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Water buffalo submerged in water

Water buffalo

Water buffalo are massive, powerful animals, some weighing in at more than 1,000kg. Their size deters all wild predators apart from the tiger and they still present a challenge for such a big cat. As the name implies, they are most often found wallowing in water and muddy holes. This keeps them cool as they have very few sweat glands and the mud covering protects them from tiny biting midges. Wild water buffalo are endangered. They are bigger and more aggressive than their domesticated cousins. True wild populations are restricted to a few countries in south east Asia while those kept as livestock number hundreds of millions and are widespread. Among bovids, water buffalo have the widest horn span and the longest gestation period.

Scientific name: Bubalus bubalis

Rank: Species

Common names:

  • Asian buffalo,
  • Indian wild buffalo,
  • River buffalo,
  • Swamp buffalo,
  • Wild Asian water Buffalo,
  • Wild water buffalo

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Distribution

The Water buffalo can be found in a number of locations including: Asia, Indian subcontinent. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Water buffalo distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.

Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web

Conservation Status

Endangered

  1. EX - Extinct
  2. EW
  3. CR - Threatened
  4. EN - Threatened
  5. VU - Threatened
  6. NT
  7. LC - Least concern

About

The water buffalo or domestic Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is a large buffalo found on the Indian subcontinent to Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia, in Sri Lanka and in Borneo. Water buffaloes are especially suitable for tilling rice fields, and their milk is richer in fat and protein than of the dairy cow. The large feral population of northern Australia became established in the late 19th century, and there are smaller feral herds in New Guinea, Tunisia and northeastern Argentina. Two groups have been described, termed Swamp and River types. There are at least 130 million domestic water buffalo, and more human beings depend on them than on any other domestic animal.

The wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee) native to Southeast Asia is considered a different species that is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List since 1986, as the remaining global wild population totals less than 4,000 individuals, with an estimate of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. The population decline of at least 50% over the last 24–30 years is projected to continue. It most likely represents the ancestor of the domestic water buffalo.

Water buffaloes were domesticated in India some 5000 years ago, and in China 4000 years ago. Two types are recognized, based on morphological and behavioural criteria – the river buffalo of the Indian subcontinent and further west to the Balkans and Italy, and the swamp buffalo, found from Assam in the west through Southeast Asia to the Yangtze valley of China in the east. The origin of the domestic water buffalo is still an open question. Results of a phylogenetic study indicate that the swamp water buffalo may have originated in China, while the river water buffalo originated from India.

The ancestry of the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is unclear, but it is not closely related to the water buffalo.

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