Beefalo

Beefalo constitutes a hybrid offspring of domestic cattle (Bos taurus), usually a male, and the American bison (Bison bison), usually a female, in managed breeding programs. The breed was created to combine the characteristics of both animals for beef production. Beefalo are primarily cattle in genetics and appearance, with the breed association defining a full Beefalo as one with three-eighths (37.5%) bison genetics, while animals with higher percentages of bison genetics are called bison hybrids. However, genomic analysis has found that the vast majority of Beefalo, even those considered pedigree by the breed association, have no detectable bison ancestry, with no sampled Beefalo having higher than 18% bison ancestry, with most Beefalo consisting of a mixture of taurine cattle and zebu cattle ancestry.