Bison vs Buffalo - Difference and Comparison

Table of Contents

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

Comparison chart

Differences — Similarities —

Bison versus Buffalo comparison chart

	Bison	Buffalo
Fur	Thick fur.	Light fur.
Diet	Grass and hay.	Grass.
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).
Kingdom	Animalia	Animalia
Horns	Sharp and small.	Not sharp but long (Water buffalo); medium & sharp (Cape buffalo).
Phylum	Chordata	Chordata
Native to	North and South America, Europe.	Asia (Water), Africa (Cape).
Beard	Thick beard.	No beard.
Shape	Four footed, huge structure, large hump.	Four footed, huge frame, no hump.
Class	Mammalia	Mammalia
Order	Artiodactyla	Artiodactyla
Population	2 million.	150 Million (Water); 160,000 (Cape).
Family	Bovidae	Bovidae
Domesticated	No.	Yes (Water); No (Cape).
Habitat	Plains. Rugged lands. Really cold places.	Cannot live in rugged conditions (Water). Can and mostly does live in rugged conditions (Cape).
Genus	Bison	Bubalus (Water Buffalo); Syncerus (Cape Buffalo)
Used for	Meat, clothing, shelter, weapons.	Milk, cattle, meat (Water) . Once hunted as trophies, but now meat for hunters and other animals (Cape).

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

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 on their back 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. While the African cape buffalo is also aggressive, Asian water buffaloes are peaceful animals, which is why they are domesticated.
Buffaloes grow up to 5 feet in size while Bison may grow to 6 feet.
Bison can run faster than Buffaloes.
Buffaloes can weigh between 800-1200 kg while Bison can weigh up to 1400 kg.

A buffalo

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.

Geographical distribution

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

Lifespan

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

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

Diet

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

Uses

Buffaloes, except for one or two species are domesticated, while Bisons 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.

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] Buffaloes are more numerous and their population is estimated to be around 150 million across the world.