Horns of a female English Longhorn cow. The families Bovidae and Antilocapridae are the only mammals to have a true horn. Horn is made of a fibrous structural protein, keratin, which has a core of living bone. Most modern European domestic cattle are hornless or de-horned as calves, but this old breed, established in the 18th century was in steep decline by the 1950's. The right horn, ending near the nose, is the correct confirmation but this animal has asymmetric growth is which is now common in this breed. This is probably because a genetic fault in the small genetic pool of the animals that remained to re-establish the breed in the 1970's. In wild animals like antelope the horns tend to be very regular and symmetric which may indicate their importance in sexual selection. | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Chillmaid, Martyn F. |
Taille de l’image : | 4827 px × 3621 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |