Giant cattle are not usually found among the internet's stars but seven-year-old Knickers has found viral fame due to his extraordinary size.

The steer - a neutered male cow - is so huge he was unable to be processed at the slaughterhouse and as a result managed to save himself from a premature death, according to his owner.

Social media users expressed their delight at the black-and-white Holstein Friesian, who towers above his contemporaries in Western Australia at 6ft 4in.

Australian media reports suggest the steer is the tallest in the country and weighs about 1.4 tonnes. He is almost as tall as basketball star Michael Jordan and weighs as much as a Mini Cooper.

His owner Geoff Pearson said Knickers was too heavy to be slaughtered and will instead get to live out his life in his owner's fields in Lake Preston, southwest of Perth.