Buffalo
The cape buffalo (Syncerus Caffer) is one of the most successful grazers in Africa. It is up to 1.7 meters high and 3.4 meters long and lives in swamps, floodplains as well as mopane grasslands and forests.
The herd size is highly variable and when feeding, the buffalo makes use of its tongue and wide incisor row to eat grass more quickly than most other African herbivores.
African buffalo have few predators and are capable of defending themselves against lions. When chased by predators a herd will stick close together and make it hard for the predators to pick off one member.
The basic herds consist of related females and their offspring, in an almost linear dominance hierarchy and they are surrounded by sub-herds of bachelor males, high-ranking males and females. The young males keep their distance from the dominant bull, who is recognizable by the thickness of his horns.
The herd size is highly variable and when feeding, the buffalo makes use of its tongue and wide incisor row to eat grass more quickly than most other African herbivores.
African buffalo have few predators and are capable of defending themselves against lions. When chased by predators a herd will stick close together and make it hard for the predators to pick off one member.
The basic herds consist of related females and their offspring, in an almost linear dominance hierarchy and they are surrounded by sub-herds of bachelor males, high-ranking males and females. The young males keep their distance from the dominant bull, who is recognizable by the thickness of his horns.
