CAPE BUFFALOSyncerus caffer

AFRICAN OR CAPE BUFFALO
Syncerus caffer
Tribe Bovini
SUBSPECIES Cape or savanna buffalo, S. c. caffer
Red or forest buffalo, S. c. nanus

WHAT IT IS

The only native African member of the tribe that includes wild and domestic cattle, American bison, etc., the latest and most advanced ruminants to evolve (in Asia within the last 7 million years). The African buffalo is not closely related to the Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unknown. Though African livestock now greatly outnumbers wild animals, cattle remain poorly adapted to African conditions; without human intervention, they couldn't compete with wild hoofed animals.

Cape buffalo:

massive build with short, powerful limbs, cow's tail. Mail wt 935-1914 lbs. (425-870 kg), ht 60-66 in (150-165 cm); Female wt 1267 lbs. (576 kg), ht c. 10% shorter. Head: broad with wide mouth, bare, moist nostrils, drooping, fringed ears. Horns: size and shape reflect sex and age; broad base shielding forehead identifies mature males; width across horns up to 40 in (100 cm); length along curve 48 to 50 in (117-150 cm); 10 to 20% less in female, minus boss. Coat: short, thin, scant in old animals. Color: adults black to dark brown without markings, but old bulls often have grizzled heads; young calves black or dark brown, changing to dirty yellow-brown after several months, then to reddish or chocolate brown. Scent glands: none described, but typical cow-barn smell. Teats: 4.

Forest buffalo:

different enough to be considered a separate species-except the two forms interbreed wherever they overlap. Much smaller: (3 wt 594-704 lbs. (270-320 kg), ht 38-43 in (97-108 cm); red-brown instead of black.

WHERE IT LIVES:

Formerly occurred throughout the Northern and Southern Savanna, in arid regions wherever there is permanent water and herbage, and from sea level to the limits of forest on the highest mountains. In the Lowland Rain forest buffaloes inhabit clearings, swamps, flood plains, and secondary growth.

GOOD PLACES TO SEE IT

A few of the parks where buffaloes are both abundant and approachable: Masai Mara NR, Kenya; Ngorongoro Crater, Manyara NP, Tanzania; Kafue NP, Zambia; Hwange NP, Zimbabwe; Kruger NP, South Africa.

ECOLOGY

Most abundant in well-watered savannas, swamps, flood plains, and montane grasslands and forests. Although herds can live in open woodland, the best habitat offers reeds, high grass, or thickets for cover. Grazer, including tall, mature grasses too coarse for most other ruminants to process. Massive cheek teeth, broad incisor row, and prehensile tongue that gathers and bundles grass before each bite enable buffalo to feed efficiently in longer grass. Herbs and foliage amount to 5% of diet, considerably more when grass is scarce or too unpalatable. Has to drink at least daily when pastured on standing hay.

ACTIVITY

Usually considered nocturnal, but herds protected from hunting spend 5 to 10.5 hours feeding at all seasons, night and day almost equally. Breeding herds range c. 2 mi (5.5 km) in the wet season, compared to 3/4 mi (2 km) covered by stodgy bachelor herds. But buffaloes daily commute up to 17 mi (27 km) between pasture and water in dry season.

SOCIAL/MATING SYSTEM

The buffalo is non-territorial and extremely sociable, living in large, mixed herds that inhabit exclusive, traditional home ranges. At rest, members of the same clan often lie with backs touching, or with chin supported on a companion's back. Separate male and female rank orders are maintained, with adult males dominant over females. Bulls past their prime leave the breeding herds and associate in bachelor herds. Herd size depends on habitat and pasture productivity; the more open and productive the range, the larger herds tend to be. On a broad floodplain in Kafue NP herds average 450 buffaloes (range 19-2075), compared to 50 in the forests and glades of Mt. Meru, Tanzania. Home ranges vary from as small as 4 sq. miles (10.5 km sq) for a herd of 138 buffaloes, to 114 sq. miles (296 km sq) for a herd of 1500. Bachelor herds of 5 to 10 up to 50 buffaloes and solitary bulls have much smaller home ranges. Buffaloes that share the same home range may never assemble in the same herd. Although the majority aggregate during the rains, especially during the mating peak near the end, old bulls keep to themselves. In dry months, when good pastures are reduced to scattered patches, buffaloes disperse in smaller units and prime bulls, along with sub-adult males, often form temporary bachelor herds . Units consist of clans of a dozen or more related cows and their offspring that stay together as distinct sub-herds. They can often be spotted as separate columns of tightly clustered cows in a moving herd; 4 to 5 breeding (i.e., dominant) bulls consistently accompany each clan. Subdivision of large herds in the dry season is by clans. Each has its own trusted "pathfinder" that leads the way to pasture and water. Males leave the clans as adolescents at 3 years and thereafter associate in peer subgroups that remain with the herd but keep clear of breeding bulls.

HOW IT MOVES

Gaits and movements like those of cattle. Though one of the slowest bovids, with top speed of 35 mph (56 kph), buffaloes can outrun lions. But unable to accelerate quickly, they are comparatively easy for lions to ambush.

REPRODUCTION

Largely seasonal. With an 11.5-month gestation, longest in the family, birth peaks come early and mating peaks later in the rainy season. First calves at c. 5 years; intervals of c. 15 months between calves for cows in good condition. Estrus lasts 2 to 3 days. Bulls mature at 8

OFFSPRING AND MATERNAL CARE

Despite long gestation and the ability of calves to gain their feet within c. 10 minutes after birth, they are too feeble to follow their mothers for several hours and need several weeks to keep up with the herd. Mothers that drop calves in the herd during a rest period are often left behind if the herd moves off, forcing the mother to go into hiding with her calf. Females normally stop lactating in the seventh month of pregnancy, when the calf at heel is as young as 10 months. After the next calf is born, the mother becomes hostile to her last offspring, but yearlings continue following mothers for another year or more.

PREDATORS

Healthy adults are vulnerable only to lions; spotted hyenas are main predator of young, diseased, or injured adults. Lions risk a herd mobbing attack when they catch a buffalo, are often treed, and occasionally trampled or gored. It is easier and actually safer to tackle bulls in bachelor herds. Buffaloes fleeing from lions or hyenas often bunch tightly and run at much less than top speed, making it difficult for the predator to single out a quarry.

HOW IT COMMUNICATES

Sight, scent, sound

Cape Buffalo Behavior Guide

Advertising Dominance

DOMINANT MALES

Position signal. Call given by high-ranking buffaloes in herd, signals their presence and location.
Vegetation- and ground-homing; digging and tossing dirt. Advertises aggressive mood and high status, especially when performed in the presence of other bulls.

Kneeling and neck-rubbing. A display of aggressiveness peculiar to the bovine tribe.

Wallowing ą rolling and urinating. Dominant males monopolize wallows. Urinating and rolling in wallow, plus other associated aggressive actions, indicate wallowing is more of a social than a maintenance activity.

Aggression

Supplanting. Making a lower-ranked individual move aside by simply walking toward it.

Approach in stiff-legged walk with head level or raised and chin pulled in. Display of dominance, often leading into broadside display.

Broadside display. Main dominance display. Advertises size and muscular development.

Circling during mutual broadside display. Equally matched adversaries end up circling slowly while performing broadside and other aggressive displays.

Confrontation ą looking away. Prelude to combat when combined with threat display, but may also be sparring invitation.

High-horn threat.

Medial-horn threat, in broadside stance.

Low-horn threat.

Head-low posture. Defensive threat.

OTHER ACTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THREAT DISPLAYS

Threatening when addressed to specific individual.

Vegetation- and ground-homing and dirt-tossing, kneeling and neck rubbing, rolling.

Tossing and hooking movements. Threat to toss and hook opponent.

VOCAL ACCOMPANIMENT

Grunting and growling.

FEMALE AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR

Same as males but at lower frequency; Females rarely roll, neck-rub, or horn vegetation. Performed mainly to reinforce rank dominance.

Submission

Turning away. Avoidance of approaching superior.

Head-low, chin-out posture ą approaching and placing nose under dominant's belly. Infantile behavior derived from nursing.

Wheeling and running away, meanwhile bellowing with mouth open and tongue curled. Response to threat or attack.

Short grunt while bolting, followed by standing in exaggerated alarm posture. Scared buffalo on point of flight, after sudden attack.

Displacement Activities

Grazing, sideswiping, as in fly-shooing, scratching back with horn tips, scraping with incisors.

Sociable Behavior

Nose-to-nose contact. Usual greeting and identity check upon meeting.

Nose-to-genitals. Less common sequel to nose-to-nose contact. Lying in contact.

Social licking. The primary form of social grooming; partners take turns but the prevailing direction is from lower- to higher-ranking.

HERD-COORDINATING CALLS

Low-pitched, 2-4 sec. call repeated at 3-6 sec. intervals. Signal to move.

Creaking-gate sound. Direction-giving signal emitted by herd leaders during movement.

Extended maaa call. Emitted by one or a few buffaloes up to 20 times/min. before and during movement to water.

Calls made by grazing herd: brief bellows, grunts, honks, croaks. Help to keep herd going in same direction, signal that all is well, etc.

Courtship

MALE BEHAVIOR

Tending bond:male keeping close to female and keeping other males away. An indication that female is approaching estrus and being courted.

Dominance and threat displays. Common prelude to courtship, essential to impress and dominate female.

Low stretch. Posture of male approaching to check female reproductive status.

Urine-testing. Grimace includes pronounced lip-curl.
Licking and resting chin on Y's rump. Mounting prelude.

FEMALE BEHAVIOR

Responsive urination. Prompted by male approach and licking.

Moving away.

Defensive threats.

Submissive behavior.

ESTROUS BEHAVIOR

Standing still with tail arched, mounting of and by other cows, resting head on male's rump or pushing muzzle under his belly.

Mother and Offspring

Nursing between female's hind legs. Standard nursing position in buffalo.

Calves stay with mothers instead of forming cr@ches.

Vocal contact: croaking call by mother, higher pitched in calf, which calls only when separated.

Social licking between mother and calf

Play

Running and chasing games, with tail arched, sparring. Mainly performed by the young.

Response to Predators

Alert posture, with tail arched ą advancing to investigate source of disturbance and head-tossing.

Wheeling and flight.

Stampeding in close formation.

Mobbing attack, stimulated by distress call, preceded by croaking calls and approach in alert posture, close-packed.

SOUNDS OF ALARM

Alarm snorts, waaa distress call.
Reprinted from "The Safari Companion" by Richard Estes
Spook Skelton wildlife