Asian Wild Water-Buffalo (Bubalus arnee)

[Ashutosh]

@Pckts, the Wild Water Buffalo was domesticated in two different separate events - one in Northwestern India by the Indus Valley Civilization around 5500 years ago and another by the Chinese civilization and also by Eastern Indian tribes in Indochina around 4000 years ago.

The ones domesticated by Indus Valley are called river buffaloes and the ones domesticated in Indochina is called a swamp buffalo. They are quite different animals to one another even though their ancestor is the same. There has been no significant interbreeding between the two (as far as I know).

The river buffalo was used by Indus Valley people as a source of income and was exported by sea to other civilizations of that time like Mesopotamia and Egypt around 2000 BC along with Zebu cattle, the domesticated version of Indian Aurochs (there is historical evidence of this). Later exported to Italy.

So, the South American water buffaloes are river buffaloes as they were brought over by Europeans. They have 50 chromosomes. The Assamese patrolmen are riding on Swamp Buffalo which have 48 chromosomes. Reply