Animal Facts
Cow Facts & Trivia: Fascinating Things to Know
Cows are ruminants with a four-chambered stomach, which lets them chew their cud after putting away roughly 40 pounds of grass and grain a day. They can smell odors from up to six miles away and see nearly 360 degrees around them, though they can't tell red from green. Despite their placid reputation, they can gallop up to 35 mph and form lasting social bonds, even holding grudges for years.
Cows might look like simple grass-munchers standing in a field, but there's more going on beneath that placid exterior. Their digestive system is genuinely odd, and their sense of smell is sharper than most people expect. They've also turned up in barns, folklore, and pop culture for generations. Below are some of the details.
Fascinating Cow Facts
Cows are strict plant-eaters, grazing on grass and grains like corn, and they have 32 teeth for all that chewing. Their digestion is genuinely unusual: one stomach is divided into four separate chambers — the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum — which is why they're classified as ruminants, animals that chew their cud.
Their senses are just as odd. A cow's eyes give it nearly a full 360-degree view of its surroundings, though it can't tell red from green. Its nose can pick up a scent from as far as six miles away.
A couple of terminology notes: technically, "cow" refers only to a grown female, while "bull" is the adult male. A female needs to give birth to a calf before she can produce milk, and once she does, she's typically kept in milk production for three or four years.
- Cows can live up to 25 years and typically run a body temperature near 101.5°F
- An adult dairy cow averages about 1,290 pounds and can gallop as fast as 35 mph
- They put away roughly 40 pounds of food daily and chew around 50 times a minute
- Around 920 distinct cow breeds exist worldwide, and the global population tops a billion head
- You'll find cows grazing on every continent besides Antarctica, and in India they hold sacred status
- They're surprisingly social — cows build lasting bonds with each other and can hold grudges for years
- A mother will wander for miles searching for her calf, and contented cows tend to produce more milk
- Taxonomically, a cow sits in Kingdom Animalia, then narrows through Phylum Chordata and Class Mammalia, before landing in Order Artiodactyla, Family Bovidae, and finally Genus Bos
Cows in Movies, TV & Music
Cows have turned up on plenty of screens over the years: the animated barnyard antics of Barnyard (2006) and Home on the Range (2004), plus the family comedy Cow Belles (2006). More serious takes exist too, including the drama The Price of Milk (2000) and the 1969 film simply titled The Cow.
Musicians have found inspiration in cattle as well. Steely Dan recorded "Black Cow," Trace Adkins put out "Brown Chicken Brown Cow," the Foo Fighters wrote "For All the Cows," and The Kinks released "Milk Cow Blues."
Famous Cows
A few bovine characters are genuinely well known. Babe the Blue Ox stomps through the tall tales of Paul Bunyan, Ben the Cow headlines the movie Barnyard, Disney fans know Clarabelle Cow from the classic cartoons, and there's also the title character of the animated series Cow and Chicken.
In advertising, Elsie the Cow has long been the face of Borden Milk, and Gladys the Cow made her home on Sesame Street. Then there's the one tied to a historical scandal: Mrs. O'Leary's Cow, the animal long blamed for sparking the Great Chicago Fire.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many stomach compartments does a cow have?
A cow technically has one stomach, but it's split into four compartments — the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum — which is why cows are classified as ruminants that chew their cud.
How far away can a cow smell something?
A cow's sense of smell is powerful enough to detect an odor from as far as six miles away.
How long do cows typically live?
Cows can live up to around 25 years, though dairy cows are usually milked for only three to four years of that time.