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Concept
Carabao
Summary
Carabao (kalabáw; kábaw; nuang) is the Philippine English term for the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis).
In Malaysia, carabaos are expectedly known as kerbau in Malay and are the official animal of the state of Negeri Sembilan. Water buffalos were introduced to Guam from the Philippines in the 17th century. They have acquired great cultural significance to the Chamorro people and are considered the unofficial national animal of Guam.
The English word carabao is borrowed in the 19th century from the Castilian word carabao which also borrowed it in the 16th century as a common term from various Philippine languages such as the Tagalog term kalabáw and the Eastern Visayan term karabàw. These Philippine languages obtained the term from the Malay language which was commonly used by the ruling and merchant classes in Southeast Asia at the time and which has the term kerbau.
Other Filipino terms for the water buffalo are anwang and damulag. Water buffalos are more widely known as nuang in the Ilocano language in Northern Luzon.
Throughout Southeast Asia, similar terms for water buffalo with some reference to the Malay term kerbau include Cebuano kábaw, Minangkabau kabau, Indonesian kerbau, Javanese kebo.
The word's resemblance to caribou is coincidental, and they do not share a common etymology; as such it is an example of a false cognate. In Spanish, a new term caraballa was created to refer to female carabaos.
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 , and females . Height at withers of the male ranges from , and of the female from .
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.
Official source
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