WATER BUFFALO

(Bubalus bubalis), also called Indian Buffalo, a ruminant mammal of the ox family (Bovidae). The water buffalo was domesticated in Asia from earliest recorded times. Large and massively built, the animal stands 1.5-1.8 m (5-6 feet) or more at the shoulder, reaches a length of 2.4-2.8 m, and weighs about 1,000 kg (2,200 pounds). It has a dull black or dark gray body with little hair and huge horns, which may measure 2 m across and spread outward and upward. There are two main types of water buffalo. The swamp buffalo is the principal draft animal of southern China and the rice-growing countries of Southeast Asia; it is rarely milked but is usually eaten toward the end of its working life. The other type, the river buffalo, has been bred primarily for dairy production in India, Pakistan, southwest Asia, and Egypt and is also used for meat and draft work. The water buffalo is very suitable for work in humid climates and on waterlogged land.