Freshwater fish. Natural habitat - water bodies of North America. In 1971 it was brought to the territory of Russia in the fish hatchery Gorjachij Kljuch in the Krasnodar Krai. Afterwards it was spread in the waters of the Volga, the Don and the Kuban. It prefers bottom areas of large rivers with a slow flow, and old and quiet backwaters. Stays in shoals. It feeds on phytoplankton, mollusks, aquatic insects and their larvae. The body of the buffalo is covered with large scales and has a rolling shape. The back is colored light brown, the sides are dull, the fins are gray. The maximum size of an adult individual is up to 120 cm, weight is up to 45 kg.