Beef breeds can be viewed as different branches from the same evolutionary tree. The reason they developed as breeds can be attributed to the need for different traits in the various geographical regions of the world. In Europe, the movement of cattle was restricted by mountains; thus, each valley might have its own type of cattle that would develop based on the need -- primarily milk, meat, or draft or a combination of these. Breeds are really the product of human intervention to favor and propagate a particular type, including such characteristics as color and horns. Early in evolution the bos indicus cattle had a unique ability to withstand tropical climates. Likewise, the bos taurus cattle could withstand the colder European climates; thus, these two distinct branches have survived. There are numerous breeds within each of these two main branches that originated from prehistoric cattle. More human effort has been devoted to breeding and developing breeds in bos taurus cattle than in bos indicus; however, there are several distinct breeds of bos indicus cattle. The American Brahman, for example, is made up of five separate strains of bos indicus cattle.

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