Water buffalo

Bubalus (scientific name: Bubalus) is a genus of animals under the family Bovidae, order Artiodactyla, class Mammalia. Water buffaloes have thick skin and poorly developed sweat glands, necessitating immersion in water to cool down, hence their name. They are robust in build, with sparse fur, mostly gray-black in color; they have large, flat horns that curve backward; broad hooves with solid texture, resistant to soaking, along with flexible knee and fetlock joints enabling them to walk freely in muddy conditions. Water buffaloes have relatively small ear pinnae, narrow and elongated heads and foreheads, forward-directed hair along the dorsal midline, and backs that slope downward posteriorly. There are four species in total, and only about 4,000 wild water buffaloes remain worldwide, facing severe genetic contamination from domesticated water buffaloes. The tamaraw is found exclusively on Mindoro Island in the Philippines, with only around 200 individuals left; both the lowland anoa and mountain anoa inhabit the Sulawesi archipelago of Indonesia and are also critically endangered. These three species are smaller in size and were formerly classified under the genus Anoa. However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has merged both genera into the genus Bubalus, noting that this classification remains controversial.