How far back did the lineage leading to Bubalus split from Syncerus caffer?

Answer

Millions of years ago (deep evolutionary past)

The evolutionary separation between the lineage leading to the Asian water buffalo (*Bubalus*) and the African buffalo (*Syncerus caffer*) is ancient, occurring millions of years ago deep within the evolutionary past. This vast chronological gap explains why they are classified into separate genera, despite both residing within the Bovinae subfamily and sharing the tribe Bovini. Their superficial similarities in massive build and social behavior are considered examples of convergent evolution or parallel adaptation to their respective Asian and African environments, rather than recent common ancestry. This early divergence confirms they represent two distinct evolutionary experiments within the broader Bovinae group.

Related Questions

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