Often the buffalo is confused with the bison. Understandably so, because both are large, have horns and belong to the family of Bovidea. Yet they have fundamentally different physical characteristics, habitats and lifestyles.
Until the 19th century, bison preferred to live in open grasslands, but modern civilization largely drove them into forests and prairies. In the meantime, the bison was threatened with complete extinction, but could be stabilized again by its settlement in nature reserves. In contrast to the water buffalo, the bison, individually or in herds, is native to Europe or North America.
With a shoulder height of 1.85m, he belongs there to one of the largest mammals of their country. The distinctive hump and the short, curved horns are characteristic features. Due to the pronounced hump on the shoulders, the head acts as a plow and protects against snowdrifts in winter. While the buffalo have large horns pronounced arches, bison horns are much shorter and sharper.
The water buffalo
Among gourmets, the water buffalo is famous for its milk, which is used to make the much-loved buffalo mozzarella. However, few people really know about these unique animals - now we want to clear that up.
Genus and origin
The water buffalo, is the most widespread species of Asian buffalo and belongs to the cattle family. However, starting from its origin in Asia, it has now colonized large parts of the planet.
Distribution
In Asia the water buffalo can be found for example in India, China, Nepal, Vietnam, Thailand or Indonesia. However, it is also found in some African countries such as Egypt and on the South American continent in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia or Venezuela. The versatile and adaptable animal has also made its way to Europe. In Italy, England, Germany and Switzerland, but also in Hungary, Romania or Bulgaria, the buffalo is now part of the local animal kingdom and is becoming increasingly popular.
Breed characteristics
The water buffalo reaches a head trunk length of almost 3 meters with an average shoulder height of 1.80 meters. Wild animals weigh up to one ton, whereas domesticated buffaloes weigh about half that, with a maximum of 500 kg. Strikingly, both male and female animals carry horns that can reach a wingspan of up to 2 meters. Water buffalo are very docile animals with a pronounced social system, living in herds with a fixed hierarchy. The herds are led by a strong, adult buffalo cow.
Habitat
Basically, the buffalo is a very uncomplicated, robust and adaptable animal. Climates with cold winters and hot summers do not bother him. It prefers to live in wetlands such as overgrown river valleys or swampy forests. Here it cools itself in the water and protects itself from insects by mud baths. The water buffalo lives outdoors all year round, where it roams endless green pastures near rivers or other bodies of water, feeding exclusively on fresh grass, herbs and wildflowers.
Water buffalo and humans
While the wild water buffalo is rarely encountered nowadays, it is often found in domesticated form living in close association with humans. The buffalo is ideally suited as a livestock or pack animal, which is why it was traditionally often used for plowing in the fields. In Asia and Africa in particular, it is also kept as a farm animal in many places, providing its owners with fresh buffalo milk on a daily basis. While many Europeans appreciate buffalo mozzarella as a delicacy, it is still largely unknown that the water buffalo, in addition to its milk, also has excellent leather and a juicy and low-fat meat. In addition, water buffalo are increasingly used as landscape managers, especially in Central Europe. They cultivate entire sections of land and thus contribute not only to the natural preservation of the balance of our ecosystem, but also to the protection of the environment, as this avoids the use of machinery.
