This Belgian Blue bulls has divided opinion on social media - with users claiming their exaggerated body shapes are the result of steroid injections.
But while some cows may be subjected to this shocking treatment to make their meat more valuable, some cattle are simply born this way, it's claimed.
One breed, the Belgian Blue, are born with a genetic mutation which causes their muscles to more than double in size, instead of enlarging at a normal rate.
These cows also have an increased ability to convert food into lean muscle, rather than fat - something that could revolutionise the future of beef production.
The Belgian Blue's sculpted, heavily muscled appearance is known as "double-muscling". The double-muscling phenotype is a heritable condition which results in the increased number of muscle fibers (hyperplasia) rather than the normal enlargement of individual muscle fibers.
This particular trait is shared with another breed of cattle known as Piedmontese. Both of these breeds have an increased ability to convert feed into lean muscle, which causes these particular breeds' meat to have a reduced fat content. The Belgian Blue is named after their typically blue-grey mottled hair colour, however its colour can vary from white to black.
However, due to their shocking appearance, over 1.1 million Facebook users have seen the video, with many slamming the cows' muscular forms, believing they have been created through the use of steroids.
One social media user wrote: "This should be illegal to inject so much hormones and steroids into any animal it takes it out of its natural healthy looking character. This is sick and sad.
But another fired back: "This is a belgian breed of cattle that looks like this because of a genetic mutation that results in increased muscle mass!!! So stop this steroid and animal cruelty nonsense and waste your energy on something with more relevance.
But while some cows may be subjected to this shocking treatment to make their meat more valuable, some cattle are simply born this way, it's claimed.
One breed, the Belgian Blue, are born with a genetic mutation which causes their muscles to more than double in size, instead of enlarging at a normal rate.
These cows also have an increased ability to convert food into lean muscle, rather than fat - something that could revolutionise the future of beef production.
The Belgian Blue's sculpted, heavily muscled appearance is known as "double-muscling". The double-muscling phenotype is a heritable condition which results in the increased number of muscle fibers (hyperplasia) rather than the normal enlargement of individual muscle fibers.
This particular trait is shared with another breed of cattle known as Piedmontese. Both of these breeds have an increased ability to convert feed into lean muscle, which causes these particular breeds' meat to have a reduced fat content. The Belgian Blue is named after their typically blue-grey mottled hair colour, however its colour can vary from white to black.
However, due to their shocking appearance, over 1.1 million Facebook users have seen the video, with many slamming the cows' muscular forms, believing they have been created through the use of steroids.
One social media user wrote: "This should be illegal to inject so much hormones and steroids into any animal it takes it out of its natural healthy looking character. This is sick and sad.
But another fired back: "This is a belgian breed of cattle that looks like this because of a genetic mutation that results in increased muscle mass!!! So stop this steroid and animal cruelty nonsense and waste your energy on something with more relevance.
Music : Dub Eastern by Kevin MacLeod
Source : Mirror , Wikipedia
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