ANOA
Anoa, also known as dwarf buffalo and sapiutan, are two species of the genus Bubalus(buffaloes) in the subgenus Anoa that are endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia: 1) the mountain anoa (Bubalus quarlesi) and 2) the lowland anoa (Bubalus depressicornis). Both live in undisturbed rainforests and look like miniature water buffaloes, except their horns are different, and weigh 150 to 300 kilograms (330–660 pounds). [Source: Wikipedia]
Anoa are most closely related to the larger Asian buffaloes. They have the same reversal of the direction of the hair on their backs. The horns of anoa are peculiar for their upright direction and comparative straightness, although they have the same triangular section as in other buffaloes. White spots are sometimes present below the eyes and there may be white markings on the legs and back; the absence or presence of these white markings may be indicative of distinct races. The horns of the cows are very small. The nearest allies of the anoa appear to be certain extinct Asian buffaloes, the remains of which have been found in the Siwalik Hills of northern India. Imagery of anoas may be present in the oldest rock art known as of 2024.
Both species of anoa are found on the island of Sulawesi and the nearby island of Buton in Indonesia. They live singly or in pairs, rather than in herds like most cattle, except when the cows are about to give birth. Little is known about their lifespan in the wild. Captive individual have a life expectancy of 20–30 years.
Skulls of lowland and mountain anoa cannot be accurately distinguished. There has likely been hybridizing and interbreeding between the two in zoo population and maybe in the wild too. Some question whether there should be two species due to them occurring together in many different areas, as well as some interbreeding. A study of the mtDNA of ten specimens from different localities found a high mitochondrial genetic diversity between individuals identified as one or the other species, indicating support for recognition as two species.
See Separate Article: WILD CATTLE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA factsanddetails.com
Endangered Anoas
Both species of anoa have been classified as endangered since the 1960s and the populations continue to decrease. Fewer than 5,000 animals of each species likely remain. Reasons for their decline include poaching for hides, horns, and meat by the local peoples and loss of habitat due to the advancement of settlement. Currently, poaching is the most serious factor in most areas. [Source: Wikipedia]
Anoas are hunted because of their desirable meat which is still sold in local markets. In addition, the skull and the horns are made into trophies or souvenirs. The horns have traditional value for medicinal purposes. Despite the fact that anoas are protected, local people still pursue illegal hunting not only in unprotected forests but also in conservation areas. Local hunters generally use snares, spears or dogs to kill anoas. [Source: David Miller, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]
On the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List lowland anoa and mountain anoa are listed as Endangered. On the US Federal List they are classified as Endangered. In CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild) they are in Appendix I, which lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants. Captive breeding for lowland anoas is being carried out by St. Louis Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Fort Worth Zoo and Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. As of 1995, 110 Lowland anoas were in captivity. /=\
Lowland Anoas
Lowland anoas (Bubalus depressicornis) are found exclusively in the northern part of Sulawesi, and Indonesian island also known as Celebes. They prefer undisturbed lowland forested areas and swamps with shaded areas to escape from daytime temperatures. [Source: David Miller, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]
Lowland anoas have been documented to live as long as 31 years in captivity. However, the maximum lifespan in the wild is around 20 years. Adult lowland anoas do not have any predators (except humans). However, infant anoas are preyed upon by pythons and civets. Several lowland anoa fatalities have occured in zoos as a result of attempts to keep these solitary animals in pairs or groups; typically the larger animals disembowelled their counterparts with their horns.
Lowland anoa were widely distributed throughout northern Sulawesi in 1900 but now their populations are more fragmented due to pressures hunting and the expansion of human settlement and accompanying logging activities and clearing of forested areas and draining of marshland for agriculture. The current lowland anoa population is estimated to be approximately 5000 animals. Wild lowland anoas can be very aggressive toward humans, especially young male anoas an female anoas with offspring. Several accounts of this species of anoa attacking humans with its sharp horns have been recorded.
Lowland Anoa Characteristics and Diet
Lowland anoa range in weight from 90 to 225 kilograms (198 to 496 pounds). Their average head and bidy length is 180 centimeters (70.87 inches). On average adults stand 86 centimeters (34 inches) at the shoulder and have a tail that is 40 centimeters (16 inches) long. [Source: David Miller, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]
Lowland anoas have a stocky body and hindquarters that are slightly higher than the shoulders Juveniles are covered with thick, wooly, yellowish brown hair. Adults have thick, black skin, and are only sparsely covered with brown to blackish hair. They also have white or yellowish-white hair on their forelegs, and sometimes on their throat and nape.
The horns of an adult are triangular in section, flattened and wrinkled and horns begin at the forehead and point diagonally backwards. The horns of males average 30 centimeters in length; those of females average 25 centimeters in length. Anoas are very efficient at crashing through forest undergrowth, with the horns being held close to the back in order to avoid being tangled. /=\
Lowland anoas are primarily herbivores (eat plants or plants parts) but are also recognized as folivores (eat leaves) and frugivores (eat fruit). Among the plant foods they eat are aquatic plants, ferns, grasses, saplings, fallen fruit, palm, and ginger. Interestingly, they have been recorded drinking sea water which is thought to fulfill their mineral needs in areas that do not have salt licks or mineral spring water. Captive anoas are fed a diet of hay and herbivorous pellets.
Lowland Anoa Behavior and Reproduction
Lowland anoa are motile (move around as opposed to being stationary), solitary, territorial (defend an area within the home range), and social (associates with others of its species; forms social groups). They sense using touch and chemicals usually detected with smell. /=\
According to Animal Diversity Web: Unlike all other wild cattle, lowland anoas are usually solitary. Mother and daughter pairs are common, and a few reports of small herds consisting of up to five individuals have been recorded. There is evidence that anoas are territorial as males have been seen marking trees with their horns and scratching the soil after urinating. Lowland anoas are most active in the morning and afternoon, and frequently wallow in mud and water. Anoas typically move at the pace of a slow trot with an occasional clumsy leap. /=\
Lowland anoas are not known to have a breeding season. Females often reproduce annually. The gestation period ranges from 9.17 to 10.5 months and the number of offspring is typically one. Parental care is provided by females. They usually go off alone during calving. The age in which they are weaned ranges from six to nine months. On average females and males reach sexual or reproductive maturity at two years.
Mountain Anoa
Mountain anoa (Bubalus quarlesi) favor undisturbed montane forest regions in the mountainous areas of Sulawesi typically at elevation from 500 to 1000 meters (1640 to 3281 feet). Mountain anoa are also thought to occupy the nearby island of Buton. Their lifespan is 20 to 25 years. Not a lot of information is available on mountain anoas; lowland anoas have been studied more in depth. [Source: Amy Schilz, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]
The population of mountain anoa is estimated to between 3000 and 5000 animals. It is unknown exactly how many mountain anoa remain in the wild, due to the challenges of seeing them in dense forests and distinguishing them from lowland anoa. The population has been in decline since the early 1900s, due to habitat loss, hunting, and shooting by the military. It is not clear why military shoots these animals. One hypothesis is that mountain anoas are a threat when the military is in the forest. Lowland anoas have been known to cause injury and death to zookeepers.
Mountain anoa are listed on Appendix I of CITES and listed as Endangered by IUCN. They do not adapt well to humans. As Sulawesi has becomes more populated, mountain anoa populations have declined. The only animals known to prey upon mountain anoas are humans. is Homo sapiens, Local people have hunted mountain anoas for their hides, meat, and horns.
Mountain Anoa Characteristics and Diet
Mountain anoa generally weigh less than 150 kilograms (330 pounds) but can weigh as much as 300 kilograms (661 pounds). The have a head and body length of 1.22 to 1.53 meters (four to five feet) and stand no more that 75 centimeters (2.5 feet) at the shoulder. Their tail is 27 centimeters (10.6 inches) long. Both males and females have relatively short horns that are flat in the front, but become triangular from the mid-section to the ends. The horns are between 15 and 20 centimeters (six and eight inches) long. Sexual Dimorphism (differences between males and females) is present: Males are larger than females. Ornamentation is different. /=\
Mountain anoas have a woolly coat that is a dark brown or black in color, but changes between February and April after they molt. Males are usually darker in color than females. After molting, the woolly underfur of the animal is shed, and light spots appear on the head, neck, and limbs. The head develops white spots on each side of the cheek, while the front side of the neck develops a crescent shaped light spot. Light spots also develop right above the hooves. The fur on the neck becomes shorter, while long hairs remain on the body.
Mountain anoas are very similar in appearance to lowland anoa and inhabit a similar range. Dome scientists believe that all anoas should be categorized as one species. Key differences of the mountain anoa include a thick woolly coat in adults, faint (or absent) white markings, and round horns (not triangular in cross-section). [Source: ultimateungulate.com]
Mountain anoa are primarily herbivores. They feed on plants that grow in undisturbed forests. There is little information on exactly what they eat; their habitat is full of palms, ferns, ginger, grasses, and fruit.
Mountain Anoa Behavior
Mountain anoas are terricolous (live on the ground), diurnal (active during the daytime), motile (move around as opposed to being stationary), solitary and social. They sense using vision, touch, sound and chemicals usually detected with smell. Their home range has not been reported. / Mountain anoa live in the moutainous areas of Sulawesi, and are thought to associate in pairs. At times, they will form herds, but only when a cow is about to give birth. Mountain anoa prefer undisturbed forests, and do not adapt well to human disturbance.
According to Animal Diversity Web: Because the species is diurnal, these animals probably have well developed vision. It is likely that they communicate in some ways with visual signals. Tactile communication is probably important, especially between mates and between a mother and her young. Scent cues are not unknown among bovids, and so there may be information transferred about individual identity through smell. These animals probably also make some vocalizations, although they have not been reported. /=\
Mountain anoa are most active during the morning, retreating to sheltered areas during the midday hours. They may seek shelter under large fallen trees, under overhanging rocks, and in spaces beneath tree roots. Mud wallows and pools are used for bathing. The short horns are used in both displays (thrashing at bushes or digging up soil) and in physical altercations: a bump using the front surfaces of the horns is used to show dominance, while in fights sharp upward stabs are used in an attempt to wound the opponent's belly or sides. When excited, mountain anoa vocalize with a short "moo". [Source: ultimateungulate.com]
Mountain Anoa Reproduction
Mountain anoa appear to associate in male-female pairs, though, and so are probably monogamous. Mountain anoa breed one time per year and are not seasonal breeders. The number of offspring is usually one. The gestation period ranges from 9.17 to 10.5 months. Baby mountain anoa are born with a very woolly coat that is usually a golden brown color and t gradually grows darker as the anoa grows up.The age in which they are weaned ranges from six to nine months. On average males and females reach sexual or reproductive maturity at two years.
Mountain anoa form herds when a female is about to give birth. Most bovids are precocial, able to walk around after their mother shortly after birth, and the mountain anoa ia probably not an exception. As is the case for all mammals, the female provides her young with milk. She is also grooms and protects her young. Females in a similar species, lowland anoa, wean their offspring anywhere between six and nine months. Parental involvement by males has not been reported. /=\
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.
Last updated January 2025