There are conflicting hypotheses concerning the origins of the European water buffalo: one, based on fossil bones found in the valleys of the Elbe and the Rhine, is that it descends from the extinct European wild species Bubalus murrensis; others believe that water buffalo were brought to Europe in Roman times, or in the sixth and seventh centuries by invading peoples such as the Pannonian Avars, or later, by crusaders returning from Mesopotamia.

[4]: 94  The numbers of buffalo reported by the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica in 2012[8] and 2013[9] were, by region: The largest numbers are reared in the provinces of Caserta and of Salerno in Campania, followed by those of Frosinone and of Latina, which although in Lazio fall within the area of production of the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana.

Sexual dimorphism is less marked in domestic buffalo than in cattle; cows stand about 138 centimetres (54 in), with weights in the range 300–450 kilograms (660–990 lb).

Buffalo also kept waterways and drainage channels clear of weed, swimming in the deeper parts and wading in the shallows.

[4]: 96  In the twenty-first century, management is invariably intensive: the dairy herd may be stabled or kept in an enclosure close to the milking parlour, and is fed a protein- and energy-rich diet.