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Home / The Country

Holy cow! Check out the size of Australia's biggest steer, Knickers

news.com.au
27 Nov, 2018 10:21 PMQuick Read

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Check out the size of Australia's biggest steer, Knickers. / ABC

Knickers the steer is a bit on the shy side, but the bovine behemoth tends to stick out from the herd.

As you might have guessed, that is Knickers at the back of the photo — the black and white one with a couple of normal-sized cows sheltering under its belly.

Standing 194cm tall and weighing 1.4 tonnes, the seven-year-old Holstein Friesian is unofficially Australia's biggest steer.

While all that bulk makes it hard for Knickers to blend in, being heavier than a family sedan does have its advantages.

Third generation Myalup cattle farmer Geoff Pearson said Knickers' startling size had saved him a trip to the abattoir.

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Myalup cattle farmer Geoff Pearson with Knickers on the Myalup farm.
Myalup cattle farmer Geoff Pearson with Knickers on the Myalup farm.

"It was too heavy. I wouldn't be able to put it through a processing facility," he said.

"So I think it will just live happily ever after."

Knickers is attracting plenty of media attention.
Knickers is attracting plenty of media attention.

Knickers cost his owners $400. They bought him as a "coach" — an animal that could take charge of the herd and show them the ropes of life on the farm.

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According to Guinness World Records, the tallest steer on the planet can be found in Italy — a 202cm Chianina ox named Bellino.

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