Tamaraw

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A small, sturdy dark buffalo found only on the island of Mindoro in the Philippines. Its short horns rise in a V shape. Only a few hundred remain in the wild, so it is critically endangered.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Mammals
Lives in: Mindoro, Philippines
Diet: Plant eater (herbivore)
Weight: about 240 kg
Conservation status: Critically Endangered (IUCN CR)
Habitat: grasslands, forests

Quick answers

Where does the Tamaraw live?

It lives in grasslands, forests. On the globe you can find it near Mindoro, Philippines.

How big is the Tamaraw?

It grows to about 240 kg.

What does the Tamaraw eat?

Its diet: plant eater (herbivore).

Is the Tamaraw endangered?

It is listed as Critically Endangered (IUCN CR).

The tamaraw is a small, sturdy, dark buffalo that lives only on the island of Mindoro in the Philippines. It is the only buffalo found naturally in the Philippines, and the second-largest native land mammal in the country after the carabao. Its short, sharp horns rise in a V shape, and it stands about one metre tall and weighs around 240 kilograms.

The tamaraw once roamed all over Mindoro from the coast to high mountains, but hunting and loss of habitat pushed it into a few remote grassy areas. Only a few hundred are left, so it is listed as critically endangered. Fossils suggest it once lived on Luzon too.

Not a water buffalo

For a time scientists thought the tamaraw was a kind of water buffalo. Today it is recognised as its own species, Bubalus mindorensis. Compared with the carabao it is slightly hairier, has light markings on its face, has shorter horns and is not a herd animal. It usually lives alone or in small family groups.

Saving the tamaraw

The French zoologist Pierre Marie Heude first described it in 1888. Because the tamaraw lives only on Mindoro, losing its grassland home means losing the whole species. Conservation work on the island focuses on guarding the animals and protecting the open grasslands where they graze. Its Philippine fossils suggest that buffalo were once widespread in the islands. The tamaraw is a symbol of Mindoro and its survival depends on protecting its grasslands.

Fun facts

It lives only on the island of Mindoro and is the largest native land mammal of the Philippines.
It lives nowhere in the wild except Mindoro.
Its horns form a V shape.
It is the largest native land animal in the Philippines after the carabao.
Only a few hundred remain in the wild.