Can You Identify This Buffalo Species? When guests visit & see the buffalo on the reserve a common trend is mistaking them as water buffalo. These are African cape buffalo & yes; they are a difference species. One specific distinction of these species is what continent they call home; cape buffalo are from Africa, while water buffalo live across Asia. In Africa there is only one species of buffalo, but there are four subspecies: forest, West African savanna, Central African, & Southern savanna b