Ox VS bull

Question

what is the difference between ox and bull?

Adrenochrome · Accepted Answer

A bull is a male cow, or steer (as they say in Westerns). An ox is an animal related to the cow but found in Africa and Asia.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

I thought a steer was a castrated bull.

Clive

Adrenochrome · Answer

I prefer not to think of such things, it makes my eyes water.

On a Confucian level: is a castrated bull still a bull?

Now look what you've done to me, Clive, I can't sit in a meditative lotus position while crossing my knees squirmishly. All my power points have become unaligned.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Don't blame me. You're the one that got the ball rolling on this.

Clive

Philip · Answer

CliveHi,

Don't blame me. You're the one that got the ball rolling on this.

Clive

Very punny, Clive.

Futurist · Answer

AdrenochromeA bull is a male cow, or steer (as they say in Westerns). An ox is an animal related to the cow but found in Africa and Asia.

The above is a load of bull. (No offence intended; the pun was simply irresistible.)

Bulls, oxen, and all the other animals mentioned thus far in this thread are members of the Bos taurus species. They are all otherwise known as cattle, or, colloquially, cows.

A bull is male member of the Bos taurus species. A cow is a female member of the Bos taurus species. In the USA, a castrated bull is a steer (full marks to Clive). Pretty much everywhere else, a castrated bull is called a bullock. An ox (plural oxen) is any member of the Bos taurus species (usually a steer/bullock) that has been trained as a draught animal (an animal that can pull a cart, plough, etc.)

Because in the West we drive cars, and our agriculture is so highly mechanised, we don't use draught animals any more. Your average Westerner therefore does not know what an ox is.

Yes, that's right, they're all cattle - even those funny-looking ones from other parts of the world. Some humans are funny-looking too.

The term ''oxen" is sometimes used more broadly as a synonym for "cattle".

Male and female members of some other species are also called bulls and cows, e.g. seals and whales.

Ox VS bull

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