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AnAge entry for Bos taurus

Classification (HAGRID: 02257)
TaxonomyKingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
        Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry)
            Order: Artiodactyla
                Family: Bovidae
                    Genus: Bos
SpeciesBos taurus
Common nameDomestic cattle
SynonymsBos indicus, Bos primigenius

Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits

Maximum longevity20 years (captivity)
Sourceref. 434
Sample sizelarge
Data qualityquestionable
Observations

Estimating the maximum longevity of domestic cattle is troublesome since there are many conflicting reports. Females appear to remain fertile for about 12 years, and animals have been known to live over 20 years [0434]. Most likely, animals can live over 20 years and there are even anecdotal reports of a cow called "Big Bertha" that lived nearly 49 years. Lastly, there are unverified reports that miniature cattle live longer than normal animals.

Life history traits (averages)

Female sexual maturity548 days
Male sexual maturity
Gestation277 days
Weaning
Litter size1 (viviparous)
Litters per year
Inter-litter interval
Weight at birth
Weight at weaning
Adult weight750,000 g
Postnatal growth rate0.0031 days-1 (from Gompertz function)
Maximum longevity residual51 %

Metabolism

Typical body temperatureNot yet available
Basal metabolic rate306.7700 W
Body mass347000.0 g
Metabolic rate per body mass0.000884 W/g

References
[0715] Lorenzini et al. (2005), Cellular replicative capacity correlates primarily with species body mass not longevity, PubMed
[0036] Savage et al. (2004), The predominance of quarter-power scaling in biology
[0189] Kapahi et al. (1999), Positive correlation between mammalian life span and cellular resistance to stress, PubMed
[0434] Ronald Nowak (1999), Walker's Mammals of the World
[0731] Zullinger et al. (1984), Fitting sigmoid equations to mammalian growth curves
[0436] Cutler (1979), Evolution of human longevity: a critical overview, PubMed

External resources

Integrated Taxonomic Information SystemITIS 183838
Animal Diversity WebADW account
Encyclopedia of LifeSearch EOL
Genome ProjectSearch NCBI
Entrez

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