A cow is worth $4.3 million in Brazil. What is so special about her?

A purebred Nelore cow — with ancestry traced back to India – has become the world’s costliest bovine after a recent auction raised her worth to a jaw-dropping $4.3 million.

The four-and-half-year-old cow named Viatina-19 FIV Mara Emovis has already become a celebrity in her country after the auction, in which a part of her was sold by Agropecuaria Casa Branca to Nelore HRO for $1.44 million.

Because of their exorbitant prices, Nelore cows are owned jointly by individuals or corporations.

At the auction in Arandu in Brazil’s state of Sao Paulo, a third of the ownership fetched 6.99 million reais ($1.44 million), the record-breaking amount through global cattle markets and highlighting the Nelore’s value and standing.

Last year, half of the cow’s ownership sold at auction in Brazil for a record $800,000.

The record fee underscores Brazil’s demand for high-quality cattle that are said to possess an excellent genetic makeup and efficient metabolism that makes them adaptable to Brazil's challenging land conditions.

The Nelore cow’s slow metabolism means they are more heat resistant than other breeds of cattle, a quality regarded as ideal for some of Brazil’s low-quality pastures.

The Nelore's tough skin also makes the breed resistant to parasites and insects.

The recent record cost for the Nelore bovine, Newsweek says, is down to its distinct qualities where the white-coloured animal has adapted and become resistant to their different land and weather conditions.

Its white fur coat plays an important role, reflecting high volumes of light, while its sweat glands are twice the size and almost a third more numerous than European cattle breeds.

The Nelore is part of the Bos indicus species, with a large bulbous hump over its shoulders. It is also seen as a good breeder, with females having wider pelvic openings and larger birth canals than other cattle.

Research suggests that the breed has the highest percentage of unassisted calving and weaning compared to other cattle.

Brazil is the largest breeder of Nelore, where it has also been exported across the Americas to Argentina, Paraguay, Venezuela, Mexico and as far as the US in the region, according to Cattlesite.

Reports indicate there are around 167 million cows in Brazil, representing approximately 80 percent of the region's cattle population.

Sales of Nelore semen represent 65 percent of the artificial insemination market for all breeds in Brazil, with the industry booming since the 1960s, according to Oklahoma State University.

The cattle's origins date back more than 2000 years when they were said to have been introduced to India, while today, cows hold great importance in the Hindu religion.

Over the breed’s history, it has faced harsh land conditions ranging from dry, cold and sweltering environments in India.

Cattlesite says the Ongoles, an off-breed of the Nelore, was first acknowledged in Brazil in 1868 when a vessel en route to the UK stopped in Salvador, Brazil, where the cattle were sold.

A decade later, a breeder from Rio de Janeiro purchased another couple from Germany's Hamburg Zoo while the breed gradually expanded its footprint across Brazil from Bahia, Mina Gerais and Uberaba.