water buffalo
(most common name)

local/other name:
• k(e)rbau (Malaysia)
• krabei (Cambodia)
• krabey (Cambodia)
• kwai (Thailand)
• kywe (Myanmar)
• shui niu (China)
• camus (Turkey)
• manda (Turkey)
local/other name (Spanish):
• carabao (male)
• caraballa (female)
local/other name (Dutch):
• karbouw (Indonesia)

Water buffalo are used for:
• draught
• milk
• meat
• hides
• dung (fuel and manure)
• horns (crafts, ceremonial)

From wild buffalo, two types of domestic water buffalo emerged:
• swamp buffalo (mostly Southeast Asia; used mainly for draught)
• River buffalo (mostly Indian subcontinent, Europe and South America; used mainly for milk/meat)

Because water buffalo are not tolerant of high temperatures (or direct sunlight) and have far fewer sweat glands than domestic cattle, wallowing (i.e. rolling about or lying in mud or water) is very important. Swamp buffalo thrive in marshes and stagnant ponds and use their horns to dig out mud-holes for wallowing. A coat of mud helps keep insects off. River buffalo prefer clear water found in ponds and streams.

Swamp buffalo can be described as having:
• massive and heavily striated (grooved) horns that sweep backwards
• dark slate grey coat (usually)
• albinoid (sometimes) to spotted (rare) coat
• true albino (extremely rare)
• a pale white or light grey chevron under the jaw and on the brisket
• grey stockings
• hair whorls (usually)
• walleye or glass eye (rare)
• stockier build than River buffalo

NOTE: Swamp buffalo hair whorl patterns and locations can be used to identify individual animals.

River buffalo can be described as having:
• crescentic (sickle-shaped) horns (usually)
• tightly curled horns (due to selection)
• black coat (usually)
• brown coat (occasionally)
• albinoid or piebald coat (very rare)
• no chevrons or white markings on head and feet (usually)
• hair whorls (sometimes)
• walleye or glass eye (common)
• heavier than Swamp buffalo

The majority of the world’s water buffalo population is kept by small-scale farmers in Asia. In Africa, the water buffalo population can be found almost entirely in Egypt. In Europe, most are in Italy.

There are ‘breeds’ of River buffalo; variations in horn shape and dimensions are often used to differentiate these breeds. Polledness is rare in both types of water buffalo. Swamp buffalo have mostly national and regional differences; local varieties are usually not considered to be ‘breeds’. Obtaining reliable information on water buffalo remains difficult; in many countries they can only be described as ‘nondescript’.

albinoid - having straw-colored hair, pink or light yellow skin, but with pigmented horns, hoofs, mucosae and irises.

walleye (or glass eye) - a lack of iris pigmentation in one or both eyes, giving the eye an opaque appearance.

(Chinese) shui niu = water cattle

This page was last updated on: 2023-05-21

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