They have a wide head with curved horns and strong legs that are good for working in fields. They are usually friendly animals.
The wild buffalo are similar to the domestic ones, but they are larger and more aggressive. They have shaggy brown fur and longer, curved horns. Wild buffalo are often alone and can be dangerous.
Both types of buffalo are strong swimmers and can be found in marshy areas on the island. I do not think that I have seen a wild buffalo because I am scared of getting hurt, but I see many domesticated ones.
Whenever I see the water buffalo on the island, I don't know whether to be scared or not. The buffalos are everywhere, as there are more of them on the island than people. They often roam the dirt roads without any sort of leash or person watching over them, but I have seen one person herding a group of buffalo.
I often pass buffalo on the road during my daily walks to buy bread. They usually just stare at me and do not make any threatening movements, but I do not try to pet them. The buffalo even help with tasks like pulling trash and equipment through towns using buggies and carts. There is also one large buffalo kept in an open enclosure whenever you arrive off the ferry from Belém (the capital of Pará) to Soure.
Water buffalos on Marajó Island live in different places like wetlands, swamps and pastures that are close to water sources. They also live tethered to the front of people's houses, in the spaces between houses or on abandoned properties.
