LAKE PRESTON, Australia -- Knickers the steer is huge on the internet — for being huge. The black-and-white Holstein Friesian won social media fame and many proclamations of "Holy Cow!" after photos surfaced of the 6-foot-4-inch steer standing head and shoulders above a herd of brown wagyu cattle in Western Australia state.

Owner Geoff Pearson said Knickers was too heavy to go to the slaughterhouse. "He's just one of those standout steers and always has been a standout steer, and he lived to see the day," Pearson told CBS' Network Ten.

Australian media said Knickers is believed to be the tallest steer in the country and weighs about 1.4 tons. Instead of becoming steaks and burgers, 7-year-old Knickers will get to live out his life in Pearson's fields in Lake Preston, southwest of Perth.

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Pearson told Network Ten Knickers "has had a hell of a time" with his sudden popularity but became agitated one day from too many people taking his picture. "I think we just need to let him settle down for a little bit," he said.