Highland cattle were first domesticated around 5500 BC and can be found all over the world. They can live up to 20 years old and cows can have up to 15 offspring. 

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Highlands have a great sense of direction and will always find their way home if they wander too far off. They hum to communicate with each other and other animals like goats, horses, deer, etc.

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Highland meat is of exceptionally high quality. With 40% less fat and cholesterol than normal beef, and a succulent, tender nature.

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Although the classic image of a Highland cow is ginger in color, they also come in other shades — red, yellow, brindle, dun, silver, white, and also black. When they are being shown they are groomed with conditioner and oils to make their coats gleaming and fluffy. The horns grow differently in males and females. The bulls horns are thicker, curving forward with only a small upwards rise near the tip. The cows’ horns are more slender, curve upwards and are also longer than the bulls’ horns. In Scotland they are called a Coo.

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There is no escaping the fact that Highland cattle are ridiculously cute. With their shaggy coats, just-out-of-bed hair, long curving horns and teddy-bear appearance, they are highly photogenic. These features are not just pretty though, they also enable the cows to survive harsh winters in tough environments. Their thick woolly undercoats keep them warm, while the longer guard hairs shed snow and rain. Long eyelashes and a thick fringe of hair protects their eyes from stinging hail, lashing rain, insects, and biting winds, and they use their big horns to rake away snow in order to get to food (and for a good scratch!). The fact that these things make them look adorable is just a happy bonus.

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Rather than being called a 'herd' the collective name for a group of Highland cattle is a fold. This dates back to the olden days in Scotland when Highland cattle were brought into an open stone shelter at night called a fold, to protect them from the weather and predators.

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