Water Buffalo - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

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 the Indian Subcontinent, the carabao or swamp buffalo (B. bubalis carabanesis) of the Philippines and Southeast Asia, and the arni, or wild water buffalo (B. bubalis arnee). Others regard these as closely related, but separate, species. In 2003, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature ruled in favor of keeping wild water buffaloes a separate taxon from river buffaloes. They are now usually referred to as Bubalus arnee, though the former usage is still acceptable for authors who consider them conspecific.

The swamp buffalo has 48 chromosomes; the river buffalo has 50 chromosomes. The two types do not readily interbreed, but fertile offspring can occur. Buffalo-cattle hybrids have not been observed to occur, and the embryos of such hybrids do not reach maturity in laboratory experiments.