Strange Animals Bred for Business Purposes

Breeders around the world covet certain animals for their economic potential. Some produce a lot of meat. Some are iridescent. Others fit well into small spaces. All of the animals featured below have highly unusual attributes that make each a potentially lucrative business proposition:

Giant Guinea Pig

Cuy meat is lean, protein-packed, and versatile. Cuys, or guinea pigs, reproduce quickly, offering a steady supply of meat. One Lima, Peru official said that guinea pigs will feed a family of up to eight people for only USD $3.20. Peruvians eat about 65 million guinea pigs per year. Scientists in Peru supersized the guinea pig, introducing a giant guy weighing about 2.2 pounds, twice the usual size.



Belgian Blue

Known as the Incredible Hulk cow, Monster cow, and Schwarzenegger cow, the Belgian Blue takes the world’s blue ribbon for buffness. The cow’s hereditary myostatin defect results in excessive muscle growth known as “double muscling.” As a result, the breed produces a large amount of lean beef.



Fainting Goat

Fainting goats are bred to fall over. A hereditary disorder, myotonia congenita, causes their muscles to freeze when they’re scared, often resulting in them collapsing on their sides. Their small size makes them ideal for small farms, where they won’t hop fences—or will scare themselves into collapsing when they try. According to oral history, the fainting goat was a good asset protector. Handlers would keep them with other (more valuable) animals, like sheep. When a predator came around, the fainting goat would collapse, effectively sacrificing itself so that the other animals could safely run away.



German Giant

The German Giant, one of the biggest domestic rabbit breeds on Earth, can grow to the size of a dog. Breeders covet giant rabbits for their looks, their fur, and their meat.



Minicow

German Shepherd-sized minicows cost only a few hundred dollars. They are tiny, meaty and fit in your backyard. Homesteaders can choose from Irish Dexter, Mini Hereford, or Lowline Angus cows.



Jersey Giant

The Jersey Giant chicken was originally bred as a replacement for turkey. The breed, originally crossbred from three other kinds of chickens, produces hens weighing an average of 11 lbs, and cocks of 13 lbs. The meat industry initially took to the idea, but then cast Jersey Giants aside because they don’t grow fast enough.



GloFish

Genetically engineered GloFish come in a variety of colors, such as Sunburst Orange, Starfire Red and Electric Green. These colorful zebrafish are the world’s first genetically modified pet. In 1999, scientists inserted fluorescence proteins from coral and jellyfish into a zebrafish embryo, resulting in the GloFish’s luminescent qualities. The idea was to create a fish that would fluoresce when it came near toxins, allowing it to detect pollution. When businesspeople caught wind of the glowing fish, they saw great potential for consumer sales.



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