BUFFALO

BREEDS OF
INDIA
 BY - Dr. B. Kumar
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPT. OF ANIMAL GENETICS AND BREEDING
Bihar Veterinary College, Patna-14
BASU
1. MURRAH :
Breeding tract :
 Rohtak, Hisar and Jind of
Haryana, Nabha and Patiala of
districts of Punjab.
Physical characterization :
 Coat colour is jet black with white
markings on tail, sometimes face. Male
 Tail is long reaching upto
fettocks.
 Horns are short and tightly
curved, massive body and broad
lips
 Average milk yield per lactation is
2,000-2500 kg. The age at first
kidding is 45 to 50 months and
calving interval (CI) is 450 to 500
days.
2. BHADAWARI :
Home tract : Breeding area
 Bhadawari Teshil in Agra district
and Etawah district of U.P. and
Gwalior district of M.P.

Physical Characteristics :
 The body is usually light or copper
coloured, a peculiarity of the breed. Male
 The tail is long, thin and flexible with
black and white or pure white
reaching upto fettocks.
 The horn is sickle shaped.
 Average milk production is 1000 to
1200 kg.
 The bullock are reputed as good
draught animals with high beat
tolerance. Female
3. JAFFARABADI :
Breeding tract :
 Kutch and Jamnagarh districts
towards Jaffarabad of Gujarat.
Physical Characteristics :
 The head and neck are
massive. Forehead is very Male
prominent.
 The horns are heavy, inclined
to droop either side of the neck
and then turning up at points,
the peculiarity of the breed.
 Body colour is usually black.
 The average milk yield is 1000
to 1200 kg.
 The bullocks are heavy and Female
used for ploughing & carting.
4. SURTI :
Breeding tract :
 Kaira and Baroda districts of
Gujarat.
Physical Characteristics :
 Sickle shaped horns, moderately
long & flat.
 Back is straight and tail is long.
 Body colour is black or brown. Male
Having two white collars, one
round the jaw and the other at the
brisket.
 Milk yield ranges from 900 to
1300 kg. AFC 40 to 50 months,
CI 400 to 500 days.
 The peculiarity of this breed is the
presence of very high percentage
of fat in milk (8 to 12%).
Female
5. MEHSANA :
Breeding tract :
 Mehsana, Sabarkanta and
Banaskanta of Gujarat.
Supposed to be developed due
to CB between Surti x Murrah.
Physical Characteristics :
 Body colour is usually black Male
to gray, with white markings
often face, legs or tail-tips.
 The horns are less curved or
compared to Murrah and
longer.
 The average milk yield is 1200
to 1300 kg / lactation C.I.
Ranges from 450 to 550 days. Female
6. NAGPURI (Syn. Elitchpuri
or Barari) :
Breeding tract :
 Nagpur, Akola and Amrawati
districts of Maharashtra.
Physical Characteristics :
 Horns are long, flat and
curved, bending backwards on Male
either side of the back almost
to shoulders.
 Tail is comparatively short
reaching a little below house.
 Milk yield ranges from 700 to
1200 kg / lactation. The AFC is
45 to 50 months and inter
 The bullocks are good for
heavy trotting work. Female
7. NILI-RAVI :
Breeding tract :
 Ferozpur district of Punjab and
Sahiwal district of Pakistan.
Physical Characteristics :
 Head is bulging at top and
depressed between eyes.
 Peculiarity of the breed is wall eyes Male
 Horns are small and coiled tightly
like Murrah.
 Usually colour is black with white
markings on forehead, face, muzzle
and legs.
 Milk yield ranges from 1500 to
1850 kg / lactation.
 AFC is 45 to 50 months and CI 500
to 550 days. Female
8. TODA : It is named after an
ancient tribe, ‘Toda’ of South
India.
Breeding tract :
 Indigenous to Nilgiri hills of
Tamil Nadu.
Physical Characteristics : Male
 Long body, deep and broad
chest, short and strong legs.
 Head is heavy with horns set
wide apart, curving inward,
outward and forward. Thick hair
coat is found all over the body.
 Gregarious in nature & good
milk yielder (4.4 to 8 litters / Female
day).
9. PANDHARPURI :
Home tract :
 South East Maharashtra.
Physical Characteristics :
 Typical characteristics - very
long horn, curved backward,
upward and usually twisted
outwards, reached up to
Male
shoulder.
 Tail is short and just reaching
below hocks. Switch of the tail is
usually white while hooves are
block.
 Body colour varies from light
block to deep black.
 Animals are not good milk
yielder. Female
10. GODAVARI : Godavari breed is a result of crossing of native buffaloes with
Murrah bulls.
Home tract :
 Along the bank of Godavari and Krishna deltaic areas of Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh.
Physical Characteristics :
 The breed has attained uniformity and almost reached the production
level of Murrah.
 The colour is predominantly block
with a sparse coat of coarse brown
hair.
 The horns are short, flat, curved
slightly downward, backward and then
forward with loose ring at the tip.
 Tail is thin and extends below the
bocks with or without a white switch.
 Godavari buffaloes are reputed for
high fat with daily milk yield of 5 to 8
litres and lactation yield of 1200 to
1500 litres.
11. PARLAKHEMUNDI : It has 3 sub-types, viz. Monda,
Deshi and Jirangi.
Home tract :
 Monda and Jirangi are distributed in the plateau region
whereas Deshi is found in the plains of Ganjam and Koraput
districts of Orissa.
Physical Characteristics :
 The skin colour is light shade of slate-gray with a reddish blue
on the ventral surface of the body including udder and teats.
Albinism is exhibited by some Manda and Deshi, not seen in
Jirangi.
 The animals have light, long narrow face, with prominent
eyebrows, small tubular ears, long and thin neck, and long
eresentic horns with transverse grooves.
 Buffalo cows produce 4 to 6 kg of milk / day.
12. TARAI :
Home tract :
 Native to hilly area and distributed in the Tarai areas of
UP from Tanakpur to Ramnagar.

Physical Characteristics :
 Body colour varies from block to brown and sometimes
there is a white blaze on the forehead.

 The switch of the tail is white or mixed with black.

 Milk yield is very low and animals producing nearly 3 kg

Home tract :
 Orisa & Around Bilaspur district of
M.P.
 Physical Characteristics :
 The animals are large and powerful
with a long & narrow barrel. The
forehead is prominent.
 Body colour is usually black, but
Brown andare also found.
 ash-grey specimens
Male
 Average milk yield varies from 2270
milkers. to 2720 kg in 340 to 370 days
with a daily average of over 7 kg in
good
14. KALAHANDI :
Home tract :
 Eastern hilly part of Andhra Pradesh
and adjoining area Odhisa of dist of
Kalahandi And Raygda
Physical Characteristics :
 The coat colour is usually blckish /
ash gray
 Horn shape size: Horizontal going to
backward, upwards & inwards.
Cureved to make half circle apearance
50cm long. Muzzle Eyelidstail &
hoofs are black. Head Convex,
Udder round and medium
 . Due to high colour it tolerates sun
heat better than dark colour buffaloes. Female
 Milk yield is quiet satisfactory. 800 to
1000 Kg approx.
15. KUNDI : The word Kundi means fish-hook is Sindhi
language.

Home tract :
 Distributed in the forest tract along the river, Indus, in the rice
growing region of North Sindh and in Swampy and rice tracts
of Karachi and Karach districts of Pakistan.
Physical Characteristics :
 The animals are jet black (85%) although light brown are not
uncommon (15%).
 The horns are hook shaped, inclined backward & upward and
in a moderately tight curl..
 Kundi buffaloes are smaller than Nili-Ravi. Mammary glade
are capacious with prominent milk veins.
 16. Luit Buffalo (Swamp)
Home Tract: Distributed Mostly
in Upper Brahmaputra Valley of
Assam and found in some area of
Mizoram, Manipur & Nagaland
boudering of Assam.
body Medium size, compact and
strong built up. Forehead broad,
and conical face, wide muzzle. Eye
prominent, Horns are broad at
base, curve upward ,Tail short up
to hocks.
Milk yield ranges from 385 to
505 kg./Lact.
Male
Bullocks are excellent draft
animal for carting, ploughing in
muddy field for paddy caltivation
17. Gojri Buffalo: Gojro
Buffaloes are reared insemi-
migratory/postoral management
system by Gujjar community in
Pathankot
HomeTract:Pathankot,Gurdaspur,
Hoshiyarpur, Rupnagar, SAS
Nagar(Hohali) Dist. of Punjab and
Kangra & Chamba Dist. of
Himachal Pradesh

Physical Charecterstic: FEMALE