SafekipediaAfrican buffalo
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large species of true buffalo that lives in Sub-Saharan Africa. You can find them in many places, from south-eastern Senegal through West and Central Africa all the way to South Africa. One of the most noticeable features of an African buffalo is its horns. The horns of an adult buffalo have bases that join together to form a hard shield on top of the head, called a "boss".
African buffaloes are more closely related to Asian buffalo than to other animals like American bison or domestic cattle. Because they can be unpredictable, African buffaloes have never been domesticated. Unlike the wild yak and wild water buffalo, which led to the domestic yak and water buffalo, the African buffalo remains only in the wild.
Big animals such as lions, African wild dogs, spotted hyenas, and Nile crocodiles sometimes hunt adult African buffaloes. In eastern and southern Africa, the Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer) is the largest subspecies and is well known as one of the Big Five game animals.
Description
The African buffalo is a very strong animal. It stands between 1.0 and 1.7 metres tall and measures from 1.7 to 3.4 metres from head to body. Its tail can be up to 110 centimetres long. Compared to other big animals like cattle, it has a long but sturdy body and short, thick legs. Male buffaloes weigh between 425 and 870 kilograms, while females are a bit lighter. A special feature of the African buffalo is its horns. In males, the bases of the horns fuse together to form a hard shield on the top of the head. The horns then spread out and curve upwards. In large males, the tips of the horns can be more than a metre apart. Females have smaller horns without this shield.
Subspecies
There are five recognized subspecies of African buffalo. The Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer) is the largest and lives in Southern and East Africa. The forest buffalo (S. c. nanus) is the smallest and is found in the forests of Central and West Africa. Other subspecies include the Sudan buffalo (S. c. brachyceros), the Nile buffalo (S. c. aequinoctialis), and the mountain buffalo (S. c. mathewsi), which lives in the Virunga Mountains in Central Africa.
| Image | Subspecies | Description | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syncerus caffer caffer (the Cape buffalo) | Nominate subspecies and the largest one, with large males weighing up to 870 kg (1,920 lb). The average weight of bulls from South Africa was 753 kg (1,660 lb). In Serengeti National Park, eight bulls averaged similarly 751 kg (1,656 lb). In one survey, mature bulls and cows from Kruger National Park averaged 590 kg (1,300 lb) and 513 kg (1,131 lb) respectively. In both Kenya and Botswana, the average adult weight of this race was estimated as 631 kg (1,391 lb). Buffaloes of this subspecies living in the south of the continent, notably tall in size and ferocity, are the so-called Cape buffalo. Color of this subspecies is the darkest, almost black. | Southern and East Africa. | |
| S. c. nanus (the forest buffalo, dwarf buffalo or Congo buffalo) | The smallest of the subspecies; the height at the withers is less than 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) and average weight is about 270 kg (600 lb), or about the size of a zebra, and two to three times lighter in mass than the nominate subspecies. The color is red, with darker patches on the head and shoulders, and in the ears, forming a brush. This subspecies is so different from the Cape buffalo that some researchers still consider it to be a separate species, S. nanus. Hybrids between the Cape and forest buffalo are not uncommon. | Forest areas of Central and West Africa. | |
| S. c. brachyceros (the Sudan buffalo or West African savanna buffalo) | Intermediate between the first two subspecies. Its dimensions are relatively small, especially compared to other buffalo found in Cameroon, which weigh half as much as the Cape subspecies (bulls weighing 600 kg (1,300 lb) are considered to be very large). Adults average in weight up to 400 kg (880 lb). | West Africa. | |
| S. c. aequinoctialis (the Nile buffalo) | It is similar to the Cape buffalo, but somewhat smaller, and its color is lighter. This subspecies is sometimes considered to be the same as the Western savanna buffalo. | Central Africa. | |
| S. c. mathewsi (the mountain buffalo or Virunga buffalo) | Not universally recognized by all authorities. | Mountainous areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. | |
Ecology
The African buffalo is a very successful grazer in Africa. It lives in savannas, swamps, floodplains, mopane grasslands, and the forests of Africa’s major mountains. These buffaloes like areas with thick plants like reeds and thickets but can also be found in open woodlands. They need water every day, so they depend on water sources that never dry up. Like plains zebras, buffaloes can eat tall, coarse grasses. When they eat, they use their tongues and wide rows of teeth to grab grass quickly. Buffaloes do not stay in the same spot for long if the grass gets too short.
African buffaloes have few natural enemies besides humans. They can defend themselves against lions, and sometimes even kill them. Lions often hunt buffaloes, and it usually takes several lions working together to bring one down. Buffaloes and white rhinos sometimes fight over space, but rhinos usually win these fights. Hippos and buffaloes usually stay away from each other.
Diseases
African buffaloes can get many diseases, including some that affect domestic cattle, such as bovine tuberculosis and foot-and-mouth disease. Some protectors and breeders have raised "disease-free" herds, which are very valuable. One well-known example is Lindsay Hunt’s work with animals from Kruger National Park in South Africa.
Social behavior
African buffaloes live in groups called herds. These herds are mostly females and their young, with some males nearby. The females decide where the herd goes by standing and sitting in the direction they want to move.
When danger comes, the herd stays close together to protect each other. They gather the young in the middle and work together to scare away threats. Males in the herd have a way to decide who is in charge, based on their age and size.
African buffaloes make many sounds to talk to each other. They use low calls to tell the herd to move, and special sounds to change direction. When they are angry, they make loud grunts. Cows make certain calls when looking for their young, and calves make high-pitched sounds when they are upset.
Males sometimes fight to show who is stronger, but these fights are usually short. During the dry season, the males leave the main herd and form their own groups. When it is time to have babies, the younger males join the herd again to mate with the females.
Relationship with humans
The African buffalo is important for hunters and tourists. This helps protect them through special programs. It is listed as "Near Threatened" by the IUCN, with about 400,000 left. In the past, many died from a sickness called rinderpest.
African buffaloes are part of the Big Five game. They are sometimes hunted for sport or meat. They can be dangerous and sometimes attack people, but this does not happen as often as with other animals like hippos or crocodiles.
The Cape buffalo has been used in breeding with Indian water buffalo to create a new type called the Jafarabadi buffalo.
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