Buffalo

Buffalo is a common name used for several large bovids, especially the African buffalo, water buffalo, and, in North American usage, the American bison.

Buffalo is a common name used for several large bovids, especially the African buffalo, water buffalo, and, in North American usage, the American bison. The term is also used more loosely in everyday speech for related wild cattle. In scientific contexts, its meaning varies by region and species group.

Meaning and usage

The word buffalo is used differently depending on context and region. In scientific and zoological usage, it can refer to specific bovids, while in North American everyday usage it commonly means the American bison. The term is also used as an umbrella term for several large bovids rather than a single species.

Taxonomy

Animals called buffalo belong to the family Bovidae and the subfamily Bovinae. Sources describe African buffalo, Asian or water buffalo, and American bison as the main animals associated with the name. Not all animals called buffalo are true buffalo.

Relationship to bison

Canadian and zoological sources note that there are no true buffalo native to North America, even though the American bison is widely called buffalo. In North America, the word often refers to the American bison. True buffalo include the African buffalo and the water buffalo. The two terms are often used interchangeably in cultural and popular contexts.

Diet and biology

Buffalo are ruminants with complex digestive systems adapted to breaking down grass and other low-quality plant material. This makes them well suited to grazing and other herbivorous feeding habits. All of these animals are even-toed ungulates and ruminants.