Genus Bubalus, water buffalos
The water buffalo Bubalus bubalis
The water buffalo, also known as Indian buffalo or Asiatic buffalo, is one of the largest bovids; adult animals reach over 3 meters in body length, stand up to 2 meters at the shoulders and weigh about 1,000 kg (sometimes even as much as 1,200 kg). Most striking feature of this animal is its magnificent crescent-shaped, wide spread horns that may reach two meters in length. Wild water buffalo Bubalus arnee differs significantly from its less strong domestic buffalo; it is a powerful, aggressive, and dangerous animal. There are many cases when wild buffalos killed tigers. Wild water buffalos live in stable clans of females and their young, led by a dominant matriarch, while males are solitary. Fragmented populations of wild water buffalos still dwell in the forests and swampy high-grass savannahs in India, Sri Lanka, and South-East Asia. There are no more than 1,000 individuals remaining in the wild in India and Nepal, and even less of these animals are found in other parts of the species range. Unfortunately, population numbers of wild water buffalos are reducing. Most of the wild water buffalos are now living in the protected areas and, strictly speaking, can not be considered completely wild. The major threats to this species include poaching, draining of the marshes, and interbreeding with domestic and feral buffalos (wild water buffalos do not interbreed with representatives of the genus Bos). Water buffalos were domesticated in ancient times and new breeds have dispersed to tropical and subtropical habitats all over the world, including southern Europe and Latin America. Domestic water buffalos introduced to Australia, New Guinea and some islands of Indonesia became feral. The water buffalo is still one of the most important agricultural animals in the countries of South-East Asia, India, southern China, and islands of Malay Archipelago. Domestic water buffalos are widespread in the countries of southern Europe, especially in Italy, where they could have been introduced to by the Arabs in VIII or IX century.
