Crioulo Lageano longhorn beef cattle (or "raça Crioula Lageana") originated from cattle originally brought to Brazil from Portugal by the Jesuits (Jesuit Reductions) 400 years ago.[1] The breed was probably domesticated 4000 BC in Egypt, it came to the south of Spain from the North of Africa.[1] The center of the rest population (just 700 individuals) is the plateau of Lages, Santa Catarina, Brazil.[2] [3] [4]
It is similar to the Franqueira breed (just 500 individuals, eight to ten farmers in Rio Grande do Sul), with the same origin, which coming from Franca, São Paulo, spread through the Brazilian territory.[5]
Most of the naturalized Brazilian cattle breeds came from three centers; São Vicente, Salvador and Recife and they were originally Portuguese breeds: the Alentejana or Transtagana, the Barrosã, the Mirandesa, the Minhota and the Arouquesa.[2]
| Naturalized Brazilian cattle breeds | Est. population size | Original location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crioulo Lageano | 100–1,000 | Santa Catarina | |
| Franqueiro | 500 | Rio Grande do Sul | |
| Curraleiro | 500–1,000 | Piauí | |
| Mocho Nacional (National Polled) | 400 | São Paulo and Goiás | |
| Pantaneiro | 8,300 | Mato Grosso do Sul | |
| 30,000 | São Paulo | ||
| Junqueira (a Caracu longhorn breed) | - | Minas Gerais |