Texas Longhorn Essay, Research Paper

What is so unique about the Texas Longhorn? What is different about it from all the other breeds in North America? Simply this: The Texas Longhorn was fashioned entirely by the nature right here in North America. From the it?s ancestors that were the first cattle to set foot on American soil almost 500 years ago, it became the sound end product of ?survival of the fittest?. Shaped by a combination of natural selection and adaptation to the environment, the Texas Longhorn is the only cattle breed in America which- without aid of man- is truly adapted to America.

After seven years of closely observing and studying Texas Longhorns, scientists are convinced that these cattle may prove to be a real genetic goldmine. Preserving the Texas Longhorn has maintained a substantial amount of unique biological variation which was accumulated over some 400 years in the nature-made cattle.

Fortunately, beginning in 1927, the Texas Longhorn was preserved by the United States Government on wildlife refuges in Oklahoma and Nebraska.

Also, a few southwestern cattlemen, convinced of the Longhorn?s value as a genetic link and concerned for their preservation, maintained small herds through the years. The Texas Longhorn has been perpetuated further by members of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America, which was formed in 1964. Thus, the Texas Longhorn was rescued from extinction. It was unfortunate for today?s beef industry, however, that most of the continuing interest in the Texas Longhorn was in its historic and academic aspects. The Longhorn?s genetic prospects and economic potential were almost completely overlooked for many years.