The Brahma breed of bull, also known as the Brahman bull, originates from the Bos indicus cattle that were brought over to the United States from India. This specific breed of cattle is the sacred cow of India, and those of Hindu faith hold it in such reverence that they will not eat, sell or slaughter it. The characteristic hump on the back of the Brahma bull is a deposit of fat that also acts as a survival mechanism for the bull, allowing it to store food and water for use during periods of severe hunger or thirst.
Other characteristics that make the Brahma bull stand out from other types of cattle are its horns, its ears and the region under its neck. The horns of a Brahma bull tend to curve upwards and point toward the rear of the bull. Its ears are long and drooping, and the region below its neck usually has an excess amount of skin hanging from the throat. Brahma bulls can weigh as much as 2,200 lbs., and Brahma cows can weigh up to 1,400 lbs. It has short, glossy hair, which helps to deflect much of the rays from the sun, as well as black skin pigment, which helps to keep it cool by further deflecting the sun's powerful rays.
The hump on the back of the Brahma bull is thought to be an evolutionary survival mechanism which was formed over centuries of scarce food and water supplies, disease, parasites and weather extremes in the tropical areas of India. Other survival mechanisms include an overall lower internal body temperature in warm weather, loose skin which increases the surface area of the body exposed to cooling and the ability to sweat freely through the pores of the skin. Brahma cattle also secrete an oily substance from the sebaceous glands, which is thought to help drive pests away.
Between 1854 and 1926, farmers in the southern United States developed the Brahma bull from three different varieties of Bos indicus brought from India: the Guzerat, the Nellore and the Gir. Farmers wanted to create a breed of cattle that could withstand the extreme heat of the southern United States. Their resistance to insects was also a trait that attracted many farmers to the breed. Brahma cows are also able to produce a good milk flow for offspring even under weather conditions that would be detrimental to European breeds of cattle.