Buffalo grazing on grass in a field in Vietnam.

With an average body size ranging from 1,000-2,600 pounds, Water buffalo are the third largest species in the Bovidae family (behind Gaur and American Bison). They have relatively dark skin and a dark black coat. Their horns grow straight out of the sides of their head and curve upwards and backwards.

In the wild, water buffalo spend much of their day cooling off in the muddy waters of Asia’s tropical forest. Because of their proclivity for this marshy terrain, water buffalo have wide, splayed hooves that enable them to move freely in the mud without sinking too deeply. If food is scarce, buffalo will even dive for plants growing on the beds of lakes and rivers!