Ankole are an ancient species of cattle from Africa, renowned for their magnificent horns that can span as much as 1.8m (6ft). The Ankole are an ancient domestic breed of cattle, pictographs of them even appear in the Egyptian pryamids as they were well established in the Nile valley more than 4,000 years ago. The males have shorter horns that tend to face forward, and they are larger and more heavily built than the females. The Ankole bull can grow to a weight of over 700 kg with the female growing to around 500 kg. Ankole calves are have a low birth weight of between 15 and 30 kg. Whereas the world's domestic cattle are bred for milk production and meat, ankole were bred for their exotic looks, ankole cows with the largest horns would be considered the most valuable. The Ankole's horns are honeycombed and filled with blood vessels. In hot weather the blood flowing throught the large horns would be cooled by the air helping to cool the animal down.

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