Similar Red Sindhi, Droughtmaster, Sahiwal cattle, Ba Xuyen, Brahman | ||
Southern Yellow cattle are a breed of Zebu cattle found in Southern China, Vietnam and Taiwan. They are derived from Bos taurus and B. indicus but the Chinese do not distinguish between these two species for traditional reasons and just call the bovines "yellow cattle".
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Characteristics
Southern Yellow cattle are one of three breeds of Chinese Yellow cattle, the other two being the Central Plains Yellow and the Northern Yellow breeds. The Southern Yellow breed is clearly Zebu (Bos taurus indicus), the Northern Yellow breed is clearly taurine (Bos taurus taurus), and the Central Plains Yellow breed is intermediate, which means at a glance that the Southern Yellow cattle have high, erect humps, the Northern Yellow cattle have no humps, and the Central Plains Yellow cattle have small humps. Philippine Native cattle are mainly derived from Southern Yellow cattle brought from Fujian to the Philippines, they are usually very similar.
Southern Yellow cattle are small, sturdy animals with good heat tolerance and parasite resistance. They have been used primarily for draft animals, but are now being selected for meat production, as well. In Vietnam, they are being selected for milk production, being crossbred with Red Sindhi for this purpose.
Philippine Native cattle
Philippine Native cattle are not pure Chinese Southern Yellow cattle, but show the input of cattle brought during Spanish rule from Mexico (the Philippines was part of New Spain along with Mexico from the Spanish conquest until Mexican independence). They vary in color from the usual yellow to white or to a brownish orange, but are almost always all one color. They always have humps, some quite large, others smaller. They are usually used for milk production and as draft animals. Four breed types have been recognized, the Ilocano in northern Luzon, Batangas in southwestern Luzon, Iloilo on Panay and Batanes on the Batanes Islands between Luzon and Taiwan. The females have a mature bodyweight of between 280 and 300 kilograms (620 and 660 lb).