Bulls have been an integral part of the culture, history, and civilization of millions of people across the world. When we refer to a bull, we are talking about an animal that belongs to the Bos Taurus species. It is considered to be a bull only when it is intact. Or in other words, it should not have been castrated. It is more muscular, aggressive, and strong when compared to cows.
However, in this article, we’ll be looking at one more aspect of bulls. We’ll try and answer the question do all bulls have horns?
There is a common myth that all bulls have horns. However, this is not the case because there are some bulls that may not have horns while the female species may have horns. The horns of the bulls are generally thicker and shorter than those of cows. In some cases, the horns curve outwards forming a flat arc rather than being lyre-shaped as it is found in many cows.
The presence of horns would depend on a number of factors such as breed. However, in some breeds of bulls, only males have horns. Hence, it may not be right to state that all bulls must have horns. Let us learn more about it over the next few lines.
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What Makes Bulls Different from Cows?
Apart from the presence or absence of horns, there are a few more things that make bulls different from cows. Bulls have a much larger mass when compared to cows, though there could be some exceptions to this rule.
They are more muscular when compared to cows. They also have bones that are thicker. Their feet are also larger and they have wonderful and highly muscular necks. Their standout feature is their bony and large head that comes with protective ridges that are located over the eyes.
These Features Help Bulls in Many Ways
Whether it is the horn, the size of the horn, or lack of it, we need to understand that these features help bulls in more ways than one. They make use of these unique features to exhibit common respect and domination over a herd. This helps them to gain better access to cows when it comes to sex, mating, and reproduction.
The hair of the bull is shorter when compared to that of a cow. Many bulls also have a mane on the neck and also the head. This is mostly made of woolly and curly hair. However, when it comes to height, both cows and bulls are of the same height.
In some cases, cows are taller in height. But when it comes to weight, bulls mostly weigh more and this is because of their muscle mass and larger build.
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Features of Horned Bulls
Most bulls have horns and it is their horns that help identify them from one breed to another. In some cases, the bull horns are found to be thicker and shorter when compared to cows. In many cases, bulls are artificially castrated and this may also play a big role in changing the size and shape of the horns.
Even in size, castrated bulls are shorter and smaller in size, and in most cases, they tend to be of the same size as their female counterparts. If the bulls are not castrated and are allowed to reach maturity, it is quite obvious that horns could reach taller heights when compared to cows and also bulls that have been castrated.
Their muscled shoulders and necks unfortunately make bulls the best candidates for being slaughtered for beef. In some cases, the horns of bulls are also removed because of some special properties. However, these properties are mostly hearsay and there is no scientific evidence to prove this.
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Why are the Bulls aggressive?
Irrespective of horns or no horns, there are a few attributes and characteristics of bulls that cannot be ignored. Bulls by nature are considered to be extremely aggressive. Their build, appearance and genes contribute to their aggressive behavior. In many cases, we human beings are to blame for their aggressive behavior.
They are often kept isolated and loneliness often tends to make them extremely aggressive and even violent. Hence, it would be better to keep them with cows and this could go a long way in mellowing their aggressive behavior to a large extent.