List of water buffalo breeds explained

This is a list of domestic water buffalo breeds and their uses.

Breeds

The domestic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is descended from the wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee), now designated an endangered species. Water buffaloes have been bred, predominantly in Asia, for thousands of years for use by humans. Their main domestic uses are as draught animals and for the production of milk and meat. Two types are recognized, the river-type and the swamp-type.Note: except where otherwise indicated, the reference for all entries is DAD-IS.

NamePictureAlternate nameOriginUseNotes, references
Al-Ahwar see marsh buffalo
Al Jamoose or Jimes see
Anatolian buffaloTurkish: Anadolu Mandası,
regional: Camız,
Camış,
Kömüş,
Dombay
Turkey: the Marmara and Black Sea regions, and South Turkey dairy, draught of -type[1]
Assam data-sort-value="India"NE India swamp-type
Australian swamp buffalo (swamp-type),
riverine buffalo (river-type),
Australiano (in Venezuela)
Australia's Northern Territory feral swamp-type buffaloes imported from the eastern Indonesian islands in the 1820s;
river-type buffaloes were imported in the 1990s
Azari Azeri,
Azerbaijan,
Iranian,
Caucasian
Azerbaijan, NW Iran buffalo;
Iranian Azari (=an ecotype of the) comprises 70% of the Iranian buffalo population
Azi Kheli data-sort-value="Pakistan"dairy light brown or albinoid milking buffalo
Badavan see
Baio Vermelho data-sort-value="Brazil: Marajó"dual-purpose (meat and dairy) swamp-type;
color labels separate the swamp-type from typically black (preto) South American river-type breeds;
considered a naturalized type or genetic group rather than a breed,
categorization similar to
Baladi
(= local or native)
Egypt dairy the Nile Delta's milking variety of the buffalo;
has longer curved horns, is black or gray in color;
varieties of the Baladi type are the and the buffalo
Balkan see
Bama kwye see
Bangladeshi Bangladesh dairy, draught native buffaloes of Bangladesh's floodplains;
includes both a black indigenous river-type (western and central areas) and a small gray indigenous swamp-type (eastern areas);
see also
Bangladeshi, albinoid of the central part of the country Bangladesh dairy a type of the,
farmed semi-intensively for milk
Bangladeshi, albinoid of the western part of the country Bangladesh draught the smallest (average height 126/121 cm) of the buffaloes
Bangladeshi, native buffaloes in the central part Bangladesh black indigenous river-type of the
Bangladeshi, native buffaloes in the eastern part Bangladesh smaller gray indigenous swamp-type with white stockings and sometimes white spots on each side of the face; crescent-shaped horns
Bangladeshi, native buffaloes in the southern part Bangladesh dairy larger than native water buffaloes of that area
Bangladeshi, native buffaloes in the western part Bangladesh black indigenous river-type of the
Banni data-sort-value="India: Kachchh"W India: the Kachchh (Kutch) region of Gujarat dairy developed by the semi-pastoralist Maldhari community
Beheri Egypt: Beheira Province dairy a variety of the buffalo of the type;
slate-gray or black in color
Belang see
Badavan,
Etawah
dairy, draught selectively improved river-type
Bhainsi see
Bhavanegri see
Binhu China a variety of the buffalo
Borneo buffalosee
Brazilian Kalabaw, Kalaban
Portuguese: bufalo de pantano (= swamp-type breeds)
Portuguese: preto (= typically black river-type breeds)
Brazil
  • swamp-type breeds descended from stock originating from French Indochina, including the black Philippine Carabao; initially imported in about 1890 to Marajó Island (most are still found there today); see
  • river-type breeds from India, Italy and Egypt were imported in the early to mid-20th century; there are three river-type breeds recognized:
    • the
    • the
    • the
Brazilian CarabaoKalaban Brazil meat and draught swamp-type has its own herdbook in Brazil, described as a naturalized genetic group rather than a breed;
there is a variety called the
Búfalo de PantanoCuba see § Australian buffalo
Búfalo de RioCuba see § Buffalypso
Trinidadian buffalo (sometimes called Trinidadian bison or hog cattle) Trinidad and Tobago specialized for meat and haulage derives from crosses between the swamp-type and river-type breeds (such as the, the, the, the,, and the);has a refined head, prominent eyes, small flat compact horns growing back, up and in, short in the leg, low compact body, meaty hindquarters, straight topline; typically Buffalypso are red or fawn, colors include black, brown, albinoid;
exported to 19 countries (the U.S. and several Latin American countries)
Bulgarian buffaloBulgaria meat, dairy, work a regional variety of the typical European, i.e. the ;
traditionally of strong, muscular working type, became triple-purpose animals;
the indigenous Bulgarian bison is now extinct
Bulgarian MurrahBulgarian: Българска мyрра, Bulgaria dairy derives from crosses of Mediterranean buffaloes with Indian Murrah (and Surti) buffaloes imported from 1962;is black, black/brown or dark gray, has large black eyes, coiled horns, a wide rump, long tail, voluminous belly, deep broad chest, a short wide back often slightly dipped, well-developed udder suited to machine milking;is now rare in its homeland; exported to Romania and South America
Burmese Burma (Myanmar);
locally: Bama Kwye and Pa Sauk Kwye
(kwye or kywe = buffalo)
Myanmar swamp-type;
varies locally in size, color and horn shape;
  • the larger is classified as a distinct "breed"
  • the Burmese wild buffalo is a feral gayal (or mithun)
Burmese wild buffalo Burmese: pyaung|script=Latn, Burmese: pyun
also referred to as:
  • the Burmese gaur (either Bos gaurus readai or Bos gaurus laosiensis)
  • the Burmese bison
Myanmar the wild buffaloes of Burma are a gaur subspecies (either Bos gaurus readai or B. g. laosiensis) that were reputedly domesticated animals (gayal or mithun) that became feral in swampy bush areas;
hunted and recaptured and kept by some farmers in hilly northern jungles for producing meat and good leather
Cambodia two varieties:
  • the krabei beng
    • the moi (or)
  • the krabei leu (or krabei sre)
the Philippines meat, dairy, draught swamp-type
CaucasianGeorgia, the Russian Federation meat, dairy
Chilika India river-type;
saline-tolerant, well-adapted to Orissa's vast brackish lagoon at the mouth of the Daya River
China many varieties:
the buffaloes, the (incl. the Jiangsu Round-Barrel), and the buffaloes, introduced to Hong Kong
De Vietnam
Dechang China
Dehong China a variety of the buffalo
Domaci bivoSerbia
Dongliu China a variety of the buffalo
Egyptian Egypt dairy, draught river-type;
can be loosely divided, both geographically and by type, into two types:
  • the long-horned local buffaloes of the Nile Delta: the milking, incl. the (slate-gray to black in color) and the (dark gray)
  • the short-horned buffaloes of Upper (southern) Egypt: the ; primarily a draught animal[2]
Enshi Mountainous China a variety of the buffalo
Fu'an China a variety of the buffalo
Fuling China a variety of the buffalo
Fuzhong China a variety of the buffalo
Gaddi Nepal
Georgian buffaloGeorgia, the Russian Federation
Ghab Syria
Gilani Mazandarani,
Shomali
Iran a minor northern ecotype of the, see
Godavari India
Greek buffaloGreece
Guizhou China
Guizhou White China
Haizi China
Iranian and Iraqi Iran and Iraq dairy mainly river-types
Iranian see the Iranian buffaloes by ecotype:
  • the Mazandarani, or Shomali (a minor northern ecotype, see )
  • the (70% of the Iranian buffalo population)
  • the or Khoozestani (an ecotype of the southern marshes)
Indonesian wild buffalo Indonesian water buffalo,
Indonesian swamp buffalo, Indonesian buffalo
Indonesia a feral water buffalo breed, introduced to Komodo and Flores
Iranian Azari ecotype see an ecotype of the
Iraqi = water buffalo
other:,
Iraq meat, dairy, ridden work animal Iraqi buffaloes are divided by habitat into "marsh" and "city", or into the marsh buffalo and the larger and milkier river-type of urban areas with considerable diversity in color
Italian: Bufala Mediterranea Italiana,
Italian Mediterranean,
Mediterranean Italian,
Italiano (in Venezuela)
Italy dairy of -type (riverine);
Italian Mediterranean buffaloes have been exported to Brazil and other parts of Latin America
India dairy
JaffrabadiGujarat dairy [3]
Jerangi India
Jianghan China a variety of the buffalo
Kalaban Brazil
Kalahandi India
Kalang Borneo buffalo (in English),
Kerbau Rawa (in Indonesian)
Indonesia: (Kalimantan)
Kebo Indonesia
Kerbau-Gunung Indonesia
Kerbau-Indonesia Indonesia
Kerbau Moa Indonesia
Kerbau-Murrah Indonesia
Kerbau-Sumatra-Barat Indonesia
Kerbau-Sumatra-Utara Indonesia
Kerbau-Sumbawa Indonesia
Khoozestani Khuzestani Iran an ecotype of the southern marshes
Kundi Kundhi,
Sindhi Murrah
dairy river-type;
some consider it a regional variety of the [4]
Lanka Sri Lanka
Lime Nepal
Mahish Bangladesh a variety of the, crossed with the indigenous swamp-type, river-type dominant
Malaysian kerbau Malaysia three varieties:
  • the kerbau
  • the kerbau
  • the [5]
Manda India
Mannar Sri Lanka
Marathwada India
Masri see
Mediterranean the Mediterranean region
India dairy
Mestizo the Philippines
Minufi Egypt: the southern and central parts of the Nile Delta dairy a variety of the buffalo of type;
dark gray in color
Monouli Egypt
Mountain buffalo moi Cambodia a variety of the krabei beng buffalo
Mountainous China a variety of the buffalo
Munding Indonesia
India, Pakistan dairy also found in Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Ecuador, Guatemala, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam
Myanmar swamp buffalo see
Berar, Durna-Thalia, Ellichpuri, Gaulani, Gauli, Marathwada, Varadi data-sort-value="India, Maharashtra"dairy, draught two varieties:
  • the Purnathadi
  • the
Nelore Argentina
Nepalese hill buffalo Nepal
Nepalese mountain buffalo Nepal
Ngo Vietnam
Nili data-sort-value="Pakistan, India"E Pakistan, N India see
Panch Kalyani data-sort-value="Pakistan, India"E Pakistan, N India dairy a combination of two fairly similar Pakistani water buffalo breeds, the Nili and the Ravi; formerly described as geographically isolated varieties of the
exported to Bangladesh, China, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Brazil and Venezuela[6]
Pa Sauk see
Pahadi see
Palitana see
Pampangan see
Panch Kalyani see
(in Mysore) India dairy see
Papua New Guinea buffalo Papua New Guinea
Parkote see
Parlakimedi see
Peddakimedi see
Philippine see
Plain buffalo Cambodia
Purnathadi see
Purvi see
Ravi Sandal Bar data-sort-value="Pakistan, India"E Pakistan, N India see
Rawa see
Romania meat, dairy, draught
Rosilho Brazil a variety of the
Thai water buffalo,
Thai swamp buffalo (in English),
Kwai Thai,
Karbue (in Thailand),
Thailand meat, dairy, draught swamp-type
Saidi Egypt
Sambalpur India
Sapi Tenusukerbau Sapi Tenusu Malaysia dairy a variety of the ;
river-type
Sawah kerbau Sawah; Malaysia a variety of the ;
swamp-type
Shanghai China a variety of the buffalo
Shan Kywe swamp-type of the elevated Shan Plateau in eastern-central Burma Myanmar larger, heavier and darker in color than other buffaloes; classified as a distinct "breed"
Shannan China a variety of the buffalo
Southeast Yunnan China a variety of the buffalo
South Kanara India
India, Sri Lanka dairy, draught
Taiwan buffaloTaiwan
Tamankaduwa Sri Lanka
Tamarao the Philippines
Tarai buffaloIndia, Nepal
Tedong Indonesia
Tipo Baio Brazil
Toda India
Toraya Indonesia meat, dairy, draught
Trâu Nội Vietnam
Trinitario Venezuela see
Wenzhou China a variety of the buffalo
Xiajiang China a variety of the buffalo
Xilin China a variety of the buffalo of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Xinfeng MountainousChina a variety of the buffalo
Xinglong China a variety of the buffalo
Xingyang China a variety of the buffalo
Yanjin China a variety of the buffalo
Yibin China a variety of the buffalo

See also

References

Sources

Notes and References

  1. http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/other/buffalo/anatolia/index.html Anatolian Buffalo
  2. http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/other/buffalo/egyptian/index.htm Egyptian
  3. Book: Milking management practices in Gir cows and Jaffrabadi buffaloes. Patbandha. Tapas. Pathak. Rupal. Marandi. S. Swain. Dilip. Ahlawat. AR. 2015-10-01. 9.
  4. http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/other/buffalo/kundi Kundi
  5. http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/other/buffalo/malaysian Malaysian
  6. http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/other/buffalo/nili NiliRavi