Water Buffalo
Bubalus bubalis
The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is a large Asian bovine domesticated from wild water buffalo ancestors and now kept across the tropics, subtropics, and parts of Europe. It is not the African buffalo. Domestic herds are commonly grouped into river buffalo, selected heavily for rich milk, and swamp buffalo, long used for traction in rice fields and wet lowlands. Their dark skin, sparse hair, sweeping horns, broad hooves, and habit of wallowing suit them to hot, muddy landscapes where ordinary cattle may lose condition.
Farm management depends on whether the animals are kept for dairy, meat, draft work, or wetland vegetation control. They need sturdy fencing, shade, sprinklers, or water access for heat relief, and low-stress handling because adults are powerful even when quiet. Dairy lines are valued for high-fat milk used in products such as mozzarella and yogurt, while working types remain useful where soft ground would bog down machinery. Buyers compare temperament, horn size, milking background, parasite resistance, and local legal rules; in warm regions, hoof care, mineral balance, and testing for cattle diseases are part of routine herd stewardship.
