African Buffalo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 19th century drawing
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| Syncerus caffer (Sparrman, 1779) |
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S. c. caffer |
The African Buffalo or Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a bovid from the family of the Bovidae. It is up to 1.7 meters high, 2.8 meters long. On average, an adult male stands about 1.5 m high at the shoulder and weighs 600 - 750 kg, while a female is 10 - 15 cm shorter and weighs between 400 - 550 kg. Bulls at ten years of age or older can reach or exceed 900 kg.
The Cape Buffalo is not closely related to the slightly larger Asian Water Buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear. It is a very powerful creature, demanding respect from even a pride of lions when paths cross. Other than humans, they have few natural predators and are capable of defending themselves against (and sometimes killing) lions. Lions do kill and eat buffalo occasionally, but it typically takes multiple lions to bring down a single adult buffalo; fewer when it is injured or very old. The leopard and spotted hyena are a threat only to newborn calves. The African Buffalo has never been domesticated.
Known as one of the "big five" in Africa, the Cape Buffalo can be a volatile and formidable beast, goring, trampling and killing several people a year. It is reputedly the most dangerous game animal, with the possible exception of the hippopotamus. But scientists highly dismiss this notion, reasoning that the aggression of a buffalo is a retaliation towards hunters who try to hunt down a wounded animals.
Cape Buffalo occur from open savannah to thickly wooded country, and wallow when the opportunity presents itself. They are found in Ethiopia, Somalia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania.
The main herd consists of both sexes and all ages, though bachelor groups are also found. A male is recognizable by the thickness of his horns, and is called the "Boss." Bulls mature at eight years of age. Cows first calve at five years of age, after a gestation period of 11.5 months. Older bulls forced out of herds are commonly found in bachelor groups.
Although in the past the population of African buffalo was in the tens of millions, it now stands at about 900,000; mostly in the savannas of eastern Africa. Some of the reasons for this decline in numbers are hunting, both for food and for sport; the conversion of their habitat to farmland and cattle pasture; droughts; and the introduction of foreign pests and diseases, especially the cattle disease rinderpest. It is not considered to be in danger of extinction as long as it remains protected in parks and reserves, although habitat loss continues (Huffman 2006)(IUCN 2006).
[edit] References
- Antelope Specialist Group (1996). Syncerus caffer. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006.
- Huffman, B. 2006. The ultimate ungulate page. UltimateUngulate.com. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
- International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). 2006. Syncerus caffer,
- Nowak, R.M. and Paradiso, J.L. 1983. Walker's Mammals of the World. Baltimore, Maryland, USA: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0801825253
[edit] External links
[edit] Gallery
 Herd of African Buffalo |
 African Buffalo in Kenya at Sunset |
Categories: Bovines | Mammals of Africa | Fauna of Zambia | Fauna of West Africa | Fauna of East Africa | Fauna of Kenya | Fauna of Tanzania | Fauna of South Africa | Fauna of Sudan | Fauna of Ethiopia | Fauna of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | Fauna of the Republic of the Congo | Fauna of the Sahara | Fauna of Angola | Fauna of Botswana | Fauna of Namibia
