15 interesting facts about water buffalo
- The wild water buffalo, wild Asian buffalo or wild Asiatic buffalo (Bubalis bubalis arnee or Bubalis arnee) is a large ungulate, a member of the bovine subfamily and the ancestor of the domestic water buffalo.
- Water buffalo is the largest member of the Bovine tribe that includes yak, bison, African buffalo, some species of wild cattle and others.
- The IUCN Red List of threatened species classifies the wild water buffalo as an endangered species.
- The buffalo has been distributed across Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, India (Assam and Orissa), Nepal, North Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.
- Around 95% of the world’s total water buffalo population is found in Asia, with India being the home of half of them.
- The domestic water buffalo, although derived from the wild water buffalo, is the product of thousands of years of selective breeding carried out either in South Asia or Southeast Asia.
- Also known as a swamp buffalo, the water buffalo is black or white in color, sometimes both, and has gently curved sweptback horns. The horns can be as long as 3 meters in length.
- It is the second largest wild bovid, smaller only than the Gaur.
- Most of the water buffalo’s day is spent being submerged in the muddy waters of Asia’s tropical and sub-tropical forests.
- The male water buffalo has deep ridges on the body and long backward curving, crescent shaped horns that distinguish it from its female counterpart.
- A male water buffalo is about one-third larger than the female water buffalo.
- The Asian Water Buffalo is always seen in a group of 10 to 20 individuals, but groups of 100 can also be observed sometimes.
- The slightly smaller African Buffalo or Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is not closely related to water buffalo.
- There are 74 different breeds of domesticated water buffalos throughout the world.
- The domesticated water buffalo is also known as the “living tractor of the east” in many parts of Asia.
