Cows are often depicted with white fur and black patterns all over. While there are brown, reddish-brown, and gray cows, there’s no denying that black and white cows are common.
Interestingly, did you know that there are around 19 black and white cow breeds? Some of them even share a close resemblance to the giant panda in terms of color patterns. If you want to know more about black and white cow breeds, then this article is for you.
The 19 black and white cow breeds are the following:
- Belted Galloway
- Belgian Blue
- Blaarkop
- Brahman
- British White Park
- Chianina
- Cholistani
- Dhanni
- German Black Pied
- Girolando
- Guzerat
- Holstein Friesian Cattle
- Kherigarh
- Lakenvelder
- Lineback
- Panda Cow
- Texas Longhorn
- Umblachery
- Yaroslavl Cattle
What’s interesting is that their black and white coloration is unique to each breed. While there are some similarities, you can still tell them apart because of each unique pattern. If you want to learn more, continue reading below.
19 Black and White Cow Breeds
Belted Galloway
The first black and white cow breed is the Belted Galloway. Otherwise known as the Oreo cow, this cow breed has a distinct white belt running across the midsection of its body – making it look like a large Oreo cookie sandwich. The Oreo cow or Beltie is bred for its lean and flavorful meat.
- Appearance: The Belted Galloway has a rectangular body covered in black fur except for a thick white-furred belt around the middle part of its body. Its fur is long and shaggy, which helps protect it against rain. Unlike most cows, it has an undercoat that serves to protect it from harsh cold weather.
- Size: The Belted Galloway is a medium-sized cow breed that weighs around 1,000 to 1,600 pounds and grows between 3.9 feet to 4.5 feet tall.
- Place of Origin: Scotland
- Characteristics: Maternal instinct, friendly, docile, long coat, double coated
Belgian Blue
Despite its name, the Belgian Blue cow has distinct black and white colored fur. The first feature you’ll notice about this breed is its heavily-muscled body. This is due to a mutation within the Piedmontese cow family that causes it to produce more muscle fiber. As a result, these cows are hyper-sculpted with extremely lean meat in their bodies.
- Appearance: The Belgian Blue cow is notably double-muscled. It has short black fur over the top portion of its body, while its lower body is covered in white fur. Unlike most cows with a more rectangular outline, Belgian Blue has a more rounded outline due to its hypermuscular body.
- Size: The Belgian Blue is a large cow breed that weighs between 1,500 to 2,600 pounds and grows between 4.3 feet to 4.8 feet tall.
- Place of Origin: Belgium
- Characteristics: Muscular, strong legs
Blaarkop
Another black and white cow breed is the Blaarkop. This dairy cow breed originated in the Netherlands and is mainly bred for its milk. Its name translates to “blisterhead” in Dutch due to the black patches of fur around its eyes – colloquially called “blisters.” While most Blaarkops are black and white, some species are also reddish brown and white.
- Appearance: The Blaarkop is covered in predominantly black fur on the body, while short white fur covers its underbelly. In contrast to its black body is a white face with a pair of black “blisters” or rings around its eyes.
- Size: The Blaarkop is a medium cow breed that weighs around 600 to 1,300 pounds and grows between 4.2 to 4.9 feet tall.
- Place of Origin: Netherlands
- Characteristics: Horned, strong legs
Brahman
The Brahman is an interesting black and white cow breed. It is a hybrid developed in the USA from cattle originating from India. As a result, this breed has impressive heat tolerance and parasite resistance.
- Appearance: The Brahman’s most notable features are its big hump on its back and the loose folds of skin on its dewlap. It has predominantly white fur, but it has a black patch of fur that starts from its upper neck and hump, which then gradients to white as it reaches its forelegs.
- Size: The Brahman is a large cow breed that weighs around 1,000 to 2,200 pounds. The height range is unknown.
- Place of Origin: United States of America
- Characteristics: Inquisitive, adaptive to climates, intelligent
British White Park
Another interesting black and white cow breed is the British White Park. This may come as a surprise, but this breed is considered a rare ancient breed that was bred even before the 1200s. These long-bodied cows derived their name from the fact that they were herded in an enclosed – or emparked – space.
Currently, the British White Park is considered at risk, with only around 500 cows and bulls still living today. Also, it should not be confused with the British White, which has no horns and a smaller body size.
- Appearance: The British White Park has a base fur of porcelain white with black spots around different areas of the body. A notable feature is its large forehead which houses a massive pair of thick dark-tipped horns that curve obliquely upward.
- Size: The British White Park is a medium to large cow breed that weighs around 1,100 to 2,200 pounds. The height range is unknown.
- Place of Origin: Great Britain
- Characteristics: Docile, easy-calving, horned
Chianina
The Chianina is considered one of the oldest purebred cows still in existence today. With many specialized combination breeds, that’s truly something to brag about. This cow breed is mostly used for draught work, but some farmers also breed them for their meat.
What’s interesting about the Chianina cow is that it looks all-white, except for the black tip of its tail. Interestingly, its skin has a black pigment – and that’s why it deserves to be on this list.
- Appearance: The Chianina has a muscular body with a prominent hump on its back. Its body is covered in short white fur, save for the tip of its tail, which is all-black. This cow breed has a long rectangular body supported by four thick, short legs.
- Size: The Chianina is a large cow breed that grows up to 5.9 feet tall and weighs up to 2,800 pounds.
- Place of Origin: Italy
- Characteristics: Horned, muscular, docile, easy to handle
Cholistani
The Cholistani cow is among the most unique-looking black and white breeds. It has freckle-like spots on its upper body, making it easy to distinguish from other breeds.
This cow breed originated in the desert areas of Pakistan and India, making it incredibly heat-tolerant. The Cholistani cows are primarily bred for milk, producing around 3.9 to 4.7 gallons of milk in a day.
- Appearance: The Cholistani cow has predominantly white fur that’s dotted with black freckle-like spots on its upper body. It has a large hump on its back, long ears, and a pair of short horns on its head.
- Size: The Cholistani is a medium cow breed that weighs between 600 to 1,100 pounds. The height range is unknown.
- Place of Origin: Pakistan, India
- Characteristics: Horned, heat tolerant
Dhanni
The Dhanni cow breed looks similar to the Cholistani in the sense that it also has black spots over its white base fur. But in contrast, the Dhanni has bigger spots that are more concentrated on its sides and lower body. It also has a smaller body than the Cholistani.
Because of its size, the Dhanni is quite agile. That makes it suitable for some light draught work. Dhanni cows are usually bred for their milk and meat.
- Appearance: The Dhanni is a humped cow breed with a white base fur and prominent black spots all over its sides or lower body.
- Size: The Dhanni is a medium breed cow, with weights averaging 600 pounds. The height range is unknown.
- Place of Origin: Pakistan
- Characteristics: Muscular, horned, agile
German Black Pied
The German Black Pied is a black and white dairy cow breed that originated in Northern Germany and the Netherlands. It has similar black and white patches all over its body like the Holstein Friesian but is noticeably smaller. At the moment, there are only around 2,500 German Black Pied cows registered in Germany, which is why it’s considered an endangered breed.
- Appearance: The German Black Pied cow has predominantly black fur with patches of white all over the body. It has a pair of small horns which curves downwards. It has a long tail with a white furry tip.
- Size: The German Black Pied is a medium cow breed, but its exact weight and height range is unknown.
- Place of Origin: Northern Germany, Netherlands
- Characteristics: Horned
Girolando
The Girolando is a combination breed of the Gir and Holstein breeds, which is how it gets its prominent hump and black and white colors. What’s notable about the Girolando cow is how it thrives in tropical areas. Interestingly, this cow breed is mainly bred for its milk. It is responsible for producing much of Brazil’s cow’s milk.
- Appearance: The Girolando has predominantly short black fur with white areas, especially in the underbelly. In some species of this breed, there are black spots over the white fur, which often appear on its sides and underbelly. The Girolando also has a compact hump on its back, although it’s not as visible as other humped cow breeds.
- Size: The Girolando is a medium cow breed that weighs around 700 to 1,400 pounds and grows between 4 to 4.5 feet tall.
- Place of Origin: Brazil
- Characteristics: Combination breed, strong legs, adaptive to hot climates
Guzerat
Another black and white cow breed that hails from Brazil is the Guzerat cow. The Guzerat is a dairy cattle that can produce around 6,500 pounds of milk every lactation period. It is also a stunning breed with lovely black-to-white gradient colors.
- Appearance: The Guzerat cow has a prominent hump on its back that makes it easy to distinguish. This cow breed is covered in short black fur all over its body except for a white barrel of fur running from below its neck to its midsection. What’s interesting is that this white barrel of fur gradients to black, giving the Guzerat a lovely coloration. This cow also has a pair of thick, dark-colored horns.
- Size: The Guzerat is a medium to large breed that weighs around 1,300 to 2,000 pounds. The height range is unknown.
- Place of Origin: Brazil
- Characteristics: Humped, Horned
Holstein Friesian Cattle
The Holstein Friesian cattle is among the most popular cow breeds, thanks to its iconic black and white patches. This cow breed is known for having the highest milk yield around the world – a surprising 25,000 pounds per lactation period. In fact, some Holstein Friesian Cattle are known to exceed this average, depending on the care given to them by their farmers.
- Appearance: The Holstein Friesian cattle has a long angular body that’s covered in patches of black and white. Some cattle of this breed have small horns, while some have their horns removed as calves. These cows have an iconic black-furred face with a white line running from the top of the head to the tip of their nose.
- Size: The Holstein Friesian cattle is a large cow breed that weighs up to 1,500 pounds and grows up to 4.9 feet tall.
- Place of Origin: North Holland and Friesland
- Characteristics: Social, herd mentality, docile
Kherigarh
The Kherigarh is another fascinating black and white cow breed. It is initially bred for draught work, but it is also known to produce enough milk at around 600 to 1,200 pounds per lactation. They are among the small cow breeds known to exist, and their stubby legs add to their charm.
- Appearance: The Kherigarh is a small cow breed with quite a prominent hump. Its hump is further emphasized because the fur around its neck and hump is black that gradients to white. The rest of its body is covered in white fur. The Kherigarh has black hooves with a long black-tipped tail. This cow breed has a pair of short horns that grows obliquely upward.
- Size: The Kherigarh is a small cow breed that weighs between 750 to 1,050 pounds and grows between 4.3 to 5.9 feet tall.
- Place of Origin: India
- Characteristics: Humped, horned
Lakenvelder
Otherwise known as the Dutch Belted cattle, the Lakenvelder holds a close resemblance to another belted cattle on this list – the Belted Galloway. To distinguish these two breeds, the Lakenvelder is larger and has shorter fur than the Belted Galloway. ‘
The Lakenvelder is mainly bred for milk, with its ability to produce around 20,000 pounds of milk in a year. Currently, this cattle breed is in critical conservation status due to its near-extinction in the early 1900s.
- Appearance: The Lakenvelder has short black fur with a thick white belt around its midsection. It has bulky rectangular bodies supported by thick stubby legs. Some Lakenvelder cows have horns that curve downwards.
- Size: The Lakenvelder is a medium cow breed that weighs around 900 to 2,000 pounds and grows around 4 feet tall.
- Place of Origin: Netherlands
- Characteristics: Horned, short coat
Lineback
Another rare black and white cow breed are the Lineback cattle. The reason behind this cow breed’s rarity is due to the exclusive herding of one family for decades. From only around 20 cows, the breed now has over 300 females in existence. While still endangered, this is great news, in terms of the breed’s conservation status.
- Appearance: As its name implies, the Lineback has a notable white finching or line along its spine. This finching pattern is highlighted by the black base fur of this cow breed. Aside from the finching pattern, the Lineback cow also has white spots in various areas of its body, including its upper back, underbelly, and legs. The Lineback likewise has a pair of short horns that gracefully curve upwards.
- Size: The Lineback is a medium cow breed that weighs around 600 to 1,800 pounds. The height range is unknown.
- Place of Origin: United States of America
- Characteristics: Horned, rare breed, intelligent, docile
Panda Cow
Out of all the cow breeds on this list, the Panda cow is the rarest, with only around 30 to 40 in existence today. This is a miniature breed that is known for its adorable panda-like coloration – hence the name.
- Appearance: The Panda cow shares similar markings to a panda bear. Particularly, it has a white belt around its midsection and a white face with black rings around its eyes. It has a small face and rounded body supported by four stubby legs.
- Size: The Panda cow is a miniature cow breed that weighs up to 1,000 pounds and grows up to 3.7 feet tall.
- Place of Origin: United States of America
- Characteristics: Miniature, docile, rare breed
Texas Longhorn
The Texas Longhorn is quite the head-turner. As its name implies, it has quite a long horn on top of its head, with some even spanning up to 8 feet in length. It is primarily bred for its flavorful low-fat meat. Some Texas Longhorn cows are also bred for rodeos.
- Appearance: The most iconic feature of the Texas Longhorn is its long horn that grows outward and softly curves upward. It has a long bulky body with a broad face. This cow breed usually has black fur at the top part of its body, while the bottom half is often covered in white fur. In some cases, this cow breed has white spots over its black fur and vice versa. While some Texas Longhorn cows are black and white, some also have brown or reddish-brown fur.
- Size: The Texas Longhorn is a large cow breed that weighs around 900 to 1,500 pounds and grows up to 6 feet tall.
- Place of Origin: United States of America
- Characteristics: Horned, thick hooves, intelligent, docile
Umblachery
The Umblachery cow is a black and white cow breed that was once listed as endangered. Fortunately, conservation efforts proved fruitful, and the breed is no longer considered at risk.
It is raised and bred in the coastal areas of India where it is responsible for draught work along the rice paddies. What’s interesting about this breed is that they are often born with reddish-brown fur, which changes to white, gray, and black as they get older.
- Appearance: The Umblachery has an elongated camel-like body owing to its protruding hump. The adult Umblachery has a black base fur with a gradient white belt across its midsection. Its lower legs have white fur, which contrasts with the black fur on its upper leg, making it look like this cow is wearing socks. Some Umblacherry cattle also have a white star on their forehead.
- Size: The Umblachery is a small cow breed that weighs around 720 to 850 pounds and grows between 3 to 3.7 feet tall.
- Place of Origin: India
- Characteristics: Humped, combined breed, horned
Yaroslavl Cattle
And finally, we have the Yaroslavl cattle. This black and white cow breed is a result of a lengthy genetic selection to produce an efficient milk producer. Interestingly, the Yaroslavl Cattle produces an average of 7,700 to 8,800 pounds of milk per lactation cycle.
Additionally, this cattle breed developed a strong resistance to diseases, as a result of its long-term selection. And despite the harsh weather conditions in the Yaroslavl area, this cow breed seems to live through it all.
- Appearance: The Yaroslavl cattle has an angular yet bulky body that’s covered in short, black fur. Its face is usually white with a pair of black rings around the eyes – making them look like they’re wearing sunglasses. Some cows of this breed have white-colored legs. The Yaroslavl cattle also has a pair of short, light-colored horns.
- Size: The Yaroslavl cattle is a medium cow breed that weighs around 1,000 to 1,700 pounds and grows between 4 to 5 feet tall.
- Place of Origin: Russia
- Characteristics: Horned, Adapted to cold temperatures
Cows come in different shapes, colors, and sizes, but there’s no denying that the black and white ones are truly iconic. Within the black and white breeds, cow diversity is also noticeable – especially with their unique coloration patterns.
Some come with black and white patches, some come with seeming belts around their bodies, while others have beautiful gradient-like colors. But despite their differences, there’s no denying that they’re all adorable.
List of Sources
Breeds of Beef and Multi-Purpose Cattle
Genomic Loci Affecting Milk Production in German Black Pied Cattle (DSN)
Cattle Genetic Resources of India – Kherigarh
