African Buffalo with Red-billed buffalo weavers in Kruger National Park
The African buffalo or Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer), is a large African bovine.[2] It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, and its ancestry remains unclear. Syncerus caffer caffer, the Cape buffalo, is the typical subspecies, and the largest one, found in South and East Africa. S. c. nanus (forest buffalo) is the smallest subspecies, common in forest areas of Central and West Africa while S. c. brachyceros is in West Africa and S. c. aequinoctialis is in the savannas of Central Africa. The adult buffalo's horns are its characteristic feature; they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield referred to as a "boss". It is widely regarded as a very dangerous animal, as it gores and kills over 200 people every year. The African buffalo is not an ancestor of domestic cattle, and is only distantly related to other larger bovines. Owing to its unpredictable nature, which makes it highly dangerous to humans, the African buffalo has never been domesticated unlike its Asian counterpart, the water buffalo. Other than humans, African Cape buffaloes have few predators aside from lions and are capable of defending themselves. Being a member of the "big five" game family, the Cape buffalo is a sought-after trophy in hunting. The African buffalo is a very robust species. Its shoulder height can range from 1 to m ( to ft) and its head-and-body length can range from to m ( to ft). A characteristic feature of the horns of adult male African buffalo is fusion of their bases, forming a continuous bone shield referred to as a "boss". From the base, the horns diverge downwards, then smoothly curve upwards and outwards. In large bulls, the distance between the ends of the horns can reach upwards of one metre.
Size: 5184px × 3456px
Location: Kruger National Park, Limpopo Province, South Africa
Photo credit: © Hein Von Hörsten / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: africa, african, big, buffalo, bushveld, color, family, game, horizontal, horns, hunting, image, limpopo, outdoors, province, red-billed, south, weaver, weavers
