Last Updated on January 28, 2023 by Tabraiz
All buffaloes in India belong to the Bovidae family, which consists of other living species such as domesticated and wild cattle, goats, and Yak. Cape buffalo, American buffalo, and water buffalo are the three species of buffalo. However, buffalo online shopping app like MeraPashu 360 make it simple to get buffalo of any breed using your smartphone. So, here in this article, we will discuss the various breeds of buffaloes found in India.
Overview
Numerous races raise buffaloes in India under varied agro-climatic conditions, and Indian buffaloes are mostly of indigenous origin. In India, you can find buffaloes that live in rivers and swamps around the nation. However, they are more concentrated there, creating buffalo pockets in the Ganga and Brahmaputra river plains. In one of those buffalo pockets, known as the Kalahari buffalo pocket, this study was carried out to determine the types of buffaloes and the sources of breeding buffaloes.
Buffaloes in this area was divided into many categories based on their body type, coat color, and horn pattern. The original Brahammaputra’s riverbank had lush, natural green grasses that gave the region the appearance of a buffalo nook. The buffalo population in this area is primarily mixed and foreign, and there is no apparent breed to identify. When buffalo cows briefly relocated to the Bathan region of Sylhet, swamp germplasm was introduced.
Type-1, Type-2, and Type-3 buffaloes share morphological traits (coat color, horn pattern, and body look) with the Murrah group (Murrah and Nili- Ravi), Surti group, and native river-type buffaloes, respectively. The buffalo population in the Kalahari buffalo pocket has been identified and physically characterized for the first time in this work. However, a thorough genotypic analysis is needed to determine the origin or breeds present in this region.
Different Breeds of Buffalo in India
Water Buffalo
The water buffalo, scientifically referred to as Bubalus bubalis, is the most enormous and is the largest among the entire Bovidae family. The average weight of the water buffalo is between 680 to 1202 kg, and standing between 5.2 to 6.2 feet at the shoulder. The horn in males can span up to 4-8-5 feet. These buffaloes are found in wetlands and marshes in subtropical and tropical forests of Asia. The water buffalo are endangered and kept in protected places in Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand, and India.
Cape Buffaloes
The cape buffalo is scientifically known as ‘caffer.’ It is found in sub-Saharan Africa. The cape buffalo is also known as the African buffalo in some regions. The savannah type and the woodland type are considered to be two subspecies. The savannah kind has closed crescent horns and weighs between 450 and 900 kg. It is black or dark brown in color. The forest form is smaller than the savannah kind, has a reddish-brown coat, and has horns that bend upward and backward.
The American Buffalo
American buffaloes, commonly known as bison, typically stand 5 to 6 feet tall and weigh between 362 and 907 kg. They are grazers that mostly inhabit grasslands, plains, or river valleys; however, some can occasionally be found in woodlands. They used to be expected throughout North America, but overhunting and habitat destruction caused a sharp drop in their population, and by 1900 there were less than 1,000 left. Since then, careful regulation and breeding programs have increased their population to over 30,000, although they are still restricted to national parks and privately owned rangeland.
On What Continents Do Buffaloes Live?
The various species of buffalos are spread throughout the globe. Most people are still confused between the bison and buffaloes; it isn’t a buffalo but the relative breed of buffalo in Asia and Africa. The authentic breed of buffaloes is only found in three continents, while the bison is one found in two continents.
Africa
The African buffalo, sometimes known as the Cape buffalo, is a solid and dangerous animal that can exhibit unpredictable behavior when pursued or cornered. This buffalo has two subspecies: the smaller forest buffalo and the enormous savannah buffalo. They weigh roughly 1,500 pounds, have a height close to 5.5 feet at the shoulder, and have horns. Egyptian buffalo, a domesticated water buffalo raised for milk and used as a draught animal, is one of the domesticated buffalo found in Africa.
Asia
In wild and domesticated buffaloes, Asia has its most significant contribution. Asian Buffalo or Water weighs around 900kg and has a height of around 6 feet. These buffalos are generally fed with fresh grass, kachi ghani binola Khal, sugar cane tops, etc. These buffalo are available in Asia and the far East. This buffalo has been domesticated for 5,000 years. However, it is one of the endangered species in India. It has been believed that this buffalo is the ancestor of a wide variety of domesticated buffalo species, such as the Malaysian buffalo of Malaysia, Pandharpuri ad Murrah buffalo in India, Nili-Ravi and Kundi buffaloes of Pakistan, and Anatolian buffalo of Turkey.
Australia
Australia has one particular buffalo breed, brought there in the 1800s from the eastern Indonesian islands. Less than 250 feral buffalo remain in Australia due to an eradication operation. The term “feral buffaloes” refers to those buffaloes who were once domesticated as farm animals but escaped or were knowingly released into the wild, where they developed colonies. Australian buffalo are currently raised for their milk.
Conclusion
The world has been changing, and automation has become one of the crucial aspects of the world. Apart from electric, grocery, and outfit products, you can buy cattle online after checking their health status. MeraPashu 360 provides buffalo online shopping apps from where you can buy buffalo after getting complete information about the cattle.
