Bison vs Buffalo

The animal that most Americans call a buffalo is actually bison. Buffaloes are found in Africa and south Asia while bison roam in North and South America. This comparison examines differences between buffaloes and bison in terms of physical characteristics, habitats, life span and temperament.

Comparison chart

Improve this chart	Bison	Buffalo
Shape:	Four footed, huge structure, large hump	Four footed, huge frame, no hump
Horns:	Sharp and small	Not sharp but long (Water buffalo); medium & sharp (Cape buffalo)
Fur:	Thick fur	Light fur
Beard:	Thick beard	No
Weight:	700 to 2,200 lb	1200 kg (2640 lb) for wild water buffalo; 850 kg (1870 lb) for domestic water buffalo; 909 kg (2000 lb) for Cape buffalo
Lifespan:	13-21 years	25-30 (Water Buffalo); 15-25 (Cape Buffalo)
Diet:	Grass and hay	Grass
Habitat:	Plains. Rugged lands. Really cold places	Cannot live in rugged conditions. (Water). Can and mostly does live in rugged conditions (Cape)
Native to:	North and South America, Europe	Asia (Water), Africa (Cape)
Domesticated:	No	Yes (Water); No (Cape)
Used for:	Meat, clothing, shelter, weapons	Milk, cattle, meat (Water) . Once hunted as trophies, but now meat for hunters and other animals (Cape)
Population:	2 million	150 Million (Water); 160,000 (Cape)
Kingdom:	Animalia	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae	Bovidae
Genus:	Bison	Bubalus (Water Buffalo); Syncerus (Cape Buffalo)

The bison hunt display at the entrance to the Museum of Man and Nature.

1 Differences in Physical characteristics
2 Habitat
3 Geographical distribution
4 Lifespan
5 Diet
6 Uses
7 Population
8 Related Videos
9 See Also
10 References

edit Differences in Physical characteristics

Bison have a hairy fur coat on their body which grows thicker in the winters as a protection from the rugged environment they live in. Buffalo do not have thick fur.
Bison have very sharp horns which they use for their defense. A buffalo's horns aren't very sharp but are longer than a bison's.
Bison have a huge hump over the top of their front two legs which Buffaloes do not have.
Bison also have a thick beard that circles around their rib cage but Buffaloes do not have a thick beard.
A Bisons' temperament is associated with its rugged structure and it can be a very aggressive animal when threatened, Buffalo, on the other hand are a peaceful animal. This is also the reason why it is domesticated.
Buffaloes grow upto 5 feet in size while Bison may grow to 6 feet.
Bison can run faster than Buffaloes.
Buffaloes can weigh between 800-1200 kgs while Bison can weigh up to 1400 kgs.

A buffalo

edit Habitat

Buffalo are highly domesticated or raised for their meat, hence they have a very lazy and tame habitat. They are accustomed to living in mild temperatures. Bison, on the other hand, are not domesticated. Bison are accustomed to rugged conditions and can survive extreme conditions.

edit Geographical distribution

Bison are native to North and South America (but are also found in Asia and Africa now). Buffaloes are native to Asia and Africa (and found in other parts of the world now).

edit Lifespan

A bison cantering - set to motion using photos by Eadweard Muybridge

Bison live in rugged conditions and hence live till their teenage years while domesticated buffaloes are known to live for 25-30 years.

edit Diet

Both Buffalo and Bison have similar diet - they thrive on grass. Both these animals drink gallons of water every day.

edit Uses

Buffaloes, except for one or two species are domesticated, while Bison aren't domesticated. Buffalo milk is also used in Asia and Africa for consumption. Buffaloes are used as work animals extensively while bison are mostly wild in nature and aren't used for work. Both animals are also raised for their meat.

edit Population

The Bison population is estimated to be around 2 million. There are about 20,000 wild bison and 400,000 commercial bison (raised for meat) in the United States.^[1] Buffalo are more numerous and their population is estimated to be around 150 million across the world.

edit Related Videos

This is a great video about the life of bison at Yellowstone National Park:

And here is a video of wolves hunting American bison on snow in Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta, Canada.

edit See Also

edit References

Comments: Bison vs Buffalo

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Anonymous comments

Why is your classification hierarchy so confused. Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, ...
198.✗.✗.77 on 2013-04-05 10:48:30

I agree with the "Buffalo" name for the American animal of the bison scientific name. I have stories from 1910 in which my ancestors referred to these animals as buffalo while homesteading on the plains of North Dakota. What's the big deal, anyway? In MA we call the brown thing we carry lunch in a "paper bag", in FL it's a "paper sack". In MA we wear "slacks", in FL they ask "you wear WHAT"?? In MA, we "put the dishes away", in FL they say they "put the dishes up". Dialectical differences. Same idea. Why change ?
24.✗.✗.153 on 2012-07-16 21:58:04

I would like to see some comparison on the American Buffalo (ext) and any differences between them and the African and Asian varieties.
86.✗.✗.235 on 2011-02-04 23:02:26

I found this to be one of the more formidable arguments for distinguishing the difference between a Bison and a Buffalo. Many argue (and even get upset) that Bison are not Buffalo based solely on their Genus; however, if that were the case, then I could argue that a Cape Buffalo (Genus - Syncerus) and a Water Buffalo (Genus - Bubalus) are not buffalo either. The side-by-side comparison is great. I wish you had also included the African Cape Buffalo as well.
75.✗.✗.4 on 2009-06-25 16:14:08