Physical Characteristics

The tamaraw is a small, stocky buffalo. Adults are grayish-black in color, with a darker line running along the spine and white markings on the insides of the forelegs. Lighter markings are also found above the eyes, where they form "eyebrows". Some tamaraw have white spots on their lower cheeks and/or a white crescent on the throat. Both males and females have a pair of relatively straight, backward-pointing horns which are extremely stout. Each horn is very wide and triangular at the base and remains very thick for most of the length - only towards the sharp tips do they become narrower and more rounded in cross section. The horns of males tend to be longer and thicker than those of females, growing up to 51 cm long.