The cloned calf weighed 33.5 kilograms at birth, heavier than most newborns, according to researchers. The calf has all-black fur. It is already walking and healthy.
The project was launched in July 2023 by a joint initiative of a research team from Zhejiang University in East China, the Damsun County Government and the Institute of Plateau Biology of the Xizan Autonomous Region. Scientists used whole-genome selection and somatic cell cloning technologies to produce a cloned calf.
Fan Shengguo, who led the research team from Zhejiang University, said that cloning technology will play a key role in improving calf breeds and establishing a cattle breeding system in the high-altitude area of Xizan.