African+Buffalo-

The African buffalo or Cape buffalo lives in swamps, floodplains, grasslands and forests of the major mountains of Africa. They require water daily and feed off of tall grasses. The African buffalo has little predators, but in some regions, is a lion’s primary prey. However, African buffaloes are capable of killing and/or defending themselves against a lion. It would take several lions to kill a buffalo. Herd size varies. African buffaloes generally only mate and reproduce during rainy seasons. The African buffalo is known as one of the “big five” in South Africa.

Male buffaloes are typically larger than females; weighing around 1,100 to 2,000 lb. Males have blackish brown coats, whereas female’s coats are reddish brown. The horns of African buffaloes have fused bases, which forms a bone shield that sometimes cannot even be broken or penetrated by a bullet. This bone shield, also known as a “boss”, is not formed until around the age of 5 or 6.

The population of African buffaloes is estimated at around 900,000. They are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. They are susceptible to many diseases such as bovine tuberculosis, corridor disease, and foot and mouth disease. Some of these diseases are cause to some population loss over time.