Wild Water Buffalo

Wild Water Buffalo or Indian Buffalo or Asiatic Buffalo with the scientific name Bubalus arnee is the species found majorly in India.

It is said to be the ancestor of the domestic buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and is the second largest in the Bovidae family following Gaur.

Water buffalo spend much of their day submerged in the muddy waters of Asia's tropical and subtropical forests. Their wide-splayed hoofed feet prevent them from sinking too deeply in the mud and allow them to move about in wetlands and swamps with ease. The quick classification of Wild Water Buffalo is as below,

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Artiodactyla
Family	Bovidae
Sub Family	Bovinae
Tribe	Bovini
Genus	Bubalus
Species	Bubalus arnee

Physical Structure

Wild Water Buffalo is a massive and powerful animal amongst other animals except Gaur. It has a wide, heavy, crescent-shaped and ribbed horn over a thin face and it is seen in both the sexes. The skin color varies from gray to black with long, coarse hair all over the body, tuft at the fore head and distinct whitish V-shaped marks at the lower neck. The tail is long and has bunch of hair at the bottom. They have a small ear and wide hooves which aid them to walk on muddy and marshy ground.


The species weigh around 800 to 1200 kg. Their body length is 2.4 to 3 m with the tail length varying from 0.6 to 1 m. Its shoulder height varies from 1.5 to 2 m. The horn is over 2 m long.

Wild water buffalo stays close to water and it wallows in muddy pools and water frequently during the

midday heat and at times submerges its body leaving their nostrils out. This kind of wallowing aids them to be free from skin parasites, pests and biting flies.

The group of females and its young ones with one adult bull are led by a dominant matriarch (old and powerful female in a family). Bachelor groups of 8 to 10 numbers can also be spotted. Sometimes the male invade a domesticated herd and kill them.

Distribution and Habitat

Wild water buffalo prefer habitat that has abundant water. The habitat may comprise of alluvial grasslands, swamps, riverine forest, marshes, riverine woodlands, wet grassland, muddy lands and river valleys with dense vegetation.

They are widely distributed in various parts of India and can be majorly found in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Other than India they are found in Nepal, Thailand, Bhutan, Brazil, Australia, Central America and Myanmar.

Places Found

Wild Water Buffaloes are spotted in various national parks and sanctuaries located in India. Some are as below,
• Manas wild life Sanctuary - Assam, India
• Laokhowa Sanctuary - Assam, India
• Kaziranga National Park - Assam, India
• Dibru Sanctuary - Assam, India
• Namdapha Sanctuary - Arunachal Pradesh, India

• D'Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary - Arunachal Pradesh, India
• Indravati National Park - Madhya Pradesh, India
• Udanti Sanctuary - Madhya Pradesh, India


• Buxa Tiger Reserve - Northern West Bengal, India
• Balpakram National Park – Meghalaya, India

Out of above national parks it is estimated that about 90% of wild water buffalo population is recorded at Kaziranga National Park.

Food Habits

They are herbivorous animals and primarily a grazer, feeding on large amount of grasses. In addition they also feed on herbs, shrubs, barks, fruits, crops like rice, sugarcane and jute. They graze in the morning and evening time. During the mid-day heat they prefer wallowing in river or muddy pool inorder to combat heat and avoid insect bites.

Mating Behaviour

Wild Water Buffalo are gregarious and do not have territories. The dominant male of the bachelor groups mate with the mature female mainly during the season of October and November.

They may also breed round the year. The gestation period lasts for about 300 to 330 days with the interbirth interval of one year. The female gives birth to one offspring and occasionally twins are feasible. The offspring weigh about 37.5 kilograms. The female nurses the offspring until nine months. The males attain maturity at the age of 2 years and the female at the age of 3 years. Their maximum lifetime is 25 years.

Population and Statistics

The population study has estimated the total world population of Wild Water Buffalo to be less than 4,000 numbers.

90% of the population is found in various states of India like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,

Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, West Bengal and Orissa. International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has classified Wild Water Buffalo as 'Endangered' species because of the various threats these species are encountering and the consistent decrease in population. Some research studies states that around 3,000 to 3,500 wild buffaloes survive in Assam and a meager population in other states of India.

Threats to Wild Water Buffaloes

The preeminent threat that Wild Water Buffalo encounter is the interbreeding of these wild species with the feral and domestic buffalo, which leads to the decline in the number of pure breeds of Wild Water Buffaloes and make us think whether these endangered species will exist or become extinct in the very near future. The other threats are hunting, diseases, food loss and habitat loss.

As the population increases, the grasslands are being converted to agricultural lands which consequently lead to loss in habitat and food. The wild species are being affected by the diseases and parasites transmitted by the domestic livestocks which eventually slash the population of Wild Water Buffalo. Their predators may include tiger, crocodiles and Asian black bear.

Conservation efforts in India

The urgent evaluation of wild population living with wild animals and those in animal husbandry has been initiated. This will include the genetic marking over the animal to differentiate the pure breed and the interbreed species. Bubalus arnee is included in International Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix III, and is legally protected in India and other countries.

Conservation scientists recommend using the feral buffaloes to inter breed instead of using the pure breeds such that the existing population can be retained and avoiding being extinct.

Mythology behind Water Buffalo

According to Hindu mythology, buffalo is the vehicle for the god of death named "Yama" or "Yaman"

• The interbreeding is done mainly to regularly graze the uncontrolled vegetation growth.
• These species turn nocturnal when there are human disturbances.


• The females are often referred as "Cow" and the males as "Bull"

The various other species interrelated to Wild Water Buffalo (Bubalus arnee) are

• Bos arni
• Bos bubalus
• Bubalis bubalis
• Bubalus arna
• Bubalus arna
• Bubalus bubalus

Wild water buffalo have the broadest horn span of any bovine. Large and crescent-shaped, these horns can measure more than 6.5 feet (2 meters) wide. Wild water buffalo are quite massive and can weigh up to 2,600 lbs (1200 kg).

Adult buffalo measure 7.9-9.8 feet (2.4-3 meters) in length and are 5-6.2 feet (1.5-1.9 meters) tall at the shoulder. They have sparse, coarse hair that is black or grey. Adults may have white chevron markings around the neck, white tail tips and fine white markings around the eyes. Young wild water buffalo will often have a lighter coloration that will get darker with age.