Philippine Tamaraw

The tamaraw is a land mammal endemic to the Philippines. Specifically, it can be found only in the forest and mountains of Mindoro Island. It resembles the carabao (Asiatic water buffalo) but it is smaller than the carabao. It can also be distinguished from the carabao by its horn which is "V" in shape; the carabao's horn is "C"-shaped. In addition, the tamaraw is known for its fierceness while the carabao is a domesticated animal, a beast of burden used by Filipino farmers when they till their rice paddies. The male tamaraw (bull) can be distinguished from the female tamaraw (cow) by its horn. The bull's horn is flattened while the cow's horn is more rounded.

Typically, the tamaraw is a solitary animal and lives by itself except during summer (April-May) and the beginning of the rainy season (June-July). This is the breeding season for the tamaraw, and the bulls and the cows come together to mate. The tamaraw lives in the forest and open grasslands. Dense forest offers the tamaraw an ideal place to live, a shelter where it can sleep, relax or hide. It likes to wallow in shallow water and mud, and it grazes on open grasslands.

Tamaraw Info

• Conservation Status - Critically endangered
• Scientific Name - Bubalus mindorensis
• Local Name - Tamaraw; tamarao
• Type of Animal - A hoofed animal belonging to the mammal class
• Weight - Approximately three hundred (300) kilograms
• Horn - Short, stout and V-shaped
• Skin Color - Dark brown to grayish black
• Range - Endemic to the island of Mindoro
• Habitat - Forests, open grasslands and marshy areas
• Population - Approximately 187 individuals as of year 2001
• Threat - Destruction of the forest
• Other Threat - Human encroachment and illegal hunting