Buffalo

Quick Take

• The African buffalo has earned a grim nickname from hunters, and the reason behind it reveals just how dangerous this animal really is. See its dangerous temperament →
• Buffalo herds make group decisions through a bizarre behavior that looks nothing like what you'd expect from cattle. Explore herd democracy →
• Unlike its look-alikes around the world, the African buffalo has never once been tamed, and there is a specific reason why this is the case. Why it was never domesticated →
• Its conservation status quietly shifted, and the threat driving that change isn't the predator you'd expect. See the conservation shift →

What this lumbering African bovine lacks in style, it makes up for in substance. Not to be confused with the American bison, the African Buffalo can adapt to a wide variety of habitats, runs up to 35 miles per hour, and literally cannot be tamed. Over their roughly two-decade lifespan, they hang around in herds that “vote,” while grazing on lands that are increasingly threatened by human development. 

The African buffalo is the largest bovine species in Africa. Except for their characteristic horns, they look like regular cattle. But these animals are not docile like most cattle — they are one of the most dangerous animals you can encounter in the wild, and they are responsible for as many as 200 human deaths per year.

Top Buffalo Facts

• No gentle giant: The buffalo’s ornery nature and roughly 35-mile-per-hour top speed lead to numerous injuries and deaths yearly, earning it the nickname “black death.”
• Who’s the boss? The base of the male buffalo’s unique, curving horns grows to meet at the top of its head, forming a kind of helmet called a “boss.”
• Herd mentality: Buffalo herds use a kind of “vote” to decide which direction to move next!
• Distant family: All members of the family Bovidae, “buffaloes,” are only from Africa and should not be confused with the American Bison or water “buffaloes”.

Evolution

Scientific research shows that two main lineages of African buffalo existed 100,000 years ago — the Cape Buffalo and the African forest buffalo. Evidence also shows that West African and Central African subspecies evolved 10,000 years ago. African buffalo have a smaller ancestor they evolved from that migrated into Africa between 5 and 6 million years ago.

Classification and Scientific Name

The scientific name for the African Buffalo is Syncerus caffer. ‘Syncerus’ is Greek, meaning ‘together horn,’ a reference to the large horn bases on the male buffalo that appear joined on the top of the head. ‘caffer’ comes from the New Latin ‘cafer,’ a reference to Caffraria (or Kaffraria), a region in southeastern Africa.

There are four subspecies of African buffalo listed below:

• African Forest Buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus): Located in forests of Central and West Africa; smallest subspecies of African buffalo; also called dwarf buffalo or the Congo buffalo; red in color.
• Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer): Located in Southern and East Africa; largest subspecies of African buffalo.
• West African Savanna Buffalo (Syncerus caffer brachyceros): Also called Sudan buffalo; mid-sized subspecies; lives in savannas and floodplains of parts of West Africa.
• Central African Savanna Buffalo (Syncerus caffer aequinoctialis): Lighter in color than other subspecies; sometimes called Nile buffalo; lives in savannas and floodplains of Central and East Africa.
• Mountain Buffalo (Syncerus caffer mathewsi): Also called the Virunga buffalo; inhabits the mountains of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Appearance and Behavior

All African buffalo are large and cattle-like animals, though they don’t share a close genetic link to cattle. The males can weigh anywhere from 935 to 2,000 pounds as adults — about as big as a four-wheeler! They also stand up to five and a half feet tall at the shoulder and reach as long as ten feet from nose to tail. Despite their size, a charging buffalo can reach up to 35 miles per hour.

African buffalo also have a terrible reputation for being ornery. Estimates vary, but deadly attacks by Cape buffalo have earned them the nickname “black death.” In one infamous case, an experienced South Africa-based hunting guide was killed by a buffalo — a member of the same herd as a buffalo the guide had just shot. For this reason, trophy hunters have listed the African buffalo as one of the top five most dangerous (and, therefore, prized) creatures to hunt.

Despite this reputation, research has also found herds of African buffalo to be somewhat democratic and altruistic. Herd movements, for example, involve a kind of ‘vote’ where females stand up and gaze in the direction they want to move, with the most popular direction becoming the one the herd follows. Herds will also band together to protect calves from attacks. They’ll even look out for other adults in the herd.

African buffaloes come in four varieties: the Cape, West African savanna, Central African savanna, and forest buffalo, distinguished primarily by their horn shape and relative size. The most common are the Cape buffalo, with a dark-brown coating of short, coarse fur and large, distinctive horns that curl downward and back up, similar to a ram. Savanna buffalo are similar to Cape buffalo, but with slightly shorter horns and a wide range of fur styles ranging from light brown to virtually black. Forest buffalo are generally smaller than the others, with lighter brown (or even reddish) fur and shorter horns. Younger savanna buffalo sometimes have light brown fur as well, but most forest buffalo keep theirs into adulthood.

Buffaloes are animals that congregate in large herds, with each herd featuring anywhere from 20 to over 1,000 members. Sometimes herds will join to create temporary super-herds, numbering in the thousands, to keep lions and other predators from easily singling out single members to attack. Any herd is typically made up of females and their calves.

Males will periodically form “bachelor groups,” smaller herds of adult males only. Even these herds, however, will separate into younger males and older males. The oldest males tend to prefer solitude. 

Relationship to other “buffaloes”

Despite similar names, African buffaloes are not the same as “buffaloes” in other parts of the world. These include the water buffalo in Asia and the American bison, often called a “buffalo.” It only takes a close look to see how different bison are from buffaloes — American bison have smaller, differently-shaped horns, thicker fur (often with a “beard!”), a hump at the shoulders and a completely different head shape.

Water buffalo, meanwhile, share a number of other features, but have some big differences. Unlike their African cousins, water buffalo are largely domesticated. This means they are used, specifically throughout China and India, similar to how cows and oxen are used in other parts of the world. Though African buffalo are sometimes hunted for meat, their unpredictable temperament has prevented them from ever being tamed. Almost all water buffaloes in the world are tamed, and virtually all African buffaloes are wild. 

Habitat

African buffalo can survive almost anywhere there is water. This includes swamps, semi-arid brushland, and forests. They live throughout the continent of Africa, particularly central and southern Africa. Countries include Sierra Leone, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Central African Republic, South Africa, Botswana, and more. 

Diet

Despite their sometimes violent nature, buffaloes don’t eat meat. Like many hooved animals, they spend their waking hours grazing on plants. Though they only have a very distant evolutionary link to cows and other bovines, buffalo will chew cud just like a cow. That means they will spit up grass from earlier to re-chew and extract more nutrients.

Unlike other grazing animals, African buffalo graze mostly at night. They appear to do this, in part, because buffalo have a hard time regulating their body temperature.
 

Predators and Threats

Though buffalo face a number of predators in the wild, their biggest threats are humans and scarcity of food sources. Buffalo spend most of their day grazing, making them susceptible to starvation during droughts. Meanwhile, their prized status among hunters means there’s no shortage of big game safaris that target them. Africa’s natural hunters — particularly lions and packs of wild dogs — pose a constant threat to buffalo that get separated from the herd.

The biggest threat to African buffalo, however, is irresponsible human development. Development, such as carving out cropland or clearing fields for housing and city expansion, cuts up the habitats of the buffalo, making it harder to find food. Since buffalo spend most of their day eating, this can quickly reduce populations. It can also put humans in danger from buffalo, as buffalo tear up crops, knock down fences, and spread disease to livestock.
 

Reproduction, Babies, and Lifespan

The African buffalo gives birth to approximately one calf every few years. Mothers remain pregnant for as much as a full year — longer than humans, even. After giving birth, the calf will remain dependent on the mother for as much as another year. Though male buffalo will take no direct role in upbringing, the calves emit a specific cry when in danger that will bring all members of the herd to their rescue.

After birth, calves take another four to five years to reach maturity. After maturing, females will typically remain with the herd where they were born, while males will leave for one of the “bachelor” herds. Females will typically begin having offspring around this time.

In the wild, buffaloes typically live for 11 to 22 years, while living up to 29.5 years in captivity. 

Population

Buffaloes enjoy a healthy population throughout Africa, but their numbers are declining. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) shows the buffalo’s status as “Least Concern”, with a decreasing population. This decline is attributed to farming practices that destroy their grazing lands, as well as threats from trophy hunters and meat poachers.