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A quick glance through the Yahoo! Picture Gallery of cows shows that our bovine friends come in a remarkable array of colors and patterns. But it's important to note that the cows you see today are the results of thousands of years of domesticated breeding. Cattle were first domesticated in southeastern Europe about 8,500 years ago. Wild cattle were suitable for domestication for a number of reasons: They are herd animals, they are well-developed at birth, and they don't form strong breeding pair bonds. Western cattle are thought to be descended mainly from the
aurochs, a large European wild ox that was domesticated during the Stone Age. Gaurs, early ancestors of cows, still run wild through various parts of south Asia. These very large and dangerous animals have dark brown coats with white legs. While the spotty coloration of the cow has its origins in animal camouflage, cows haven't had natural predators in thousands of years. The 50-odd breeds of cattle reared in the United States today look the way they do because they've been selectively bred.
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