Water buffalo

The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is a large domesticated bovine from the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, water buffaloes live in places like Italy, the Balkans, Australia, the Americas, and parts of Africa. There are two main types: the river buffalo, which lives from the Indian subcontinent to the Balkans, Egypt, and Italy, and the swamp buffalo, found from Assam through Southeast Asia to the Yangtze Valley in China.

The wild water buffalo is likely the ancestor of the domestic water buffalo. River-type water buffaloes were probably first domesticated in western India about 6,300 years ago. Swamp-type water buffaloes were domesticated in Mainland Southeast Asia between 3,000 and 7,000 years ago. Over time, river buffaloes spread west to places like Egypt, the Balkans, and Italy. Swamp buffaloes moved through Southeast Asia to the Yangtze Valley.

Water buffaloes have been important for thousands of years. They were traded from the Indus Valley Civilisation to Mesopotamia, in modern Iraq, as far back as 2500 BC. Water buffaloes are very good at tilling rice fields. Their milk has more fat and protein than the milk from dairy cattle. In the late 19th century, a large group of wild water buffaloes became established in northern Australia. There are also smaller wild groups in several other countries.

Taxonomy

Carl Linnaeus first described the water buffalo in 1758. At that time, it lived in Asia and was kept as a pet in Italy. Some scientists later thought the wild and domestic water buffaloes were the same species, while others thought they were different.

In 2003, an official group decided that the wild water buffalo should be called Bubalus arnee, while the domestic water buffalo is called Bubalus bubalis. This name also includes groups of water buffaloes that live wild after being released.

Characteristics

See also: List of water buffalo breeds

River buffalo have black skin, but some look dark gray. Swamp buffalo are born gray and turn blue-gray as they grow older. River buffalo have longer faces and bigger legs, with horns that curve in a spiral shape. Swamp buffalo are heavier, with short bodies, wide faces, and horns that curve out from the head. The size and shape of horns can change a lot between different breeds.

River buffalo have 50 chromosomes, while swamp buffalo have 48. Though they usually don’t mix, they can sometimes have babies together. Water buffalo have a special part in their stomach that helps them eat plants better than other animals.

Ecology and behavior

River buffaloes like to stay in deep water, while swamp buffaloes enjoy playing in mud holes they make with their horns. Both types live well in hot and humid places, where temperatures can range from 0 °C (32 °F) in winter to over 30 °C (86 °F) in summer. They need water to stay cool, whether it's in rivers, wallows, or by splashing themselves.

Diet

They eat green plants, and farmers often give them special food like alfalfa, banana plants, cassava, maize, oats, and sorghum. Even when floods cover them with water, they can still eat underwater plants such as reeds and marsh grasses. They also help keep waterways clear by eating water hyacinth.

Reproduction

Swamp buffaloes usually start having babies later than river buffaloes. Young males might start having babies around 3 to 3.5 years old, but in some places, they can start as young as 2. Females typically show signs of being ready to have babies at different times of the year, and having a baby can take between 281 and 334 days. Some water buffaloes can keep working well even at age 30.

Domestication and breeding

The wild water buffalo is the ancestor of the domesticated water buffalo. There are two main types: the river buffalo and the swamp buffalo. The river buffalo lives in areas from western India to the Balkans and Italy. The swamp buffalo is found from Assam in India through Southeast Asia to China.

These two types were likely domesticated separately. The river buffalo was probably first domesticated around 6,300 years ago in western India. The swamp buffalo was domesticated between 3,000 and 7,000 years ago in Southeast Asia. Over time, the river buffalo spread west to places like Egypt and Europe, while the swamp buffalo moved east through Southeast Asia and into China.

Genetic studies

Studies of DNA show that the river and swamp buffalo types were domesticated from separate groups. The genetic differences between them are large, suggesting they separated over a million years ago. Research also shows that water buffaloes were first domesticated outside of China.

Populations

By 2011, there were about 172 million water buffalo in the world. Today, the global population is estimated to be around 208 million, spread across 77 countries on five continents.

Husbandry

Water buffaloes are raised for different reasons, depending on what people need. Many families on small farms keep them, and they often live close to the family. In India, women and girls usually care for the buffaloes used for milk, while men and boys handle those used for work.

Water buffaloes are great for working in the deep mud of paddy fields because of their large hooves and flexible feet. They are sometimes called "the living tractor of the East."^: 115  They help in farming small fields and are used for threshing and moving sheaves during rice harvest. They also provide power for oilseed mills, sugarcane presses, and devices for raising water. They are used as pack animals and for heavy hauling in India and Pakistan. In the past, the Ottoman Turks used them to move heavy tools. Their dung is used as a fertilizer and as a fuel when dried.

Products

Water buffaloes give us food and other useful things. They give us milk and meat, especially in places where food is hard to find. In India, some water buffaloes give milk, and others help with work and give a little milk too.

Meat, skin, bone, and horn

Further information: Buffalo meat

Water buffalo meat is important for India’s exports. Their hides are used to make leather. Bones and horns are also useful. Horns can be made into jewelry and parts of musical instruments like the ney and the kaval.

Dairy

Further information: List of water buffalo cheeses

Water buffalo milk is different from cow milk. It has more fat, protein, calcium, and phosphorus, which makes it great for making cheese and other dairy products. Some of these products include cream, butter, a type of clarified butter called ghee, and many kinds of cheese such as mozzarella and kesong puti.

Environmental effects

Scientists use water buffaloes to help manage plants in wetlands. These animals eat unwanted plants and clear out blocked water areas. This helps birds and other wildlife.

In places like Australia, wild water buffaloes live naturally. In Great Britain, they are used to help keep nature areas healthy because they can handle wet and tough plants better than cows. However, if not watched closely, water buffaloes can sometimes harm plants, disturb animal homes, and spread unwanted plants.

Wildlife conservation wetlands waterfowl feral conservation grazing Chippenham Fen

Reproductive research

Scientists have studied water buffaloes to help them grow better. In 2004, researchers in the Philippines made the first water buffalo baby using a special lab method. They named the baby "Glory."

Researchers have also tried to mix water buffaloes with regular cows, but it has not worked well. They have also made cloned water buffaloes, with the first ones being born in 2007.

In culture

The Minangkabau people of West Sumatra use designs from water buffalo horns to decorate their homes and clothes. This comes from an old story about a contest between two buffaloes. In China, the water buffalo is a symbol of a calm and thoughtful life. In Thailand and Sri Lanka, it is part of their animal zodiac signs. In Tibet, a water buffalo head was once a sign of death, and in the Philippines, it is a national symbol. In Indian stories, the god of death, Yama, rides a water buffalo.

In Australia in the early 1800s, water buffaloes that escaped farms became wild. Local Aboriginal Australians in Arnhem Land saw these animals as part of their spiritual beliefs. Their art showing these buffaloes was found in a cave near Gunbalanya in 1979.

Fighting festivals

The Moh juj Water Buffalo Fighting Festival happens each year in Assam during Bhogali Bihu. In Vietnam, the Do Son Water Buffalo Fighting Festival takes place on the ninth day of the eighth lunar month in Haiphong City. People prepare for this festival months ahead, choosing and training the best water buffaloes. It honors the Water God and shows the strong spirit of the local people. In Thailand, the Ko Samui Water Buffalo Fighting Festival occurs on special days like New Year and Songkran. Here, two male water buffaloes push each other, but the animals are not hurt. The first one to run away loses.

Racing festivals

In Karnataka, India, the Kambala races happen from October to March. Similar races take place in Kerala.

Religious festival

In the Philippines, the Pulilan Carabao Festival is held every May 14 and 15 in Pulilan to honor Isidore the Laborer, the protector of farmers. People thank the harvest by decorating their water buffaloes with flowers and other pretty items and parading them through the town. A special moment is when the buffaloes kneel in front of the church.