The Life of Animals | Water Buffalo | "Habitat in Asia, cultus in Italy". Restricted by Thomas (1911a: 154) to Italy, Rome, but Linnaeus' (1758) comment indicates Asia Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, India (survives in Assam and Orissa), Nepal, northern Thailand, Vietnam, and possibly at least formerly in Laos; domesticated in North Africa, southern Europe, and even England, east to Indonesia and in eastern South America ; Supposedly feral Populations in Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Philippines and other parts of SE Asia; feral Populations resulting from introductions in New Britain and New Ireland (Bismarck Arch., Papua New Guinea), and Australia. There are many breeds of domestic water buffalo. Water buffalo have been domesticated for 5.000 years, and have Become Important economically animals. in Africa and other locations, water buffalo milk is used for yogurt, as in Vermont, USA. The chief dairy breed of buffalo is the Murrah breed. Water buffalo horns are used for the embouchure of musical instruments, Such as ney and kaval. Water buffalo hide provides a tough and useful leather, Often used for shoes and motorcycle helmets.
The water buffalo has promise as a major source of meat, even the milking ones. The water buffalo also is the classic work animal in Asia, an integral part of That continent's traditional village farming structure, and also used for hauling cotton, pumping water in Pakistan and hauling logs in Turkey. The classification of the water buffalo is uncertain. Some authorities list a single species, Bubalus bubalis, with three subspecies, the river buffalo (B. bubalis bubalis) of South Asia, the carabao or swamp buffalo (B. bubalis carabanesis) of the Philippines and Southeast Asia, and the arni, or wild water buffalo (B. bubalis arnee). In 2003, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature ruled in favor of keeping the wild-Water Buffaloes a separate taxon from river Buffaloes. The swamp buffalo has 48 chromosomes; the river buffalo has 50 chromosomes.
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