Criollo breed of cattle developed in the New World can withstand climate change, say Irish scientists

‘Criollo’ was a term used frequently in the ‘Casta’ system of the colonial Hispanic and Lusophone Americas. Derived from Portuguese ‘Crioulo’, it distinguished people born in the New World from those native to Iberia (Spain and Portugal) who were known as ‘Penninsulares’. But ‘Criollo’ also extended to livestock (cattle, sheep, horses and goats). Now, Irish scientists have found that Criollo cattle are best suited to surviving and thriving in a warming world, given their tolerance to hot and humid climes, developed over hundreds of years. Scientists from University College Dublin (UCD) in the Irish capital conducted research into micro-evolutionary changes in Criollo cattle. The research provided “strong evidence of several distinct coat and skin colouration traits that are advantageous in cattle populations exposed to significant levels of incident solar radiation,” a statement by UCD noted. The researchers found that the Criollo has a short, slick-hair coat that provides ...