Cattle—colloquially
cows—are the most common type of large
domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the
subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the
genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as
Bos taurus. Cattle are raised as
livestock for meat (
beef and
veal), as
dairy animals for
milk and other
dairy products, and as draft animals (
oxen or bullocks that pull
carts,
plows and other implements). Other products include
leather and
dung for
manure or
fuel. In some regions, such as parts of India,
cattle have significant religious meaning. From as few as 80 progenitors domesticated in southeast Turkey about 10,500 years ago, according to an estimate from 2003, there are 1.3 billion cattle in the world. In 2009, cattle became one of the first livestock animals to have a fully mapped
genome. Some consider cattle the oldest form of wealth, and
cattle raiding consequently one of the earliest forms of theft.