Zebu

Appearance

Zebu have humps on the shoulders, large dewlaps and droopy ears.

Naming

The scientific name of zebu cattle was originally ''Bos indicus'', but they are now more commonly classified within the species ''Bos primigenius'', together with taurine cattle and the ancestor of both of them, the extinct aurochs . European cattle are descended from the Eurasian subspecies, while zebu are descended from the Indian subspecies. "Zebu" may be either singular or plural, but "zebus" is also an acceptable plural form. The Spanish name, "cebu" or "cebú", is also present in a few English works.

Cultural

Further information: Nandi
In India it is considered as the contemporary representation of Nandi, the sacred bull of Shiva.

Zebu were mentioned in the ''Silly Songs with Larry'' tune "The Song of the Cebú". Larry the Cucumber sings a story slide show song about Cebu and defines a cebú as "kinda like a cow." At one point in the song, Larry says "... I think that's the bull's cousin. He's a cebú!" This is fairly accurate, as European cattle and zebu are members of the same species.

The Zebu is also famous for its appearance in the book ''I Heard the Owl Call My Name'' by Margarat Craven.

In August 2007, a study by ITV television show ''Undercover Mothers'' found that a third of steaks served in Hungry Horse and two thirds served in Wetherspoon public houses in the United Kingdom were from Zebu or Zebu cross-breeds, as indicated by the presence of Zebu DNA markers in the meat . Welsh farm leaders claim Zebu meat is "notorious for its tough and poor eating quality."

In "Blood Feud", a season two episode of ''The Simpsons'', Lisa Simpson tries to teach Maggie Simpson what a Zebu is using flashcards.

An episode of the telefilm Manimal shows Jonathan Chase turning into a zebu.

Former professional wrestler The Rock is nicknamed "''The Brahma Bull''". Brahman cattle are a breed of the Zebu bovines.

In a 2012 episode of the A&E program Shipping Wars Jennifer ships a Zebu Calf.