The buffalo has thick skin and extremely underdeveloped sweat glands. When it is hot, it needs to be soaked in water to dissipate heat. It is often soaked in water, so it is named buffalo.


They have short legs and large hoofs, which are suitable for farming; their labor force, milk production, and roughness tolerance are higher than those of cattle; the milk fat rate is about 8%, and the milk fat is white; the meat is thicker. Because of its high utilization value, it has a long history of domestication by humans.


Buffalo eat in the morning and evening, and the main food is grass, leaves, and aquatic plants. Except for the Sri Lanka subspecies, which often live alone or in pairs, others form small groups or even large groups of several hundred heads. They like to roll in the mud to dissipate heat and prevent insect bites.


The senses are sharp and the sense of smell is developed. Some people think that the sense of smell plays an important role in the domestication process. Thick skin, short and sparse coat. The sweat glands are underdeveloped, only about 1/6 of that of cattle, so the heat regulation function is poor. It likes water and often soaks and rolls in ponds to dissipate heat. The shape is sturdy, and the weight of large individuals can even reach 1 ton. Gentle and easy to manage.


Looking at the world, the number of buffalo breeding accounts for more than 90%, and India accounts for 57%, becoming the country with the largest number of buffalo in the world. Water buffalo is easy to raise, low cost, and has many uses for milk, labor, and meat. So what are some good buffalo breeds?


1. Mora Buffalo


Mora buffalo is the breed with the largest number of buffalo raised in India, accounting for 47% of the total number of buffalo in India. At the same time, it is also a world-renowned dairy buffalo breed, native to Yamana and Hiriana.


2. Nelly-Rafi Buffalo


Niri for short accounts for more than 70% of the buffalo population in Pakistan. It is native to the Niri and Rafi river basins in Punjab, Pakistan. It is a world-famous dairy buffalo breed.


3. Italian Buffalo


It is one of the river-type milk buffalo breeds, native to Italy


Buffalo and cattle are often confused, but in fact, there is a big difference between the two:


1. Differences between families and genus: Buffalo belongs to the genus Buffalo, while cattle belong to the genus Bovine. The fact that the two belong to the same family means that they have a certain genetic relationship, but since the two are different genera and species, there are still differences, and the two cannot be confused.


2. Appearance difference: Comparing buffalo and cattle in appearance, there are some differences between the two. For example, their colors are different. The color of buffalo is dark, some are completely black, and some are gray-black or brown.


While the color of cattle is yellow. For another example, the horns on their heads are also different. The horns of the buffalo are very thin and long, and the shape is relatively curved, but the horns of the cattle are relatively short and not curved.


3. Body shape difference: The body shape of buffalo and cattle is also different. Buffaloes are relatively large, and their body length is generally between 2.4-3 meters; cattle are relatively small, and their body length is generally between 1.5-2.5 meters.


4. Differences in swimming ability: Water buffaloes have "water" in their names because they can swim and move in water, but cattle don't like water.


5. Differences in the living environment: Because buffaloes have the ability to swim in the water, they sometimes live in water; but cattle generally live on land and generally do not move in the water.