On the evening of October 15, 1972, a bright light accompanied by a loud noise was witnessed on the El Tinajero farm near Valera, Venezuela. The next morning, farmers discovered a cow split in two. The culprit? A meteorite which had landed on top of the unfortunate bovine.

Valera is what meteorite collectors call a “hammer stone.” Hammer stones are meteorites that strike specific objects (people, animals, buildings, even artifacts). Valera in particular is unique, as it is the only documented meteorite to have killed an animal.

While the actual impact was not witnessed, when the animal’s remains were discovered with a meteorite nearby, it was easy to put two and two together. Fortunately the meat didn’t go to waste, as the farmers enjoyed an impromptu steak dinner that night, while using a piece of the meteorite fragment as a doorstop.

This specimen is a fragment of the Valera "Cow Killer" meteorite, and is an 'explosive' addition to any meteorite collection (though it doesn't come with any beef. 🐄)

Each specimen comes displayed in a cushioned gem jar. The jar is enclosed inside a classic, glass-topped riker display case that measures 4"x3"x1". A small information and authenticity card about the meteorite is also enclosed.

On the evening of October 15, 1972, a bright light accompanied by a loud noise was witnessed on the El Tinajero farm near Trujillo, Venezuela. The next morning the physician who owned the farm, Dr. Arginiro Gonzales and his guest, Juan Delgado, discovered that a cow had apparently been split in two by a falling stone. 

The Valera meteorite, called the “meteorito asesiono” or, murderer meteorite, had a mass of about fifty kilos, heavy enough to allegedly sever the cow in two parts, pulverizing its neck and clavicle. While the actual impact was not witnessed by anyone, when they discovered the animal’s remains and a meteorite nearby, it was easy to put two and two together. Fortunately the meat didn’t go to waste, as the two enjoyed an impromptu steak dinner that night, while using a piece of the meteorite fragment as a doorstop.

The Valera impact was quite unique, it being the only documented meteorite to have killed an animal. This was verified years later when Ignacio Ferrin, an astronomer with the University of the Andes, visited the farm in 2001 to document the impact, interviewing Delgado who testified to the story of that night and the cow that was killed “under strange circumstances.” By that time, Gonzales had passed away, but his discovery remains a chilling reminder of the celestial forces that hang over all our heads.

Upon impact, the meteorite splintered into three parts weighing 4, 8, and 38 kgs, with the largest being left in place for years after Gonzales and Delgado made their discovery. The meteorite is classified as a L5 ordinary chondrite. These types of meteorites are made up of primarily olivine and orthopyroxenes and are thought to come from a larger parent body in the asteroid belt. Stony chondrites like Valera are a very common type of meteorite and sometimes called “ordinary chondrites.” If you were to ask a bovine though, they’d say this one’s destructive entry was anything but ordinary.

Valera is what meteorite collectors call a “hammer stone.” Hammer stones are meteorites that strike specific objects (people, animals, buildings, even artifacts). Collectors who specialize in these particular falls are often interested in both the meteorites and the objects they came in contact with.

Another famous hammer stone is the Peekskill meteorite of 1992. This meteor crushed the rear end of a 1980 Chevy Malibu in Peekskill, NY. The car has toured the world and is currently owned by The Macovich Collection. The taillight and title for the car sold at auction for $5,000 in 2012.