A Holstein-Friesian steer in western Australia stands head and shoulders above its competition â literally.
Knickers, a 7-year-old steer who lives on a farm near Lake Preston, is a whopping 6 feet, 4 inches tall. That makes this behemoth bovine about 1.5 feet taller than other steers, and he weighs twice as much, according to USA Today.
Although Knickers could be turned into 4,000 hamburger patties, owner Geoff Pearson says he has no plans to lead him to the slaughterhouse.
He was too big for the usual processing, Pearson told ABC.Net.Au. âWe have a high turnover of cattle, and he was lucky enough to stay behind.â
Pearson told the BBC that Knickersâ name was a result of guilt by association.
âWhen he was young, when we first got him, we had a Brahman steer which was a friend of his. So his name was Bra... so we [had] Bra and Knickers,â Pearson said. âWe never thought he would turn into a big Knickers.â
Knickers might have a case to be eventually declared Australiaâs biggest steer, but heâs a relative small fry compared to Bellino, a Chianina ox in Italy that stands 6 feet, 7 inches, according to Guinness World Records.
But what Knickers lacks in size, he makes up for in sheer steer popularity, based on the reaction from the internet.
Although Knickers survived the slaughterhouse, heâs not getting a free ride at Pearsonâs farm. Instead, he helps out by leading other cattle around the place.
âYouâll put him in a paddock and all the other cattle seem to get attracted to him,â Pearson told ABC.Net.au. âWhenever he wants to get up and start walking, thereâs a trail of hundreds of cattle following him. We all know when Knickers is on the move.â