Leadership linked to group composition in Highland cattle (Bos taurus): Implications for livestock management

•We studied nine compositions of four Highland cattle groups over a six-month period.•Leadership identification may be a tool for livestock and pastureland management.•Leadership is widely distributed with some individuals initiating more often than others.•The number of followers was influenced by the age of the initiator, its social centrality and dominance.•Followership might be controlled by the presence of some specific initiators in groups.