Animals at a French Zoo - Zebu - circular picture showing man and zebu. Part of Box 209 Boswell collection - Old and New French Zoo. A zebu, sometimes known as humped cattle or Brahman, is a type of domestic cattle originating in South Asia. They are characterised by a fatty hump on their shoulders, drooping ears and a large dewlap. Bulls from the Brahman breed of zebu are often used for bullriding in rodeos.In India it is considered as the contemporary representation of Nandi, the sacred bull of Shiva. In 1999, researchers at Texas A&M University successfully cloned a zebu.