game water-buffalos was originally spread over south and southeast-Asia as far as after China. One distinguishes 6 subtypes from the water-buffalo. The smallest water-buffalo is the Mindoro-Büffel living on the Philippines or Tamarau.
Physique The water-buffalo belongs to the biggest Paarhufern, however subtypes live very much smaller on Borneo and Mindoro. Therefore, the withers-height amounts to 115-180 cm, the weight 200-900 kg.
The water-buffalo with usually is a massive cow dark-gray, in Assam also brown fur. The races of Borneo and Mindoro has whiten low leg-halves. The horns are sickle-shaped bent in a level to the back. The tops point somewhat upward. A series of Querwülsten is on the flat horn-upper side. The buffalos hold the head low. With the cows, the horns are relatively narrow and long. The longest horns measure over 190 cm along the outside-edge. The claws have a wide step-surface and are spread far.
Habitat Water-buffalos love the water and therefore are in swamp-valleys, river valleys and moist jungles. they force their way also into flooded paddies. Tamaraus apparently retreated into mountain-forests.
Way of life Water-buffalos form herds of 10-100 animals, whose management an adult bull takes over. Old bulls isolate themselves from the herd. During the day, the buffalos lie in water or mud-holes usually for hours. When wallowing, they shovel mud with the horns highly and toss it over the back. Water-buffalos are defense-ready animals. they threaten with the front-feet through stamping. They should defend themselves against tigers as herd by trying to trample the big-cat.
Water-buffalos use the same wallows beside tank-rhinoceroses. Before people, they usually seize the escape. they stop after short run-route and look after the enemy. The Tamarau is told about that it attacks the invader from dense hedge out. Wild buffalos join a house-buffalo-herd without further and verpaaren itself with the cows.
Reproduction There is a solid combination-time only in the north of the spread-area. There, it falls into the autumn. A herd then dissolves, and ever a bull collects several cows about itself. The bull lets resound its roar at this time. The Tragzeit lasts 10 months. 1 or 2 calves, that can follow the mother soon, are placed in a throw.
Endangering The continuances of the wild water-buffalos only are small and possibly endanger.
House-buffalos, Kerabau This over wide parts spread house-buffalos Africa, Südostasiens and Southern Europe to lead back on the water-buffalo is, in fact on the subtype front-India-water-buffalos or Arni.
House-buffalos primarily are Zugtiere. On the basis of its strength and its preference for water, they are suitable particularly for the work in flooded paddies. The rice-cultivation of Südostasiens would be hardly possible without the Kerabau. The milk-profit of the house-buffalos is usually low. In Italy, however, it succeeded to achieve a considerable milk-performance with buffalos. Buffalo-milk has double one, for example, so high fat content like house-cow-milk.
One derives considerable economic benefits from the skin, the horns and the meat of the buffalos.
From the house-buffalo, a large number of breeding-races of very different shape and color exists. On the earth, there are over 70 million house-buffalos present.
Scientific name: