Tudanca cattle

Tudanca is a Spanish domestic cattle breed from Cantabria, which shares some features of the extinct aurochs, the wild ancestor of domestic cattle taurine, recalls.

Appearance and Description

Tudanca is a medium sized breed of cattle, cows reach about 135 cm at the withers and 320 kg, bulls 150 cm at the withers and 420 kg. The color of the Tudancas is greyish, generally the cows are brighter than the cops. Bulls have a bright dorsal stripe, like the aurochs. In addition, often found in bulls a lighter saddle. Typical of Tudanca is the curving line of the back, which is especially pronounced in the cops. The cows are smaller and more delicate than the bulls. The horns of the Tudanca are variable; they can either be strongly rotated outward, or remember the the aurochs. Tudanca bulls often have curly brow hair as they have been described for the aurochs.

By Jose Maria de Cossio the breed was described as " agile, strong, tough and robust". Adapted the Tudancas especially to the mountain climate of the Cantabrian highlands.

Occurrence and use

Tudanca is native to the western Cantabria and in some other Spanish regions. A census in 2008 showed 12,991 copies. Currently, the race is run as to be protected pet breed, because, as all little economic primitive breeds of cattle, is threatened with extinction.

Tudancas are, inter alia, used by the Association of Biological Environmental protection in the district of Soest landscape conservation in semi- extensive grazing wild. In addition to Tudancas located in the Netherlands, where they are also used for landscape maintenance, such as Johannahoeve and the planks Wambui Reserve. The Stichting Taurus used this breed as well, where they for the breeding of cattle, which phenotypically, genotypically and ecologically coming as close as possible to the aurochs, of the Taurus Project together with other aurochs -like breeds like sayaguesa, Pajuna, maremmana primitivo or Limia cattle is used.