Oxen are some of the world’s strongest animal species, which is why they were used to perform many tasks and pull heavy wagons. But are bison and buffalo just as strong, or do they have other attributes that set them apart?
Overview
Oxen, bison, and buffalo are all Bovidae family members. This family includes animals with horns and cloven hooves, like cattle, antelope, sheep, goats, yaks, and the musk ox, which happens to be one of the world’s smelliest animals.
The three animals in question all belong to the subfamily Bovinae. Thus, you could say that they’re all very closely related.
Physical Appearance
Oxen: These large animals are mainly castrated adult male cattle. They’ve got hooves at the end of their short legs like the rest of the ungulates. They also have curved horns, and their thick brown or black coats are kept neat by the humans that own them.
Bison: They’ve got very – almost unnaturally – large heads with short and sharp curved horns. Bison also have distinctive thick and long beards, and they wear dark shaggy winter coats all year long. They’re sexually dimorphic, so bison bulls are larger than cows and they have a large hump on their shoulders.
Buffalo: Firstly, buffalo don’t have the humps or beards of bison or the privilege of hair treatments like oxen. They have smaller heads that are shaped more like the head of a cow and their horns are long and beautifully curved. Their coats are smoother, their legs more stout, and their front hooves are bigger than their rear hooves.
Size
Oxen: They can get very, very big and weigh between 1,500 and 3,000 lbs. Since there are many species, their average height and length varies greatly. Too greatly to estimate an average.
Bison: They’re much larger than oxen and even the cows can reach 1,100 lbs. and 5 feet at the shoulder. Mature bulls can reach a whopping 2,400 lbs. and 6.5 feet at the hump. On top of this, they can reach a length of 12.5 feet.
Buffalo: They stand as high as bison but they’re shorter in length. American- and African buffalo both weigh up to 1,800 lbs., while the water buffalo comes in with a jaw dropping weight of 2,650 lbs.
Behavior
Personality: The Cape buffalo is one of those no-nonsense grumpy animals. In fact, it’s one of the world’s most aggressive animals. The rest of the buffalo species are all fairly docile and trustworthy. Oxen are easily domesticated because of their calm personalities but they easily develop a temper if you push them too far. Bison on the other hand are very aggressive and they like to attack without reason or warning.
Sounds: Buffalo can grunt, growl, bellow, snort, and even quack. They’re also capable of changing their grunts according to the situation. For instance, they’ll give a calm grunt when calling their calf and a sharp grunt when giving a warning. Oxen make a mooing sound like cows (because technically they’re bulls), while bison can also make multiple sounds. They can rumble, bleat, and snort but they mainly communicate through body movements.
Socialization: Buffalo are sociable, and they form complex relationships. Oxen are mainly loyal to humans, and bison are social animals that live in large herds.
Habitat
Oxen: Since they do a lot of work for humans, they mostly live in sheds and stables built by our kind.
Bison: They used to live mostly in grasslands and savannas with plenty of space to roam. Today, they live in national parks. The American bison is native to the US, while the European bison is one of the animals unique to Europe.
Buffalo: They’re native to Asia and Africa where they live in a variety of habitats, from grasslands and savannas to forests and rainforests.
Diet
Oxen: They’re herbivorous animals, which means they only eat plant materials. Since they live with humans, their main diet consists of grass and grains.
Bison: They’re also herbivores but they prefer a diet of prairie grasses and sedges.
Buffalo: You guessed it! These ungulates are herbivores as well and they eat grass, leaves, and shrubs. Water buffalo eat a lot of aquatic plants and wetland grass..
Conservation Status
Oxen: They’re not endangered and their numbers vary greatly according to human needs. As long as there’s male cattle and work to be done, there will be oxen.
Bison: Have you heard of those animals that came back from the brink of extinction? The species that were nearly extinct and then surprised everyone when their numbers started climbing again? The American bison is one of them. European bison are also near threatened.
Buffalo: It’s safe to say that there are around 200 million water buffalo left in the world and more than 50% of them are living in India. Unfortunately, other buffalo, like the African buffalo, are near threatened.
Other Differences
Lifespan: Since oxen are so frequently overworked, they have a short life of up to 15 years. Wild bison live for 10-15 years, while captive bison can survive for up to 25. Wild water buffalo live for 25 years but domestic individuals can live for up to 40 years.
Gestation and reproduction: Oxen are castrated male bulls so gestation and reproduction isn’t applicable to them. Bison start reproducing at the age of 2 or 3 and they have a gestation period of 285 days. They mate from late June to September and usually give birth in April/May. The African buffalo mates from March to May and has a gestation period of 330 days. The forest buffalo can be pregnant for anything between 300 and 346 days.
Similarities
Domestication: Oxen, bison, and buffalo are all domesticated or it’s possible to domesticate them. It’s normal for oxen to be domesticated, but bison lose their wildness and start acting more like livestock. Buffalo have been domesticated for more than 7,000 years.
Meat: All 3 of the animal species have edible meat but whether you eat it or not depends on you and you alone. Oxen and buffalo have fatty meat, while bison meat is much leaner.
Strength: While their strength may vary, these animals are all very strong. Oxen are work animals that can pull very heavy wagons and perform all kinds of tough tasks. Bison are very muscular with very strong bone structures, and buffalo can be up to 4x stronger than oxen.
