Meet Belgian Blue; the bovine body-builders

If you never seen a Belgian Blue, it appearance may blow your mind. the Belgian Blue is a breed of cattle originally from belgium. The Belgian Blue has  sculpted, heavily muscled appearance. The reason of such Extreme muscle development is not the result of genetic modification but a mutation in one of the breed’s genes which products what is known as double-muscling.

The Belgian Blue is the result  a mutation in one of the breed’s genes which products what is known as the double-muscling is a heritable condition which results in the increased number of muscle fibers (hyperplasia) rather than the normal enlargement of individual muscle fibers (hypertrophy), combined with selective breeding.

Anecdotally it is suggested that most of the world’s current Belgian Blue herds were derived from just three bulls and their descendants. While it s an exaggeration, the truth is certainly that in efforts to perfect the breed very few male genetic lines are allowed to continue.

The Belgian Blue  are viable farm strains of cattle to be consumed with no risk to humans. however, these super cows experience a wide range of health risks associated with their muscle – calves can develop enlarged tongues and stiff legs which make it difficult, if not impossible, to feed, leading to early death. Many of the cattle develop cardio-respiratory ailments. In almost all modern herds, Caesarean sections are common due to complications in pregnancy, and in some cases C-section rates have climbed to nearly 90% of all births!