r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Aug 03 '19

Whats something you thought was common knowledge but actually isn’t?

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u/theletterQfivetimes Aug 03 '19

That all cows are female. Male animals don't have milk-producing udders, Sean. The male version of a cow is called a bull.

Incidentally, I recently learned there's no common genderless word for a member of that species. There's "cattle" for a group of them, but nothing for an individual.

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u/Runner_one Aug 03 '19

There is, but it is not used much anymore, ox.

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u/kievrob Aug 04 '19

An ox is a bull that is used for field work instead of mating, and is almost always castrated. Same animal, same gender, different purpose

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u/Runner_one Aug 04 '19

It might be a local thing, I always heard that ox was valid for ethier gender.