Why is a cow black and white and not blue and pink?

Answer 1

Not all cows are black, but I believe you are referring to the Angus breed, which are comprised of 100% black cattle, as well as other breeds that have chased the black fad such as Gelbvieh, Limousin, Simmental, Charolais (yes Charolais have black cattle), Salers, and Brangus, as well as smaller cattle such as Galloway, Dexters, Welsh Blacks, Canadiens, and Kerrys. Now as to why cows are black, it's mostly to do with genetics, though the origins to me are a bit complicated, too complicated to discuss on here. Black hair is a dominant gene, which, if a black cow was bred with a red bull, the calf would be black, showing that the black gene overrides the red gene. However, if a black cow is mated to a white bull (Charolais or Shorthorn), the resulting calf is diluted, or greyish or silver in colour because of the codominance gene in the white bull. But, really, cows are black because they have been selected to be black in past generations when the Aberdeen Angus breed and Kerry breed (foundation of the Irish Dexters) were created and thus founded as a breed. Sounds complicated, I know but that's the best answer I could come up with.

Answer 2

Cows cannot be blue because that is the most unnatural coat colouration that any mammal can have, including cows. Black and/or white is a natural coat colouration since zebras come in black and white, and there are a fair number of animals that are either white or black. But not blue, nor even purple or pink!

Answer 3

It's all down to genetics. Since cattle are prey animals and not flowers, they have to have a colouration that allows them to blend in with their environment or with each other in such a way that it confuses or does not attract predators. Flowers are brightly coloured because they are naturally designed to exploit other animals, like bees and hummingbirds, to enable pollination of other flowers of the same species or colours. Holsteins are the breed you are thinking of, and is a breed that has been black and white for over 2000 years when it was first started. These cattle have been artificially selected to be this attractive colouration--as well as to produce a lot of milk--by humans.

Besides, not all cows are black and white. They can come in brown, black, yellow, orange, red and white, and a mix of any of the aforementioned colours with white.

Answer 4

Not all dairy cows are black and white. You're talking about Holstein Cattle. That's only one breed. There are plenty of other dairy breeds out there that are not black and white, like the Dexter breed, etc. Holstein cattle just happen to be one of the most well known breeds because they produce a lot of milk.

Answer 5

Cows have evolved to have black and white markings, which can provide camouflage in certain environments and help regulate body temperature. The colors blue and pink are not typically found in their natural habitats, so there has been no evolutionary pressure for cows to develop these colors.