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Ron Fredrick | all galleries >> Africa - 2017 >> African Mammals > African buffalo or Cape buffalo
(Syncerus caffer)
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23-MAY-2017 Ron Fredrick

African buffalo or Cape buffalo
(Syncerus caffer)

Amboseli, Kenya, Africa

This lone Cape Buffalo is no longer part of a herd, perhaps because it can no longer keep up because of age or injury.




From Wikipedia: The African buffalo or Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild
water buffalo of Asia and its ancestry remains unclear. Syncerus caffer caffer, the Cape buffalo, is the typical subspecies, and the largest one,
found in South and East Africa. The adult buffalo's horns are its characteristic feature; they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield
across the top of the head referred to as a "boss". They are widely regarded as very dangerous animals, as they gore and kill over 200 people every year.

The African buffalo is not an ancestor of domestic cattle and is only distantly related to other larger bovines. Owing to its unpredictable nature, which
makes it highly dangerous to humans, the African buffalo has never been domesticated, unlike its Asian counterpart, the water buffalo. Other than
humans, African Cape buffaloes have few predators aside from lions and large crocodiles, and are capable of defending themselves. Being a member of the
big five game, the Cape buffalo is a sought-after trophy in hunting.

The front hooves of the buffalo are wider than the rear, which is associated with the need to support the weight of the front part of the body, which is heavier
and more powerful than the back.
A characteristic feature of the horns of adult male African buffalo is fusion of their bases, forming a continuous bone shield
referred to as a "boss". From the base, the horns diverge downwards, then smoothly curve upwards and outwards. In large bulls, the distance between the ends
of the horns can reach upwards of one metre. The horns form fully when the animal reaches the age of five or six years. Savannah-type buffaloes have
black or dark brown coats with age. Old bulls have whitish circles around their eyes. Females tend to have more-reddish coats.







AB2A0073-1W.jpg

Canon EOS 7D Mark II ,Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 IS II USM
1/1000s f/11.0 at 176.0mm iso800 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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