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Breed characteristics: MoS

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{{Short description|Cattle breed used in bull fights and spectacles}}
{{redirect|Toro Bravo|the restaurant|Toro Bravo (restaurant)}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2023}}
[[File:El Pilar Bull by Alexander Fiske-Harrison, Seville Feria 09.jpg|thumb|A Spanish Fighting Bull in Seville in April 2009.]]

The '''Spanish Fighting Bull'''<ref>('''Toro Bravo''', ''toro de lidia'', ''toro lidiado'', ''ganado bravo'', ''Touro de Lide'')</ref> is an [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberian]] heterogeneous [[cattle]] ('''''Bos taurus''''') population.<ref>''Guía de campo de las razas autóctonas españolas''. Miguel A. García Dory, Silvio Martínez Vicente y Fernando Orozco Piñán. Alianza Editorial, 1990, Madrid. Página 228. {{ISBN|84-206-0458-5}}</ref> It is exclusively bred [[free-range]] on extensive estates in countries where [[bullfighting]] is organized. Fighting bulls are [[selective breeding|selected]] primarily for a certain combination of aggression, energy, strength and stamina. In order to preserve their natural traits, during breeding the bulls rarely encounter [[humans]], and if so, never encounter them on foot.

== History of the breed ==
[[File:Sanchez Cobaleda.jpg|thumb|Bull from the ''[[ganadería]]'' Sánchez Cobaleda.]]
Some commentators trace the origins of the fighting bull to [[Aurochs|wild bulls]] from the [[Iberian Peninsula]] and their use for arena games in the [[Roman Empire]].<ref name=evans>Fraser, Evan & Rimas, Andrew.''[http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061353840/Beef/index.aspx Beef: The Untold Story of How Milk, Meat, and Muscle Shaped the World.]''Harper Collins, London 2009</ref>
Although the actual origins are disputed, genetic studies have indicated that the breeding stock have an unusually old genetic pool.

The aggression of the bull has been maintained (or augmented, see above) by [[selective breeding]] and has come to be popular among the people of [[Spain]] and [[Portugal]] and the parts of [[Latin America]] where it took root during colonial rule, as well as parts of Southern France, where bullfighting spread during the 19th century.

In May 2010, Spanish scientists cloned the breed for the first time. The calf, named [[Got (bull)|Got]], meaning "glass" in [[Valencian language|Valencian]], was cloned from a bull named Vasito and implanted in a [[Friesian cattle|Friesian]] surrogate cow.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10127891.stm |work=[[BBC]] |date=19 May 2010 |title=Spain clones first fighting bull }}</ref>

== Breed characteristics ==
[[File:Spanish Fighting Bull II by Alexander Fiske-Harrison.jpg|thumb|A Spanish Fighting Bull. Breed: Vegahermosa. Feria de Córdoba 2009]]
Fighting bulls are characterized by their aggressive behavior, especially when solitary or unable to flee. Many are colored black or dark brown, but other colorations are normal. They reach maturity more slowly than meat breeds as they were not selected to be heavy, having instead a well-muscled "athletic" look, with a prominent ''morrillo'', a complex of muscles over the shoulder and neck which gives the bull its distinctive profile and strength with its horns. The horns are longer than in most other breeds and are present in both males and females. Mature bulls weigh from {{cvt|400|to|700|kg}}.

Among fighting cattle, there are several "encastes" or subtypes of the breed. Of the so-called "foundational breeds", only the bloodlines of Vistahermosa, Vázquez, Gallardo and Cabrera remain today. In the cases of the last two only the ranches of [[Miura bull|Miura]] and Pablo Romero are deeply influenced by them. The so-called "modern foundational bloodlines" are Saltillo, Murube, Parladé and Santa Coloma, all of which are primarily composed of Vistahermosa blood.<ref>Richardson, Jock. ''La Divisa,'' 103, [http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1855-the-foundational-bull-ranches 'The Foundational Bull Ranches.'] Club Taurino of London. November–December 1996.</ref>

Cattle have [[dichromacy|dichromatic vision]], rendering them red-green colorblind and falsifying the idea that the color red makes them angry; they just respond to the movements of the ''[[muleta]]''. The red coloring is traditional and is believed to both conceal blood stains and provide a suitable light-dark contrast against the arena floor.

=== Growth ===
[[File:050521 1913 Salamanca - Dehesa - Toros de lidia T91.JPG|thumb|Breeding of Spanish fighting bulls near [[Salamanca]].]]
[[File:Toro de Osborne BIG.JPG|thumb|The fighting bull is considered a symbol of Spain as in this [[Osborne bull|Osborne road advertisement]].]]
Fighting cattle are bred on wide-ranging ranches in Spain's ''[[dehesa]]s'' or in the Portuguese Montados, which are often havens for Iberian wildlife as the farming techniques used are extensive.<ref>Fraser, Dr Evan & Rimas, Andrew. ''[http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061353840/Beef/index.aspx Beef: The Untold Story of How Milk, Meat, and Muscle Shaped the World.]'' Harper Collins, London 2009</ref> Both male and female calves spend their first year of life with their mothers; then they are weaned, [[Livestock branding|branded]], and kept in single-sex groups. When the cattle reach maturity after two years or so, they are sent to the ''tienta'', or testing.

For the males, this establishes if they are suitable for breeding, the bullfight, or slaughter for meat. The testing for the [[bullfight]] is only of their aggression towards the horse, as regulations forbid their charging a man on the ground before they enter the bullfighting ring. They learn how to use their horns in tests of strength and dominance with other bulls. Due to their special aggression, these combats can lead to severe injuries and even death of the bulls, at great cost to their breeders.

The females are more thoroughly tested, including by a bullfighter with his capes; hence a bull's "courage" is often said to descend from his mother.

If fit for bullfighting, bulls will return to their peers. Cows passing the tienta are kept for breeding and will be slaughtered only when they can bear no more calves.

At three years old males are no longer considered calves; they are known as ''novillos'' and are ready for bullfighting, although ''novilladas'' are for training bullfighters, or ''novilleros''. The best bulls are kept for ''corridas de toros'' with full [[matadors]]. Under Spanish law they must be at least four years old and reach the weight of 460 kg to fight in a first-rank bullring, 435 kg for a second-rank one, and 410 kg for third-rank rings. They must also have fully functional vision and even horns (which have not been tampered with) and be in generally good condition.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://noticias.juridicas.com/base_datos/Admin/rd145-1996.html|title=Real Decreto 145/1996, de 2 de febrero, por el que se modifica y da nueva redacción al Reglamento de Espectáculos Taurinos|website=Noticias Jurídicas|access-date=2017-09-06}}</ref>

A very few times each year a bull will be ''indultado'', or "pardoned," meaning his life is spared due to outstanding behavior in the bullring, leading the audience to petition the president of the ring with white handkerchiefs. The bullfighter joins the petition, as it is a great honor to have a bull one has fought pardoned. The president pardons the bull showing an orange handkerchief. The bull, if he survives his injuries, which are usually severe, is then returned to the ranch he was bred at, where he will live out his days in the fields. In most cases, he will become a "seed bull", mated once with some 30 cows. Four years later, his offspring will be tested in the ring. If they fight well, he may be bred again.
An "indultado" bull's lifespan can be 20 to 25 years.

==Miura==
[[File:Miura, Fundi, Sevilla Abril, 09.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A Miura bull charges at matador [[El Fandi]] at the [[Seville]] bullring]]
The '''Miura''' is a line within the ''Spanish Fighting Bull'' bred at the {{lang|es|Ganadería Miura|italic=no}} in the province of [[Seville (province)|Seville]], in [[Andalucia]]. The ranch ({{Coord|37.59637|-5.47804|type:landmark_region:ES|display=inline}}) is known for producing large and difficult fighting bulls. A Miura bull debuted in [[Madrid]] on April 30, 1849. The Miura derives from five historic lines of Spanish bull: the Gallardo, Cabrera, Navarra, Veragua, and Vistahermosa-Parladé.<ref>[http://www.mundotoro.com/temas/tema.aspx?value=180 mundotoro.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526195152/http://www.mundotoro.com/temas/tema.aspx?value=180 |date=2010-05-26 }}</ref>

The bulls were fought under the name of Juan Miura until his death in 1854. Then they were under the name of his widow, Josefa Fernández de Miura. After her death, the livestock bore the name of her eldest son Antonio Miura Fernández from 1869 to 1893 and then the younger brother, Eduardo Miura Fernández until his death in 1917.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180824034253/https://ganaderiamiura.com/el-origen/ Origen]. Ganadería Miura. Archived 24 August 2018.</ref>

===Reputation===
Bulls from the Miura lineage have a reputation for being large, fierce, and cunning.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,743975-1,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080316193624/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,743975-1,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=March 16, 2008 | magazine=Time | title=Animals: Pamplona's Encierros | date=July 11, 1932 | access-date=May 12, 2010}}</ref> It is said to be especially dangerous for a ''matador'' to turn his back on a Miura.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,804164,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504171606/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,804164,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=May 4, 2008 | magazine=Time | title=PLAIN PEOPLE: The Best Is Dead | date=September 8, 1947 | access-date=May 12, 2010}}</ref> Miura bulls have been referred to as individualists, each bull seemingly possessing a strong personal character.<ref name=Villiers117>Villiers-Wardell, p. 117</ref>

In ''[[Death in the Afternoon]]'', [[Ernest Hemingway]] wrote:

{{quote|There are certain strains of bull with a marked ability to learn from what goes on in the arena ... faster than the actual fight progresses which makes it more difficult from one minute to the next to control them ... these bulls are raised by Don Eduardo Miura's sons from old fighting stock...}}

===Famous bulls===
[[File:Miurabrand.png|right|100px|thumb|The [[Livestock branding|brand]] of the Miura ranch]]
*[[Murciélago]] survived 24 jabs<ref>Cossío, ''Los Toros'', tomo3: "''El toro bravo II''", {{ISBN|978-84-670-2531-6}}, Espasa Calpe, 2007, Spanien, p 584.</ref> with the lance from the ''[[picador]]'' in a fight on 5 October, 1879, against [[Rafael Molina Sánchez|Rafael "''El Lagartijo''" Molina Sánchez]], at the ''Coso de los califas'' bullring in [[Córdoba, Spain]].
*[[Islero]] [[wikt:gore|gored]] and killed bullfighter [[Manolete]] on August 28, 1947.

== References ==
{{reflist|45em}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book
| last1 = Villiers-Wardell
| first1 = Janie
| title = Spain of the Spanish (Countries and Peoples Series)
| publisher = The University of California
| date = 1914
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MwBFAAAAIAAJ&q=eduardo+miura}}
*{{cite book
|last = Shubert
|first = Adrian
|title = Death and money in the afternoon: a history of the Spanish bullfight
|edition = Illustrated
|publisher = Oxford University Press US
|year = 2001
|isbn = 978-0-19-514412-3
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=r9o9jbo3TkMC&q=eduardo+miura}}
*{{cite book
| last1 = Grühsem
| first1 = Stephan
| last2 = Vann
| first2 = Peter
| title = Lamborghini Today: A Tempo Furioso
| publisher = MotorBooks/MBI Publishing Company
|edition = Illustrated
| year = 2006
|isbn = 0-7603-2704-1
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ttIfxGBPx5kC&q=eduardo+miura}}

== See also ==
{{Commons category|Toro de lidia}}
* [[List of breeds of cattle]]
* [[Brava cattle]]

{{Bullfighting}}

[[Category:Bullfighting]]
[[Category:Cattle breeds]]
[[Category:Cattle breeds originating in Spain]]

Spanish Fighting Bull - Revision history

2600:8800:311B:4100:5031:C4B:224E:34B9: /* Breed characteristics */ MoS