Puerto Rican
(most common name)
(transboundary/brand name)

(local/other name):
• Criollo
• Puerto Rican Criollo

Cattle, directly from Spain, arrived on Puerto Rico in 1505. It is believed that some of them fled to the mountains. More cattle arrived in 1509 — this time from Hispaniola. By 1520, Puerto Rico was self-supporting in cattle.

Import of other cattle breeds into Puerto Rico began as early as the middle of the 19th century, replacing most of the Criollo cattle.

Today, very few Criollo are left on Puerto Rico, but the Puerto Rican is reportedly on the following islands in the West Indies:
• Barbados
• Cuba
• Dominica
• Trinidad
• Tobago

The Puerto Rican is of normal stature and dwarf animals (developed in the mountains) are also seen.

This page was last updated on: 2023-05-19

You can also go to:

My Daily Cow® Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Tobago and read about other West Indies cattle breeds.

The Cow Wall® A-Z Cattle Breed Picture Reference to see other breeds of cattle in the world.