Water_Buffalo Water_Buffalo

Water Buffalo - Definition and Overview

Related Words: Aurochs, Balk, Beat, Beef, Bison, Boggle, Bovine, Bull, Bullock, Calf, Carabao, Cattle, Circumvent, Cow
Water Buffalo in Indonesia
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Water Buffalo in Indonesia
Water Buffalo
image:WaterBuffalo.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Artiodactyla
Family:Bovidae
Subfamily:Bovinae
Genus:Bubalus
Species:arnee
Binomial name
Bubalus arnee
(Kerr, 1792)

The Water Buffalo is a very large ungulate. It survives in the wild in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand and is very widespread as a domestic animal in Asia, South America, North Africa and Europe. It is feral in northern Australia. Wild-living populations also exist in much of South-east Asia but their origin is uncertain: they may be the descendants of wild Water Buffalo, formerly domesticated ferals or a mixture of both. In Asia the population of wild Water Buffalo has become very sparse.

The classification of the Water Buffalo is uncertain. Some authorities list a single species, Bubalus arnee with two subspecies, the River (B. arnee bubalis) and Swamp (B. arnee carabanesis) Water Buffaloes; others regard them as closely related but separate species.

Milk from both of these animals may be used by many peoples.

A family of water buffalo bathing in a sinkhole

External links

Wild Water Buffalo (http://www.animalinfo.org/species/artiperi/bubaarne.htm) from http://www.animalinfo.org

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