Water Buffalo
Bubalus bubalis
Conservation Status
EndangeredMammalia · Artiodactyla · Bovidae
About
The water buffalo, also called domestic water buffalo, Asian water buffalo, and Asiatic water buffalo, is a large bovine originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also kept in Italy, the Balkans, Australia, the Americas, and some African countries. Two extant types of water buffalo are recognized, based on morphological and behavioural criteria: the river buffalo of the Indian subcontinent and further west to the Balkans, Egypt, and Italy; and the swamp buffalo from Assam in the west through Southeast Asia to the Yangtze Valley of China in the east.
Fun Fact
Water buffalo have splayed hooves and a preference for wallowing in mud that makes them uniquely suited to wet rice paddies — they've been essential to Asian agriculture for over 5,000 years.
Quick Facts
Habitat
Wetlands and floodplains
Diet
Herbivore
Lifespan
20-25 years
Threats
- Dam Construction
- Poaching
- Small Population Size
- Wetland Drainage