A tiny farm claim to have bred the world's smallest cow - that is just 51 centimetres (20 inches) tall.

Rani is 23-month-old dwarf cow that has shot to social media superstardom from a farm near Dhaka in Bangladesh.

The Bhutti, or Bhutanese, cow is 66 centimetres (26 inches) long and weighs only 26 kilograms (57 pounds).

The owners at the Shikor Agro farm in Charigram claim she is ten centimetres shorter than the current World Record Holder.

Guinness World Records currently lists Manikyam, a 61 centimetre Vechur cow from Kerala, India, as officially the world's smallest since June 2014.

M.A. Hasan Howlader, the manager of Shikor Agro, has said that Guinness World Records have promised to make a decision about Rani within three months.

Kazi Sufian, CEO of Shikor Agro Industries Limited, said: "These breeds of cattle are pretty small and do not grow more than 80kgs.

"She may gain a few more kilograms, max up to 30kg, according to our veterinary doctor.

"She's pretty healthy she doesn't have any heath issues, she's doing fantastic."

Her breed is prized for its meat in the country, and other cows of her species are twice her size.

Rani even wears a little bell around her neck that rings to signify she's coming.

Kazi said: "Trust me, she can run faster than our rabbits!

"Considering her small size we have installed a ring bell on her neck so that we can locate her wherever she is hiding herself.

"Otherwise its pretty difficult to locate her, so she can roam around pretty freely.

"Everybody's talking about our cattle, we are proud, it's a pretty interesting experience and we are enjoying it.

"She's very cute and we are planning to allow her to live as long as possible so more people can experience her."

Sajedul Islam, the government's chief vet for the region, said Rani is a product of "genetic inbreeding" and was unlikely to become any bigger.

Thousands are travelling on rickshaws to the town of Charigram to see Rani for themselves, but this is creating concern about the spread of coronavirus in the area as the country is in a national lockdown.

Kazi said: "We are not allowing so many people, only one or two press people, we have taken all precautions so we don't spread coronavirus."