Bison vs Buffalo - Difference and Comparison

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Similarities (5)

Differences (12)

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	Bison	Buffalo
Family:	Bovidae	Bovidae
Genus:	Bison	Bubalus (Water Buffalo)Syncerus (Cape Buffalo)
Structure:	Four footed, huge structure, large hump	Four footed, huge frame, no hump (Both Genus)
Fur:	Thick fur	Light fur (Both Genus)
Beard:	Thick beard	No (Both Genus)
Lifespan:	13-19 years	25-30 (Water Buffalo) 15-25 (Cape Buffalo)
Diet:	Grass	Grass (Both Genus)
Horns:	Sharp and small	Not sharp but long (Water)medium & sharp (Cape)
Habitat:	Can live in rugged conditions	Cannot live in rugged conditions. (Water) Can and mostly does live in rugged conditions (Cape)
Domesticated:	No	Yes (Water) No (Cape)
Used for:	Meat	Milk, cattle, meat (Water) Once hunted as trophies, but now meat for hunters and other animals (Cape)
Population:	250,000 to 300,000	150 Million (Water) 160,000 (Cape)
Native to:	North and South America	Asia (Water) Africa (Cape)
Kingdom:	Animalia	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla	Artiodactyla

Bison and Buffalo both are animals belonging to the family of Bovinae. The two differ largely on their physical structure. Their habitats and temperament also differ.

1 Physical characteristics
2 Habitat
3 Geographical distribution
4 Lifespan
5 Diet
6 Uses
7 Population
8 References

[edit] 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. Buffaloes 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 attacking animal when threatened, Buffalo, on the other hand is 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.

[edit] Habitat

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

[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 across the world now.

[edit] Lifespan

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 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 raised for their meat also.