few that can boast the largest horns in the world. Their length from one tip of the horn to the other can reach 2.4 meters.
Like many other bulls, the Watussi descended from their common ancestor - the primitive aurochs. So unusual name- Watusi - the bull was given by one of the African tribes - Tutsi (Tutsi) (Rwanda, Burundi). Others, for example, the Nkole tribe (Nkole, Ankole) (Uganda) call it Ankole. They live in savannas and open fields.
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Since ancient times, Ankole-Watusi bulls and cows have been considered sacred. They were almost never used as a source of meat, since the wealth of their owners was determined by the number of live animals. All the owners' attention was focused on getting maximum quantity milk, and even a special technology was developed.
The cow grazed all day, and in the evening she was driven to the calf, which was allowed to take only a couple of sips to stimulate milk production. After which the cow was milked, leaving the calf practically on a starvation diet. The same thing was repeated in the morning, as a result the young animals died without reaching mature age.
The historical homeland of Watussi is Africa (Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi), but, thanks to their unpretentiousness in food, after the 1960s they quickly became widespread in other countries (in America, Ukraine and Crimea).
Photo 3.
The weight of adult Watussi can reach from 400 to 750 kilograms. Newborn calves are fluff compared to their parents. They weigh only 14-23 kilograms and remain that way throughout the first months.
A distinctive feature of this breed of bulls is their extra-long and powerful horns. Their total length can reach from 1.5 to 2.4 meters. Specimens with the largest horns are assigned to the household of the king of the tribe and become sacred.
These horns are amazing not only for their length, but also for their ability to thermoregulate. They are permeated with many blood vessels, in which there is blood in hot weather cooled by air currents. After which she again ends up in the main circulatory system, lowering the animal's body temperature.
Watussi are very unpretentious eaters. Thanks to special structure digestive system they are able to eat even very coarse and meager food nutrients food. Their stomach is designed in such a way that it absorbs useful material from everything that its owner eats.
Photo 5.
The Ankole Watusi have highly developed instincts to protect the young. When settling down for the night, the adults lie down in a circle, and all the calves are herded to the center, for greater safety.
Photo 6.
Watussi ancestors, primitive wild bulls(turs), about four thousand years ago they came to Africa from the banks of the Nile, where their images have been preserved to this day on the walls of the pyramids. Around the same time, humpbacked zebu bulls moved from India and Pakistan to what is now Ethiopia and Somalia and gradually crossed with Egyptian cows, resulting in a species that became the basis for many breeds of African cattle.
Photo 7.
In the countries of East Africa - Rwanda and Burundi, the offspring of Egyptian and Indian bulls were called "Watusi", and their neighbors, the Ugandan Nkole tribes, gave the new breed the name "Ankole".
Photo 8.
The weight of adult bulls reaches 600-730 kilograms, cows - 400-550, and the weight of a calf during the first months of life does not exceed 15-23 kilograms.
Photo 9.
home distinctive feature Ankole-Watusi - their long horns. The Tutsi tribe, with which these animals are primarily associated, call them “inyambo” - a cow with a very long horns. The length of Ankole horns varies from 1.5 to 3.7 meters. The most preferable is a lyre-shaped or cylindrical shape.
The longer the horns, the wider they are at the base, and the more honors their owner receives, and the highest level of the hierarchy is inclusion in the herd of the king of the tribe and the assignment of sacred status. However, the privileged position also comes at a price, holding horns weighing about 45 kilograms each on the head.
Photo 10.
The main value of horns for an animal is their thermoregulatory properties. The horns of the Ankole Watusi act as radiators in which the circulating blood is cooled air currents and in this state it disperses throughout the body, lowering its temperature. This quality is indispensable in Ankole habitats, where temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius.
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Since it concerns the most big horns, then of course there is a record holder here. This is a bull named Lurch. The girth of his horns reaches 92.25 cm and weighs 50 kilograms each, which is why he was included in the Guinness Book of Records.
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Larch lived in American state Arkansas, where he died of illness on May 22, 2010. His record was registered in the Guinness Book of Records on May 6, 2003.
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sources
http://ianimal.ru/topics/byk-vatussi
http://www.zoopicture.ru/vatussi/
http://inspir52.ya.ru/replies.xml?item_no=2628
And also about unusual bulls and cows for you: And I’ll also remind you what these are and of course you need to remember
There is in the world amazing creatures- horned snails. Goats, bulls, some antelopes, as well as deer, elk and other animals can boast powerful and sometimes very long horns.
Horned snails
When talking about horned animals, snails are mentioned in last resort. Nevertheless, they exist. Horned snail – popular name. Their scientific name is Horned Nerite Snail. On the shell of these snails there are horn-like processes that have unusual structure. If you pick up this creature, you can even get hurt by its horns.While in an aquarium, the horned snail is not able to reproduce. The situation is completely different when she is in sea water. This type of snail is the most small view neritoids, which are kept in aquariums. The average size Horned Nerite Snail - about a centimeter in diameter. Usually, size adult does not exceed two centimeters in diameter.
Horned snails live quite a long time; their life in the aquarium can last until they leave aquatic environment. It is important not to scoop them up and never squeeze them in your hand, as the antlers can hurt your hands.
It has been noticed that throughout life, the processes on the shell of a horned snail do not grow with it, remaining forever the same size. You can't help but pay attention to these mollusks because of their unusual contrasting colors. They have a black and yellow color, but there are variations and different inclusions.
Each snail's horns are located differently; no pattern can be discerned. Most often they are at the top of the shell. Particular care should be taken when handling horned creatures during transportation, as their horns can be easily damaged.
Animals with long horns
There are several species of animals whose horns can be considered long. These are the bango antelopes. They live in Central Africa. Powerful meter-long horns are not easy for these animals to carry, as they personal growth barely reaches a meter and a quarter. Bangos grind their horns down on trees and rocks to keep them sharp, but they are almost never used to attack antelopes.
Waterbucks stand out with long horns - these are antelopes large size with shaggy hair. Their horns are about a meter long.
Long twisted horns adorn the head bighorn sheep. From time to time, representatives of this species engage in battles with their horns so that the knocking can be heard over a long distance. Large horns on an animal like Mountain goat, and they are especially long in males. Some individuals have horns that grow up to a meter.
The wild goat found in Europe is called mouflon. Its horns are particularly wide at the base. They grow throughout life, twisting in a spiral.
Horns big size The sika deer has numerous branches. The noble and reindeer. It is known that in harsh climatic conditions the number of processes on the horns increases significantly. Deer after mating season they shed their antlers, and they grow back only for the next season. When talking about animals with long horns, one cannot help but think of roe deer and moose. IN African savannas Thomson's gazelle and Grant's gazelle live. Males are distinguished by especially long horns.
Goats with the longest horns
Among the goats we can distinguish mountain goat, its horns are saber-shaped and curved back. The horns of a horned goat reach one and a half meters in length. They got this name because of their horns that looked like they were curled like abrasives. Powerful horns adorn the heads of aurochs. Their second name is Caucasian stone goats.
Alpine goats or ibex live in the European mountains. They rise to a height of more than three thousand meters. The horns of these animals begin to grow from three months. Every year in the summer a new horny sheath appears, pushing the old one upward. This is how a kind of tree rings, speaking about the age of Capricorn. Each horn can reach a length of one meter and weigh about fifteen kilograms.
The bezoar goat lives in the mountains. Its main habitat is Dagestan. Unfortunately, the numbers of these animals are declining. Males have long horns. They are curved in shape like a saber. Females have much shorter horns.
There is a record-breaking domestic goat. He lives in the USA. His name is Uncle Sam. The length of the horns of this goat is one hundred and thirty-two centimeters.
Recently, the title of the longest-horned bull was given to one of the representatives of the Texas Longhorn breed. His nickname is JR. The Guinness Book of Records has officially recorded this title. This bull surpassed the previous record holder by as much as fifty-three centimeters. The length of the horns is two meters and seventy-four centimeters.The previous champion was from Ohio. His nickname is Shadow. The owner of the new record holder says that, despite his title, the bull continues to graze on the same lands, surrounded by kangaroos. He is still relatively young, which means that the horns may become even longer over time, because the life expectancy of representatives of this breed is about twenty years. Today his home is the Australian Wildlife Park.
And here are the most big horns in the world belong to another record holder - a bull of the Watusi breed named Kren. He lived in a shelter. The weight of each horn of this bull is about fifty kilograms, and the length is a little more than ninety-two centimeters. Kren was very friendly and not at all dangerous to humans. His record was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records in 2003. Unfortunately, the animal died in the same year, 2003.
Animals surprise not only with their horns. There are also more extravagant creatures. For example, according to the site, one of the most unusual animals on the planet is a dog whose fur grows over a meter in length and is very similar to dreadlocks.
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The horns on a bull's head look very intimidating, and for good reason, because with their help these animals fight and show their strength. Today we will talk about the structure and purpose of bull horns, as well as the method of processing them in order to make a vessel.
What horns does a bull have: anatomical structure
The horns of bulls cover the horny processes of the frontal bone like a cover. These solid formations consist of a root, a body and an apex. The location of the root is at the transition to the skin of the forehead. The apex is the sharp free end, and the body is the area from the root to the apex.
The walls of the horns contain two layers: the base of the skin and the epidermis. The productive layer of the epidermis produces the tubular stratum corneum. The length of the horns can reach a length of 70 cm with a circumference at the base of 30 cm. Their shape is close to conical, they usually bend in a spiral or arc.
Did you know? Calves of both sexes are born without horns; they appear in older babies at the age of two months.
The surface of the horns of these animals is smooth, and has faint annual rings. The color of these hard formations on the heads of bulls varies: from white to black. There are representatives with mottled color of the horny processes, on which a beautiful blurry pattern can be observed.
A - epidermis of the scalp; B - its dermis; IN - frontal bones skulls; G - bony outgrowths of the frontal bones (horn shaft); D - connecting part of the soft layer between the horny sheath and its core The horns of adult bulls and oxen with large weight and size are of particular value.
What are the horns of a bull used for?
An animal's horns have several functions:
- communication (establishment of hierarchical relationships);
- protection.
Bulls actively use these hard formations in battles with each other. With their help, they defend territory, food or herd.
Do horns grow back?
It is not uncommon for bulls to fight with each other, resulting in damage to their horns. This can also happen due to the animal’s carelessness. If the problem of damage is only in the horny sheath, then everything grows back easily.
However, if the damage is more complex and occurs at the base, then this is very dangerous. The blood enters the frontal sinus of the animal and flows out through the nose. In this case, the veterinarian may recommend amputation of the horn to preserve the health of the animal.
Which bulls have the biggest horns
The owners of the largest horns are Watussi bulls. They have these hard formations on their heads that reach a length of 1.5 to 2.4 m, and each weighs about 45 kg. The span of the horns from one tip to the other can be 2.4 m.
The horns of these animals act as radiators: the blood that circulates in them is cooled by air currents and spreads throughout the body, thereby cooling it. This is a very valuable quality, because in Africa, where Watussi was bred, the air temperature can reach +50 °C.
Did you know?According to the tradition of the mountaineers, when a local youth reaches the age of 16, wine is poured into the horn of an animal. By performing this ritual, he becomes an adult man in the eyes of others.
How to process a bull horn for a vessel at home
In the Caucasus, bull horn is used as a drinking container. Looking at the beauty of this product, many people thought about how to make such a vessel at home. Below we will talk about all the subtleties that accompany this process.
Choosing a suitable horn for a future product
To make a vessel, taking any of the horns will not be enough; for this it needs to belong to a bovid animal. Of course, you can take it from an antelope or impala, but not every person has access to such exotica. In our area, it is ideal to use animals such as yak, bison, buffalo or ordinary bull for this purpose.
At the beginning of the cup making process, a thorough inspection of the horn should be carried out: you need to find a specimen with a minimum number of cracks. It is better to use a solid formation on the head of a recently killed bull as a material. This is due to the fact that during long-term storage the material can be negatively affected by the environment.
When temperature changes, the horns may experience delamination, and if it is unevenly moistened and dried, they will simply warp. In these cases, the use of such material is not recommended.
Removing the bone rod
The next important stage that requires careful processing is the removal of the bone core. If it is not visually visible, you will need to make a cut using a band saw. After this, the rod can be seen, but getting it out of the horny sheath is not so easy.
To do this, the horn needs to be soaked, but this process is quite lengthy and can take 2-3 weeks. You can do it easier and do the digestion. This will be accompanied unpleasant smell, so you need to turn on the hood and open all the windows.
Important!To boil the horn, use a container that you won’t mind throwing away later. After this process, it will no longer be suitable for cooking.
You will need to boil it for 2-3 hours, after which remove the hot horn from the container and knock on a wooden surface until the rod falls out. You can also use a long screwdriver to remove the rod and clean it out. inner part horny sheath.
Sanding inside and outside
Before you start polishing, you need to let the horn cool down so as not to damage the material for the future vessel.
Internal and external grinding is carried out using the following tools:
- sandpaper;
- paste GOI;
- pumice paste;
- felt;
- grinding machine.
The goal standing on at this stage, - polishing the surface to a shine. External part will not cause much difficulty. When using a sander you need to be extremely careful not to overdo it.
In the absence of a machine, the process will be longer; in this case, you need to use sandpaper of different grain sizes, from coarse to fine. First, you need to go through the inside of the horn with a scraper, and then make your own grinding tool.
Important!Poor processing of the inside of the horn can lead to an unpleasant aftertaste when pouring the drink into the vessel.
To do this, take a piece of rigid wire and attach sandpaper to it. After this, a piece of wire is fixed into a drill and, thus, the inside of the horny sheath is processed. For the final shine, felt and GOI paste are used.
Since ancient times, Ankole-Watusi bulls and cows have been considered sacred. They were almost never used as a source of meat, since the wealth of their owners was determined by the number of live animals. All the attention of the owners was focused on obtaining the maximum amount of milk, and even a special technology was developed.
The cow grazed all day, and in the evening she was driven to the calf, which was allowed to take only a couple of sips to stimulate milk production. After which the cow was milked, leaving the calf practically on a starvation diet. The same thing was repeated in the morning, and as a result, the young animals died before reaching adulthood.
The historical homeland of Watussi is Africa (Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi), but, thanks to their unpretentiousness in food, after the 1960s they quickly became widespread in other countries (in America, Ukraine and Crimea).
The weight of adult Watussi can reach from 400 to 750 kilograms. Newborn calves are fluff compared to their parents. They weigh only 14-23 kilograms and remain that way throughout the first months.
A distinctive feature of this breed of bulls is their extra-long and powerful horns. Their total length can reach from 1.5 to 2.4 meters. Specimens with the largest horns are assigned to the household of the king of the tribe and become sacred.
These horns are amazing not only for their length, but also for their ability to thermoregulate. They are penetrated by many blood vessels, in which the blood is cooled by air currents in hot weather. After which it again enters the main circulatory system, lowering the animal’s body temperature.
Watussi are very unpretentious eaters. Thanks to the special structure of the digestive system, they are able to eat even very coarse and nutrient-poor food. Their stomach is designed so that it absorbs useful substances from everything its owner eats.
The Ankole Watusi have highly developed instincts to protect the young. When settling down for the night, the adults lie down in a circle, and all the calves are herded to the center, for greater safety.
The ancestors of the Watussi, primitive wild bulls (turs), came to Africa from the banks of the Nile about four thousand years ago, where their images have been preserved to this day on the walls of the pyramids. Around the same time, humpbacked zebu bulls moved from India and Pakistan to what is now Ethiopia and Somalia and gradually crossed with Egyptian cows, resulting in a species that became the basis for many breeds of African cattle.
In the countries of East Africa - Rwanda and Burundi, the offspring of Egyptian and Indian bulls were called "Watusi", and their neighbors, the Ugandan Nkole tribes, gave the new breed the name "Ankole".
The main distinguishing feature of the Ankole-Watusi is their long horns. The Tutsi tribe, with which these animals are primarily associated, call them “inyambo” - a cow with very long horns. The length of Ankole horns varies from 1.5 to 3.7 meters. The most preferable is a lyre-shaped or cylindrical shape.
The longer the horns, the wider they are at the base, and the more honors their owner receives, and the highest level of the hierarchy is inclusion in the herd of the king of the tribe and the assignment of sacred status. However, the privileged position also comes at a price, holding horns weighing about 45 kilograms each on the head.
The main value of horns for an animal is their thermoregulatory properties. The horns of the Ankole-Watusi act as radiators in which the circulating blood is cooled by air currents and in this state disperses throughout the body, lowering its temperature. This quality is indispensable in Ankole habitats, where temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius.
Ankole-Watusi bulls with long, round horns look very impressive. The breed of these bulls is very ancient, more than 6 thousand years old.
Among the representatives of the cow class, these bulls have a special title, they are called “king bulls.” Local residents often call them simply “ankole”, but in Russian the second part of the name “watussi” is more used.
The ancestors of the Watussi are aurochs - wild bulls that came to Africa from the Nile River about 4 thousand years ago. To this day, images of aurochs can be seen on the walls of the pyramids. Around this time, humpbacked zebu bulls moved to the territory of today's Somalia and Ethiopia from Pakistan and India. These bulls eventually crossed with cows from Egypt, resulting in the new kind, which became the ancestor of most African horned animals.
IN east africa, namely in Burundi and Rwanda, hybrids of Indian and Egyptian bulls were called “Watusi”. And the neighboring Ugandan tribes called Nkole new breed in its own way - “ankole”.
Since ancient times, the Ankole-Watusi breed has been revered as sacred. Cows and bulls of this breed were almost never used as meat, since the welfare of the owners was determined by the number of live heads. These animals were mainly used to produce milk, and local residents We have our own technology to increase milk yield.
Ankole-Watussi is a breed of bull.
The cow grazed all day, and in the evening she was driven to the calf, which was allowed to take only a few sips mother's milk to stimulate the process of its production. Then the cow was milked, but the calf remained practically hungry. The same procedure was repeated in the morning. As a result of such actions, the young animals died before reaching adulthood.
Adult males weigh between 600-730 kilograms, and females - 400-550 kilograms. Calves do not gain more than 15-23 kilograms in the first months of life.
The main decoration of these animals are their horns. long length. The Tutsi tribe calls Ankole-Watusi in its own way - “inyambo”, which means “cow with extremely long horns”. The length of the horn can reach 1.5-3.7 meters. Among the Watusi, individuals with cylindrical or lyre-shaped horns are valued.
The wider the horns at the base and longer, the more valuable the cow is considered. The owner of the most beautiful horns is called the king of the herd and given sacred status. But privileged individuals at the highest level of the hierarchy also have to pay for their high position, since it is very difficult to wear horns on their heads, each of which weighs up to 45 kilograms.
Horns for an animal are not just decoration; they perform a thermoregulatory function. They act like radiators; blood circulates in them, which is cooled by air currents, and then spreads through other vessels, thereby reducing general temperature animal body. This function is vital for bull habitats where air temperatures rise to 50 degrees.