The tamaraw is smaller than other buffalo, about one meter (3 feet) tall at the shoulder and weighing 200 to 300 kg (450 to 650 lbs).
African buffalo are found over much of Africa south of the Sahara Desert, in habitats ranging from open savanna (grassland with some trees) to thick forests.
Some of the problems are illegal hunting, loss of habitat, introduced diseases and parasites, and interbreeding with domesticated buffalo (IUCN 2006).
All buffalo belong to the subfamily Bovinae, along with domestic cattle, Bos taurus.
African buffalo tend to live in herds, although some older males live alone.
The water buffalo was first domesticated in Southeast Asia, at least 6,000 years ago; it is not sure exactly when since little archaeological evidence has been found.
Water buffalo leather is very thick and strong and is used to make, among other things, shoes and motorcycle helmets (Olson 2006).
The wild water buffalo, sometimes called the Arni, Bubalus bulbalis, is somewhat larger than the African buffalo.
Over the years, domestic water buffaloes spread around the world to areas to which they were suited, mainly lowlands in tropical and subtropical areas with wet climates, especially rice growing areas.
Some of the nations in which African buffalo are now found are Ethiopia, Somalia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania.
In 1992, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated the world water buffalo population at 148 million.
The wild water buffalo is native to the area of India and Southeast Asia, and has been domesticated.
Wild water buffalo prefer to live near freshwater and mostly live in marshland and along the banks of rivers.
Water buffalo form a bond with their human owners and can be herded even by children.
Newborn African buffalo are covered with thick reddish hair, which becomes sparser and darker with age so that mature animals are dark brown or black (Nowak 1983).
The nearest relatives of the anoa appear to be certain extinct buffalo, of which the remains are found in the Siwalik Hills of northern India.
The tamaraw,' Bubalus mindorensis (also tamarau, tamarao, or Mindoro Dwarf Buffalo) is native to the island of Mindoro in the Philippines.
Buffalo milk is richer than cow's milk and is traditionally used in Italy to make mozzarella cheese.
Swamp buffalo have straighter, more swept back horns than river buffalo, more like wild water buffalo, and they prefer to wallow in mud, while river buffalo prefer clear running water (as their names suggest).
The lowland anoa stands one meter (3 feet) tall at the shoulder, and is the smallest of all wild buffalo.
The horns of anoa are peculiar for their upright direction and comparative straightness, although they have the same triangular section as in other buffalo.
The tamaraw is smaller than other buffalo, about one meter (3 feet) tall at the shoulder and weighing 200 to 300 kg (450 to 650 lbs).
The domesticated water buffalo, a type of Asian buffalo, provides great value to humans, including pulling carts, pulling plows to prepare rice fields, and providing milk, meat, and leather, and fertilizer.
Wild water buffalo prefer to live near freshwater and mostly live in marshland and along the banks of rivers.