• The buffalo is a good swimmer, and its wide hooves help it move through marshy ground.
• The water buffalo spends hours lying in water or mud to cool itself and protect against parasites.

The Asian buffalo inhabits tropical dry forests with hot temperatures and a dry season, as well as flooded meadows where water frequently covers the ground and there is abundant grass; the species also lives in tropical savannas that are hot with uneven rainfall and plentiful grass and trees, and temperate steppes with abundant grass and few trees, where rainfall occurs. Asian water buffalo are found in landscapes including swamps and marshes, dry land, terrestrial meadows and steppes, and terrestrial grasslands. The climate varies across habitats, with little precipitation in winter and more in summer, or hot temperatures and little winter precipitation but summer rains; some areas have consistently hot and humid conditions with nearly daily rainfall, while others experience consistently hot weather with frequent rain but occasional dryness, and still other locations are perpetually wet with almost constant rainfall. The species’ elevation range extends up to 1.5 kilometers above sea level.