Can cattle swim?

Cows are good swimmers. It is not uncommon to see cattle swimming in flood waters after heavy rainfall. Cattle can swim for several miles, but tired cows do drown.

Farmers used to swim their cattle over rivers and lakes to better grazing lands. There is an African species of cow that spends a great deal of time in the water and that has developed a set of huge horns that help tip its head back to keep its nose out of the water. In Mali, an annual crossing of cattle over the Niger River provides better grazing for the herds of the Fulani people.