This Cattle Breed Identification Quiz Is Really Hard, So We'll Be Impressed If You Even Get Four Right

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
This Cattle Breed Identification Quiz Is Really Hard, So We'll Be Impressed If You Even Get Four Right
Image: Anthony Lee / OJO Images / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Did you know there are actually over 1,000 breeds of cattle in the world? That's pretty intense for a creature that so few of us will ever even see up close in real life. Fact is, most people don't pay a lot of attention to cattle. They've been relegated to livestock so thoroughly that the average person knows very little about them. We see them in the country if we go for a drive, standing out in fields chewing some cud, but most people never interact with them and find out the differences between one breed and another.

We know our cat breeds and our dog breeds; some of us even know a lot about animals like horses and snakes and tarantulas. But cattle? They just don't get the love and respect they deserve. Not from most people anyway. 

But you're different, right? You know your Angus from your Guernsey. Your Holstein from your Black Hereford. Your Jersey from your Longhorn. You know enough about cattle that you could ace any quiz on the subject, especially one that includes images, right? Well, we'll see about that. If you're a real cattle expert, then show us your stuff and see if you can even get four in this quiz!

Texas Longhorn
Dean Fikar / Moment / Getty Images
Do you know this breed that's descended from the first cattle brought to the New World by Columbus?
Texas Longhorn
Beefmaster
Beefalo
Watusi
Beefalo
Wiki Commons by Karl Young
Which breed was first created by the warden of a Canadian penitentiary?
Selembu
Tux cattle
Beefalo
Argentine Criollo
Charolais
Karen Murray / Moment / Getty Images
If you want to breed beefier cattle, so to speak, then including this breed will help. What is it?
Charolais
Devonshire
Piedmontese
Ayrshire

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Hereford
John P Kelly / Stone / Getty Images
Which breed first came to the U.S. around the year 1817?
Holstein
Guernsey
Hereford
Canchim
Jersey
debibishop / E+ / Getty Images
Do you know which breed comes from the Channel Islands originally?
Danish Red
Wagyu
Jersey
Lincolnshire
Guernsey
Ed Reschke / Stone / Getty Images
What breed's registered population continues to decline?
Kangayam
Senepol
Shorthorn
Guernsey

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Black Angus
Lianne B Loach / Moment / Getty Images
Do you know which breed is the most common in the United States?
Texas Longhorn
Guernsey
Black Angus
Jersey
Simmental
Photograph taken by Alan Hopps / Moment / Getty Images
This breed is related to the Swiss Fleckvieh. What is it?
Simmental
Watusi
Belted Longhorn
Longmire
Red Angus
Raphael Coutinho / Moment Open / Getty Images
Which breed is prized not just for its meat but also for being pretty docile and tolerant of heat?
American Milking Devon
Luing
Malvi
Red Angus

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Gelbvieh
Wiki Commons by Michael w
Even though these cattle were bred for beef, milk and draft work, they're mostly just beef cattle now. What are they?
Tasmanian Grey
Gelbvieh
Ayrshire
Hereford
Holstein
MarcelTB / Moment / Getty Images
Which breed is known for being the highest producing dairy cattle in the world?
Holstein
Piedmontese
Limousin
Blue point
Limousin
Vincent Jary / Moment Open / Getty Images
This cattle breed's origin is linked to the auroch, a kind of prehistoric cow. Do you know what it is?
Bedford
Lancashire White
Limousin
Wagyu

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Highlands
georgeclerk / E+ / Getty Images
Which sturdy breed has adapted to the harsh climate of Scotland?
Angus
Belvedere
Polled Hinterland
Highland
Belted Galloway
Hal Beral / Corbis / Getty Images
Sometimes this breed is kept for vegetation management, because it'll eat grass other cattle won't. What is it?
Shorthorn
Belted Galloway
Dexter
Devon
Brahman
John Coletti / The Image Bank / Getty Images
Which breed is prized for its ability to withstand very high heat and also resist most parasites and insects?
Bazadaise
Zubin
Brahman
Hofstetter

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Dexter
Wiki Commons by Pieter Delicaat
Which of these is the smallest breed in Europe?
Dexter
White Park
English Longhorn
Belgian Blue
Piedmontese
Wiki Commons by Aleks
Do you know this breed, known for hypertrophic muscle growth, or "double muscling"?
Corsican
Kurgan
Piedmontese
Senepol
Shorthorn
JasonDoiy / E+ / Getty Images
Can you name this breed that eventually grew into two different breeds?
Shorthorn
Red Poll
Blue Belgian
Raimont

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Watusi
Fuse / Corbis / Getty Images
Do you know which breed's ancestors appeared in pictographs on the walls of Egyptian pyramids?
Watusi
Devon
Suffolk White
Westingham
Wagyu
Fertnig / E+ / Getty Images
Which cattle produces the most expensive beef in the world?
Zebu
Ayrshire
Welsh Grey
Wagyu
Waguli
Wiki Commons by Mmontanamcintosh
What's the name of this breed, created at the Unversity of Arizona?
Brangus
Waguli
Adelaide
Tulsa

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Yakutian
Wiki Commons by HalanTul
Do you know this breed that can handle the harsh conditions of the Arctic circle?
White Park
Yakutian
Braford
Lostein
Zubron
Edwin Remsberg / The Image Bank / Getty Images
Basically, this breed is the European equivalent of a Beefalo. Do you know what it is?
White Park
Oswegan
Zubron
Lincolnshire
Akaushi
Panhandle Ag Extension via YouTube
Which of these is also known as a Japanese Brown?
Akaushi
Hanwoo
Simmental
Shetland

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American Milking Devon
Wiki Commons by Son of Groucho
Tell us the name of this breed which came to America in 1623?
Brown Swiss
Galloway
American Milking Devon
Hammerstein
Ayrshire
Chris Hepburn / Photodisc / Getty Images
This breed was known as the Dunlop and also the Cunningham. What is it known as now?
Caracu
Iberian
Ponwar
Ayrshire
Belgian Blue
Wiki Commons by agriflanders
Which of these breeds is known for its exceptionally lean meat?
Belgian Blue
Estonian Red
Gascon
Ongole

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Brown Swiss
Richard Fairless / Moment / Getty Images
The milk from this breed is exceptionally well-suited for cheesemaking. Tell us what it is?
Holstein
Brown Swiss
Guernsey
Charolais
Brangus
Fernando Velloso via YouTube
Which of these breed names is a registered trademark?
Dhanni
Jamaica Hope
Brangus
Mongolian
Chianina
Wiki Commons by Monica
Can you name this breed, which is the largest in the world?
Jersey
Dexter
Weldon
Chianina

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Beefmaster
TvAgro via YouTube
Which breed was created to withstand harsh conditions in Texas?
Beefmaster
Scottish Highland
Senepol
Norfolk Red
White Park
John B R Davies / Moment Open / Getty Images
This breed is known for producing some very high-quality meat. Name it?
Gelbvieh
Barzona
White Park
Horro
Santa Gertrudis
Wiki Commons by Jose Reynaldo da Fonseca
Do you know which breed was the first to be officially formed in the United States?
Welsh Black
Santa Gertrudis
Beefalo
Holstein

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Chillingham
Wiki Commons by yellow book
You can find these wild cattle in Northumberland, England. What are they?
Chillingham
Salers
Jersey
Red Angus
English Longhorn
Ashley Cooper / The Image Bank / Getty Images
Which breed is sometimes called Lancashire cattle?
Coriscan
Ibizan
Riviera Blue
English Longhorn
North Devon
Wiki Commons by Cgoodwin
One of the nicknames for this breed is Red Ruby. Any idea what it is?
North Devon
Eastern Finncattle
Braford
Charlston

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Senepol
Wiki Commons by Scott Bauer, USDA ARS
Which breed of cattle comes from the Carribean island of St. Croix?
Deoni
Senepol
Wellington
Brack
Maine-Anjou
Wiki Commons by Jean-Bpatiste Bodinier
In 2004, the official name of this breed was changed to Rouge des Pres in France. What is it known as elsewhere?
Square Meater
Tux
Maine-Anjou
Aubrac
Camargue
Yann Guichaoua-Photos / Moment / Getty Images
Even though this breed is used for meat, it's also bred for sport. What is it?
Camargue
Devon
Belted Galloway
Ibizan Blue

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Droughtmaster
Wiki Commons by Jim Bendon
Do you recognize this breed that was developed in Australia?
Dexter
Brahman
Droughtmaster
Corsican