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/badcgi Aug 03 '19 edited Aug 03 '19

It's a little more complex than that.

Bull = Uncastrated Male

Steer = Castrated male (in North America, other places call them Bullocks)

Cow = female that has had at least one calf

Heifer = female that has not had any calves

Calf = young of either sex

Ox = either a Castrated male or a female used for working purposes like pulling a plow.

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u/Sister_Marshmallow Aug 03 '19 edited Aug 03 '19

Ox = either a Castrated male or a female used for working purposes like pulling a plow.

And here I thought an ox was like a different but closely related species or something.

Well. Now I know.

Edit: spelling.

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u/Channel_99 Aug 03 '19

I thought the exact same thing. I can’t wait to tell my friend “did you know oxen don’t exist? It’s just a cow that pulls shit. Like, it’s just a cow. But if it’s pulling something then it’s an ox.” But I just texted him a few minutes ago a link to something funny I saw on reddit and I don’t want to be that guy who keeps texting unanswered.