Texas Longhorn
| Conservation status |
|
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Traits | |
| Coat | red, white, black, brown |
| Horn status | horned, large thick horns |
| |
The Texas Longhorn is an American breed of beef cattle, characterized by its long horns, which can span more than 8 ft (2.4 m) from tip to tip. It derives from cattle brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the Americas by Spanish conquistadors from the time of the Second Voyage of Christopher Columbus until about 1512. For hundreds of years the cattle lived a semi-feral existence on the rangelands; they have a higher tolerance of heat and drought than most European breeds. The coat can be of any color or mix of colors; in some 40% of the cattle it is some shade of red, often a light red.
In the twenty-first century, the Longhorn is considered a part of the cultural heritage of Texas.: 343