The Sinhala cattle, a Zebu breed from Sri Lanka, were introduced more than 1500 years ago, and the crossbreeds between the two was found to be better in body size than either of the original breeds.

[3] The coloration is reddish brown with non-specific white patterning on the back and rump.

They are a small breed, bulls having a mature weight of 250 to 300 kg,[4] it is used for racing by the locals[5] and are sometimes called the dancing cattle.

These cattle have special value for the culture and ceremonial events of the Madurese people due to the excellent exterior beauty appearance, which are determined during a contest for a pair of female Madura cattles to walk with a compact step.

Observation and assessment of the Sonok cattle by judges was done in 1 to 2 m distant from the front, side and back sites to determine the winner.