Bob Bailey, age 13, of Reno, Nev., for his question:

HOW LARGE DOES A WATER BUFFALO BECOME?

Several kinds of wild oxen can be called water buffaloes. One kind, the water buffalo of India, is between 5 feet and 6 1/2 feet tall at the shoulder. This large animal has horns that may spread 12 feet from tip to tip, measured along the curve. The three sided horns sweep out and back, almost forming a circle.

Wild Indian buffaloes graze in herds of about 50 animals.

Some water buffalo have been domesticated and are among the most useful of all farm animals. The Indian buffalo has long been used in the rice fields of Asia and makes rice farming possible on a large scale. This powerful animal can plow knee deep in mud.

The water buffalo has been imported to many other parts of the world including Egypt, Spain, Italy, Hungary, southern Soviet regions, southern Asia, the East Indies and the Philippines.

The water buffalo likes to wallow in mud or water a large part of the day. They are fierce when wild.