Lineback cattle

Lineback Dairy Cattle is a dual breed of cattle, derived from the Holstein breed, and to whom the Randall cattle bear a strong resemblance. While not a commonplace breed, they are found in small numbers as "productive pets" amid larger numbers of other dairy cattle breeds on dairy farms throughout North America.

Known for their distinctive colour-sided coloration, the Lineback has a black base and nose with a skunk-like white stripe or finching along the spine. Due to the rarity of the pure-strain breed, variations such as red lineback and animals with a heavily speckled pelt instead of a distinct stripe occur from time to time.

The breed is often cross bred to other dairy cattle, though the coloration trait is generally dominant in offspring

　

History of Lineback Dairy Cattle-“A Well-Marked Breed”

(by Robert Gear 1986)

Cattle with "Lineback" color patterns have occurred throughout the world in many breeds. In the Texas Longhorn and some African breeds, the Lineback patterns occur randomly. In breeds such as the English Longhorn, Gloucester, Pinzgauer, Vosgienne, and the Moiled cattle of Ireland, the Lineback pattern in some form is their identifying characteristic. And still others, such as the native Welsh breed, consistently display several “color phases“, of which the "Lineback" is one.

Geneticists recognize two variations of the Lineback Dairy Cattle. The first, is known as Gloucester, in which the animal has a dark, usually black or red body with a white dorsal stripe, possibly a star on the face, white tail and belly, and perhaps one or more garters or white bands around the legs, where they join the body. The other, known as Witrick separates into 3 major types of “Witrick’s” the White classic Witrick, Dark-Sided Witrick, and Dark Specked Witrick. The White Classic Witrick is more prevalent type and has a lot more white on the body and face, followed with black or red eyes, nose and ears, but Witrick’s of all patterns can be found with much "speckling or brockling" on the face, body, and legs. The brockling may be in the form of round or elliptical spots or roaning or both. Of the variations found, the Witrick variety predominating over the Gloucester.

The English Longhorn, Irish Moiled, Norwegian Telemark, Swedish Mountain, and Dutch Witrick have the Witrick as their characteristic marking, while the Gloucester pattern in which brockling does not occur is exemplified by the English Old Gloucester and the Austrian Pinzgauer.

It is reasonable to assume that Linebacks were among the cattle imported into the U.S. in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Dutch were bringing cattle into New York at a time when the Witrick was plentiful, while many British ships coming to America were sailing from Bristol, a geographically convenient port for the export of Gloucester and Welsh cattle. Considering that livestock of all classes has been imported to the United States, it is not surprising that we have our own "Dairy Lineback breed".

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Wikipedia