Cape Buffalo
The Cape Buffalo is a large, hoofed mammal that lives on the African savanna. This plant-eater usually lives in large herds of up to a thousand animals. Some herds consist of only males, others consist only of females and their young.
Cape Buffalo
Related Category: Vertebrate Zoology
species of short-haired African ungulate, or hoofed mammal, Syncerus caffer.
Habitat: Cape buffalo prefer areas of open pasture, close to jungle and swampy ground where they can wallow. They are found in Ethiopia, Somalia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania.
The"red line"-fence erected in terms of veterinary legislation in 1964 divided the southern Cape buffalo population into two geographic sub-populations by prohibiting the translocation of both animals and their untreated products across the line.
Cape buffalos are extremely social and live in large, mixed herds of up to 2000 members! Both sexes have a separate hierarchy, with males dominant over females.
CAPE BUFFALO
Cape Buffalo are large, hoofed mammals that live in African savannas.
CARIBOU
Caribou live in Arctic regions.
Cape buffalo, by living in large herds and eating tall coarse grasses, play a vital role in the ecology of the grasslands.
Cape buffalo often stopped and stared malevolently when we drove near. We felt plenty safe in our vehicle, but were reminded repeatedly how easily and with apparent pleasure buffalo kill people who are on foot.
Buffalo,
Cape buffalo,
Forest buffalo,
Savanna buffalo
Watch video clips from past programmes (2 clips) ...
The African or Cape Buffalo
Buffalo are extremely large, ox-like animals. Standing approximately 65 inches at the shoulder, adult males have a mass of up to 1760 pounds and females weigh up to 1650 pounds.
SCI minimum scores
Cape Buffalo - 100"
Northwestern - 65"
Dwarf Forest - 40" ...
: This is the largest species of wild cattle, bigger than the Cape buffalo, water buffalo, and bison. A large male will stand over two metres at the shoulder and weigh up to 1000 kg or more. Males are about 25% bigger than females.
There are two extreme forms (savannah and forest types), which are commonly split into two or three subspecies: the large black savannah or Cape buffalo, Syncerus caffer caffer, the small reddish forest buffalo, S. c.
This behaviour is also used on other large dangerous prey such as warthogs, cape buffalo and giraffe calves and large antelope-even the 1 ton Giant Eland.
Both sexes posses horns which are very similar to the Cape Buffalo. The horns of the females are not as thick or as wide as those of the trophy males. Wildebeest can exist in almost any climate in Africa.
crocuta was observed eating a wide variety of items including wildebeest, zebra, Thompson's gazelle, Grant's gazelle, topi, kongoni, waterbuck, eland, Cape buffalo, impala, Warthog, hare, springhare, ostrich eggs, bat-eared fox, golden jackal, ...
The buffalo is also known as the African buffalo and the cape buffalo, as the buffalo is found in large herds across Africa but the buffalo is more prominent in South Africa.
Antelopes, gazelles, warthogs, smaller carnivores, and occasionally Cape buffalo, giraffe, and young elephants
GESTATION:
98-105 days; on average 2-4 cubs born ...
Diet (wild):
carnivore: antelopes, gazelles, warthogs, smaller carnivores, and occasionally Cape buffalo, giraffe, and young elephants
Diet (zoo):
carnivore diet ...
Mostly dry grasslands also cover southern Africa, home to cheetahs, Cape buffalo, black rhinos, and kori bustards also found in East Africa.
Some species, such as water deer of Southeast Asia, lead relatively solitary lives and only seek company during mating season. Other species, such as wildebeast, cape buffalo and American bison, form large heards.
For many centuries it has been domesticated as a draft animal and as a source of milk, but wild forms exist. The anoa or pygmy buffalo is the wild oxen of the Celebes . The fierce Cape buffalo is found in South Africa .
Nile crocodiles have been recorded as consuming everything from insects, amphibians and fish to land mammals as large as giraffe and cape buffalo. At the Zoo the Nile crocodiles consume two large rats or equivalent weight rabbit each week.
Cattle Egrets selectively forage around species that move at around 5-15 steps per minute, avoiding faster and slower moving herds; in Africa, Cattle Egrets selectively foraged behind Plains Zebras, Waterbuck, Blue Wildebeest and Cape Buffalo.
Some armed artiodactyls can and do use their horns as defenses against predators " the Cape buffalo is said to be more dangerous than a full-grown lion " but many rely on speed to outrun would-be predators, and on their keen senses of sight, ...
 See also: Buffalo, Bison, Elephant, Gazelle, Cattle
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