Bison and Buffalo both belong from the Bovidae family but are completely different. But they do have many similarities too such as large size and horns.
Both the animals are further divided into four species like American Bison, Cape buffalo, European Bison and Water Buffalo.
Let’s take a closer look at Buffalo vs. Bison.
Buffalo vs. Bison
Three H’s: Home, Hump, and Horns will help to differentiate between these two animals.
- Home: Buffalos are originally found in South Asia and Africa and Bison are found in North America and Europe.
- Hump: Buffalos don’t have the hump, but Bison’s do have. Hump helps them to sweep away the drift of snow during the winter season.
- Horn: Buffalos have long horns and can also reach up to 6 feet/ 1.8 meters. Bison has comparatively short and sharp horns.
- Beard: An extra B to put into comparison is the beard. Bison’s have thick beards but buffalo don’t have any.
Types of Bison
- The European Bison: The European Bison has longer legs and has longer hair on the tail as compared to body hair. Horns of them are face forward.
- The American Bison: The American Bison is shorter than European Bison. They have thicker and longer body hair.
Types of Buffalo
- The Cape Buffalo: They are also known as African buffalo and can be recognized by their long and curved horns which almost make a loop. Cape Buffalo found in the forest are smaller compared to the one found in the savannah.
- The Water Buffalo: They are also known as Asian buffalo and mostly found in India with a smaller population in Thailand, Nepal, Cambodia, and Bhutan. They have short hair and long curved horns but do not make a loop as the Cape buffalo.
The major difference in both animals is physical differences. Buffalo has a bigger head as compared to bison. Buffalo has a soft, smooth coat while Bison has a hairy coat.
Bison has a life expectancy average of 13 to 21 years of age and Buffalo has a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years on average.