Cows have been domesticated for 5000 years and are also known as the foster mothers of the human race because the various uses we have of them. Indians depended on cows for their livelihood so much that they started worshipping them and made it illegal to kill cows.

Some facts to chew on about Cows are:

• On an average, a cow spends 6.5 to 8 hours eating and drinking.

• A cow has 4 stomachs of which the first 2 are used as storage of food to be chewed later and the second 2 for digestion when food is properly chewed. If a cow eats a piece of something she cannot digest, like metal, it gets stored in her second stomach without causing any further damage.

• Cow tipping is a prank people play on cows where they try to tip it over to its side while it is sleep, standing up. This is not possible with one person with the weight of the cow taken into consideration but might be possible with 2 assuming the cow doesn’t wake up with all the pushing and heaving.

• Cows, like cats, have tongues like sandpapers. This is to help them hold on to food while eating.

• Cows have large ears and loose skin which helps them in getting rid of heat. The might even use their ears to fan themselves. They can move their loose skin or use their tail to get rid of insects.

• They have a strong sense of smell and can smell up to 5 miles.

• A weird fact about cows is that they always face north or south while grazing.

• They are also social animals who travel in herds, huddle together before a blizzard and sit down before it rains.

• They can actually eat snow instead of drinking water.

• The production of milk from cows has increased over time that only 1 cow can now give as much milk as 10 cows could earlier. This is due to good food and better environmental factors.

• Cows also give us hide for leather and around 100 medicines.

• The national football association requires 3000 cowhides just for making footballs for every season.

• Cows like humans have a 9 month gestation period. Bulls and cows are only brought together for 3 to 4 months in a year called ‘œbreeding season’. Mother cows are given extra feed to keep them healthy and a calf drinks milk from them till 9 months after which he can eat grass and drink water.

• Cows are used to eating rough grass and can easily graze on rocky or steep land. In fact, they press the soil with their hoofs as they walk over it allowing oxygen to enter, making it easier for grass and shrubs to grow.

Cows did give us a scare when in the 70’s a sickness was discovered famously called the ‘œMad Cow disease’. This could be passed on to humans eating infected meat. Ranchers and cow breeders came under strict surveillance and it has been bought under control now.