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756 Featured Specimen
African buffalo

Details

African buffalo

Syncerus caffer

Size
1.7–3.4 m · 300–900 kg
Diet
Herbivore
Activity
Cathemeral
Sociality
Herd
Lifespan

A large bovid of sub-Saharan Africa, known for heavy horns and powerful herd defense. It lives in grasslands, savannas, and wooded edges.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
AfrotropicalAfrotropicalAfrotropicalAfrotropical

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

African buffalo use moist savanna, grassland, open woodland, and riparian grazing areas. Herds depend on access to water and productive grasses.

Appearance

They have a massive dark body and broad horns that curve outward and downward. In mature bulls, the horn bases form a heavy boss.

Behavior

Females and young form large herds, with bulls joining or moving between groups. Herd members may mob predators and defend calves together.

Feeding

They are grazers that feed mainly on grasses. Seasonal rainfall shifts the herd between fresh growth and coarser dry-season forage near water.

Reproduction

Females usually bear a single calf within the herd. Calves follow their mothers soon after birth and benefit from group vigilance.

Notes

The species can resist large predators, but local populations are affected by disease, hunting pressure, and conversion of grazing habitat.