Water buffalo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Domestic Asian Water buffalo |
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| Scientific classification | |
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Bovini
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Bubalus
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B. bubalis
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| Bubalus bubalis |
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Water buffaloes are large animals related to cows. There are two main types: wild Asian water buffaloes and domestic water buffaloes. Domestic buffaloes are raised by people in many parts of the world. You can find them in Asia, South America, and Southern Europe. They originally came from the wild Asian water buffalo. Sadly, the wild ones are now an endangered species, meaning they are at risk of disappearing forever.
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What Water Buffaloes Are Used For
People use domestic water buffaloes for many things. Their milk is very popular. It has more fat than cow's milk. This rich milk is used to make tasty foods like Mozzarella cheese and curd (a dairy product similar to yogurt).
Sometimes, groups of wild water buffaloes, called feral populations, help manage nature. They eat too much plant growth around wetlands. This keeps the water clear for birds and other wildlife.
Water Buffalo Life Cycle
Female water buffaloes usually have a baby, called a calf, every two years. Young male buffaloes, called bulls, stay with herds of mothers for about three years. These herds can have around 30 buffaloes. After three years, the young bulls leave to form their own small groups of males.
History with Humans
Humans have kept water buffaloes for more than 5,000 years. These animals have been very helpful. People use them for their meat, horns, and hides (skins). Their milk is also used to make butterfat.
Water buffaloes are also very strong. They help humans by plowing fields. They also transport people and crops from one place to another.
Where Wild Water Buffaloes Live
Wild water buffaloes are endangered. This means there are not many left in the world. They live only in a few special protected areas. These areas are in countries like India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Thailand.
Images for kids
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A water buffalo skull
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Water buffaloes in the water
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A water buffalo calf in India
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Murrah buffaloes at the Philippine Carabao Center
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A carabao buffalo in the Philippines
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A water buffalo in Cambodia
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Water buffaloes in Lake Kerkini
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A feral water buffalo in Australia
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A Murrah buffalo on a Brazilian farm
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Water buffaloes plowing rice fields in Java, Indonesia
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Dairy products of water buffalo milk
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A bihu dancer blowing a hornpipe
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The super Carabao buffaloes at the milking and breeding station
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Impression of a cylinder seal of the Akkadian Empire, with the label: "The Divine Sharkalisharri Prince of Akkad, Ibni-Sharrum the Scribe his servant". The long-horned water buffalo is thought to have come from the Indus Valley, and testifies to exchanges with Meluhha, the Indus Valley civilization. C. 2217–-2193 BC. Louvre Museum.
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Water Buffalo (Suigyū) painted by Katsushika Hokusai, c. 1875
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Filipinos and American soldiers observed a water buffalo fight in 1906.
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A carabao cart in the Philippines in 1899
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A water buffalo race at Vandar village, Udupi district, India
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Water buffalo racing at Babulang 2006
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See also
In Spanish: Búfalo de agua para niños
