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Bovine Science Project Ideas

The word "bovine" refers to cattle, but there are several other breeds of animal that also fall under the heading "bovine," such as buffalo, bison and yak. Generally, all animals in the bovine category have cloven hooves and horns on at least one of the sexes of each breed. A bovine science project can make a very interesting science fair entry, as there are lots of different topics suitable for a range of ages.

Bovines
- Many other animals besides cows are bovines.
  
  Cows are not the only type of bovine. Other bovines are oxen, zebu, yak, European bison, American bison, buffalo, American buffalo, northern musk ox and the smallest of the bovines, the anoa. Investigate the similarities and differences among these animals, such as what characteristics cause them all to be classified as bovine. Research where each animal comes from and whether the geographical area makes a difference to the animal's eating habits. Source pictures and display them with your research.
Digestive System
- Bovines' ruminant digestive system allows them to eat otherwise indigestible food.
  
  Bovines are ruminants, which means they have a special digestive system that turns plant-based foods into cud by repeatedly regurgitating and re-chewing it. Investigate the bovine digestive system, how it works and what parts make up the digestive tract. How does a ruminant stomach differ from the monogastric stomach that humans, dogs, poultry and pigs have? Draw a large diagram of the bovine digestive system, label all the parts, and illustrate how the food journeys through the bovine system.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
- Thousands of cows were killed in the U.K. during a major outbreak of "mad cow disease.".
  
  Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, is a fatal brain disease found in cattle and also known as mad cow disease. Scientists first discovered BSE in November 1986, when the disease appeared in cattle in the United Kingdom. Investigate BSE, researching what exactly the disease is, what causes it, its symptoms, and how to prevent the disease from spreading. BSE is one form of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or TSE's. Investigate what this means, what other TSE's affect different species of animals, and whether these diseases can be linked to BSE.
BSE and CJD
- One possible cause of contracting a rare but fatal brain disease is eating bovine-based food products.
  
  Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or vCJD, is a rare and fatal human variant of BSE. According to the World Health Organization, from October 1996 to November 2002 there have been 129 reported cases of vCJD in the U.K., six in France and one case each in Canada, Ireland, Italy and the United States. Investigate the relationship between these two diseases. VCJD is strongly linked to BSE, but what data have scientists used to link these two fatal diseases? If the most likely cause of exposure to vCJD is eating bovine-based food, have there been any cases of vegetarians contracting the disease?

Animals & Science