User:OI-12-m.ferreira/Betizu

Betizu (cattle breed)
The breed Betizu (from the basque, behi izua:"elusive cow") is the name of a wild reddish cow which is autochthonous from the north os Spain and the French Basque Country. It is a kind of cow that is specially protected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing and Feeding. Because of their lack of production the Betizu has never been a inside farms and the few that are property of the farmers are been bought by the government of Navarra and the Basque government.

In France, the "Conservatoire des Races d'Aquitaune" takes part in the conservation of this animal.

Morphology
They have a short and medium neck, characterized by an abundant dewlap. The superior line is straight in females and flat in males.
 * Head and neck: thin, short, cover by abundant unruly hairs, expressive eyes, covered by clear halo or bird´s eye. Developed bun, lira form horns (remarkable in females), they can have a half moon form too, they are commonly white.
 * Body-trunk: the thorax is more pronounced in males than in females. With not too arched ribs, saddled and ascendant back, continued by a lumbar legion of poor muscle development.
 * Hindquarters and tail: the hindquarters are underdeveloped, showing the bony prominences. With an upper tailhead continued by a long tail.
 * Thighs and fugitive buttocks: little development of them and composed by straight lines.
 * Tips and limbs: medium lengths tips and developed articulations. Correct limbs with little, strong hooves.
 * 'Skin, hair and mucous: yellowish hair, with a variation depending on the year season and the sex. It shows a discoloration near the tips, nose and orbital region. Gross skin, between white and yellow, with pink depigmented mucous.
 * Environment: this animal lives in a free environment and it´s elusive behavior matches to these conditions.
 * Dimensions: the have little bearing which is between 1,10-1,30 meters. However, the weight goes up to 325kg in females and 450kg in males.

History of the breed
The betizu is a mythical animal between the old Basques under the name of Zezengorri (which means "red bull"). They have other animals that are similar to this one such as behigorri, Txahalgorri, Ahatxegorri, Idigorri, etc. They are supposed to guard the caves in which are hidden treasures of the Mari or Maddi goddess.