Wild Water Buffalo (Bubalus arnee) lives in freshwater wetlands across Southeast Asia. It feeds on grass and leaves. Its conservation status is Endangered.
Fascinating facts about the Wild Water Buffalo
- Both sexes carry horns that are heavy at the base and widely spreading up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) along the outer edges, exceeding in size the horns of any other living bovid. Those massive arches can dwarf a double-decker bus's width, giving the buffalo a formidable silhouette in the wetlands. Weighing from 600 to 1,200 kg (1,300 to 2,600 lb), an adult can tip the scales of a small car. The average weight of three captive wild water buffaloes was 900 kg (2,000 lb). Such size makes them one of the heaviest living wild bovid species, only slightly smaller than the gaur, and means they can dominate grazing areas and deter many predators.
- The wild water buffalo's head-to-body length stretches 240 to 300 cm (94 to 118 in) with a shoulder height of 150 to 190 cm (59 to 75 in). Its horns can span 2 m, while its tail reaches 60 to 100 cm (24 to 39 in). Home ranges of 170 to 1,000 ha (420 to 2,470 acres).
- The global wild water buffalo population totals fewer than 4,000 mature individuals, earning it an endangered status on the IUCN Red List since 1986. In the early 1990s, Assam may have held about 3,300-3,500 animals, but by 1997 the number of mature individuals fell to less than 1,500. Such rapid declines highlight the impact of hybridization with domestic buffalo, hunting, and habitat loss. With fewer than 100 left in Madhya Pradesh in the late 1980s and only 50 estimated by 1992, the species teeters on the brink without urgent conservation action.
- Adult wild water buffaloes can live up to 25 years in the wild. Their gestation lasts 10 to 11 months, and females typically give birth to a single calf after an inter-birth interval of one year, though twins can occur. Sexual maturity arrives at 18 months for males and three years for females.
- In Nepal's Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve the population grew from 63 individuals in 1976 to 219 in 2009, showing a more than three-fold increase over three decades. In 2016, 18 individuals were translocated from Koshi Tappu to Chitwan National Park.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeSoutheast Asia
HabitatFreshwater wetlands
DietGrass and leaves
About the Wild Water Buffalo
In the mist-shrouded wetlands, the wild water buffalo moves with deliberate intent, its shaggy coat glistening with dew as it wades through the murky shallows, a creature of unyielding resilience in a fragile ecosystem. With each slow, deliberate step, it seems to embody the very essence of its threatened habitat, a symbol of the delicate balance between nature and nurture. As it raises its majestic head, its piercing eyes seem to hold a deep wisdom, a testament to the enduring spirit of this endangered giant.
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