While domestic cattle are now deeply integrated into North America’s agricultural landscape, their origins lie far from its shores. This article clarifies the ancient history of bovine species globally and explains how modern cattle became prevalent here.
The Global Origins of Domesticated Cattle
Modern domesticated cattle, encompassing both Bos taurus (taurine) and Bos indicus (zebu) types, did not originate in North America, but their lineage traces back to an extinct wild ancestor known as the aurochs (Bos primigenius), a large bovine that roamed across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Genetic and archaeological evidence indicates that two distinct domestication events occurred thousands of years ago. Taurine cattle (Bos taurus) were first domesticated around 10,500 years ago in the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East. These early domesticated aurochs then spread into Europe and parts of Africa. Separately, zebu cattle (Bos indicus), characterized by their distinctive hump, were domesticated from a different subspecies of aurochs in the Indus Valley of the Indian subcontinent approximately 8,000 to 9,000 years ago.
North America’s Ancient Bovine Inhabitants
Although modern domesticated cattle are not native to North America, the continent has a rich history of its own indigenous bovine inhabitants. These native species, distinct from the ancestors of farm cattle, adapted to North American environments over millennia. They represent a separate evolutionary branch within the Bovidae family. The most well-known native North American bovid is the bison, with the modern American bison (Bison bison) being a direct descendant of ancient forms. One prominent extinct ancestor was Bison antiquus, which lived across North America during the Late Pleistocene epoch, from over 60,000 years ago until about 10,000 years ago. Bison antiquus was considerably larger than modern bison, standing up to 2.27 meters (7.4 feet) tall and weighing as much as 1,588 kg (3,501 pounds). Another native bovid is the muskox (Ovibos moschatus), a shaggy, cold-adapted mammal primarily found in the Arctic regions of North America, including northern Canada, Greenland, and Alaska. Fossil evidence indicates that muskoxen crossed the Bering Land Bridge into North America between 90,000 and 200,000 years ago, thriving in tundra environments. These species, the bison and muskox, evolved independently and are not genetically linked to the domesticated cattle brought by European settlers.
The Arrival and Spread of Modern Cattle in North America
The domesticated cattle seen across North America today were first introduced by European explorers and colonists, with Christopher Columbus bringing the first cattle to Hispaniola in 1493. From there, Spanish colonists transported cattle to the mainland, establishing herds in Mexico and spreading them northward into the southern United States. These Spanish cattle, often free-ranging, formed the foundation for the iconic Texas Longhorn breed. Later, English and other European settlers brought different cattle breeds to the eastern seaboard of North America, beginning in the early 17th century, with Devon cattle arriving in Plymouth in 1623. These animals played a significant role in colonial expansion, providing meat, milk, hides, and draft power, and their populations rapidly increased as they adapted to the new environment.