Sweet Buffalo Making Love

by Wildlife Adm July 07, 2023

Cape buffalo, (Syncerus caffer caffer), also called African buffalo, the largest and most formidable of Africa’s wild bovids (family Bovidae) and a familiar sight to visitors of African parks and reserves. The Cape buffalo is the only member of the buffalo and cattle tribe (Bovini) that occurs naturally in Africa. (The forest, or red, buffalo, S. caffer nanus, a much smaller and less familiar subspecies, inhabits forests and swamps of Central and West Africa.)

The Cape buffalo is not very tall—it stands only 130–150 cm (51–59 inches) tall and has relatively short legs—but it is massive, weighing 425–870 kg (935–1,910 pounds). Bulls are about 100 kg (220 pounds) heavier than cows, and their horns are thicker and usually wider, up to 100 cm (40 inches) across, with a broad shield (only fully developed at seven years) covering the forehead. The coat is thin and black, except in young calves, whose coats may be either black or brown.