Carabao

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For other uses, see Carabao (disambiguation).

Carabao

Carabao in the Philippines

Country of origin Philippines

Distribution Philippines, Guam, Malaysia, Indonesia

Type Swamp

Use Agriculture; draught; riding; hide; meat

Traits

Male:
Weight

420–500 kg

Female:

400–425 kg

Height Male:

127–137 cm
 Female:

124–129 cm

Coat light grey to slate-grey, albino

 Water buffalo

 Bubalus bubalis

The carabao (Spanish: Carabao; Tagalog: Kalabaw; Cebuano: Kabaw) is a domestic
swamp-type water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) native to the Philippines.[1] Carabaos were
introduced to Guam from the Spanish Philippines in the 17th century. They have
acquired great cultural significance to the Chamorro people and are considered the
unofficial national animal of Guam. [2] In Malaysia, carabaos (known as kerbau in Malay)
are the official animal of the state of Negeri Sembilan.[3]

Contents

 1Etymology
 2Characteristics
 3Husbandry
 4In the Philippines
o 4.1Carabao racing
 5In Guam
 6In Malaysia
 7See also
 8References

Etymology[edit]
The Spanish word carabao is derived from Visayan (likely Waray) karabàw.[4]
[5]
 Cognates include Cebuano kábaw,[6] Javanese kebo, Malay kerbau, and
Indonesian Dutch karbouw. The female is called (in Spanish) a caraballa.[7] The word's
resemblance to caribou is coincidental, and they do not share a common etymology - an
example of a false cognate.
Carabaos are also known in Tagalog as kalabáw (derived from Spanish). Before
the Spanish era, carabaos were more widely known as nowang among
the Ilocanos of Northern Luzon, and anowang and damulag among the ethnic groups
of southern and central Luzon;[5][8]

Characteristics[edit]
Caraballa and calf in the Philippines

Carabaos have the low, wide, and heavy build of draught animals. They vary in colour
from light grey to slate grey. The horns are sickle-shaped or curve backward toward the
neck. Chevrons are common. Albinoids are present in the proportion of about 3% of the
buffalo population. Mature male carabaos weigh 420–500 kg (930–1,100 lb), and
females 400–425 kg (882–937 lb). Height at withers of the male ranges from 127 to
137 cm (50 to 54 in), and of the female from 124 to 129 cm (49 to 51 in).
Water buffaloes imported to the Philippines from Cambodia in the early 20th century are
called "Cambodian carabaos". They have white or yellowish hair on a pinkish skin, but
the eyes, hooves, and mouth are dark, and the skin may be speckled. They are slightly
bigger and have larger horns. Males weigh on average 673 kg (1,484 lb) and measure
141 cm (56 in) at the withers.[7]

Husbandry[edit]

A carabao sled in the Philippines (c. 1913)

Water buffalo are well adapted to a hot and humid climate. Water availability is of high
importance in hot climates since they need wallows, rivers, or splashing water to reduce
the heat load and thermal stress.[9] Swamp buffaloes prefer to wallow in a mudhole that
they make with the horns. Their objective is to acquire a thick coating of mud. They
thrive on many aquatic plants and in time of flood will graze submerged, raising their
heads above the water and carrying quantities of edible plants. They eat reeds,
the giant reed, bulrush, sedges, the common water hyacinth, and rushes. Green fodders
are used widely for intensive milk production and for fattening. Many fodder crops are
conserved as hay, chaffed, or pulped. Trials in the Philippines showed that the carabao,
on poor-quality roughage, had a better feed conversion rate than cattle. [7]
The carabao cools itself by lying in a waterhole or mud during the heat of the day. Mud,
caked on to its body, also protects it from bothersome insects. The carabao feeds
mainly in the cool of the mornings and evenings. Its lifespan is 18 to 20 years. The
female carabao can deliver one calf each year.