African buffalo
The African buffalo is considered the largest not only among all buffaloes, but also among wild bulls. He is dangerous and vulnerable at the same time, has a memorable appearance, a specific disposition and it will be interesting to learn more about him.
African buffalo
Description
African buffaloes, they are also black buffaloes or Syncerus caffer in Latin, are in the family of bovids and are relatives of yaks, bison, bison, etc.
Despite the fact that the diverse fauna of Africa is filled with wild predators, the African buffalo is considered one of the animals from which people die more often than from cheetahs, leopards, lions and other felines. So to speak, they are second only to hippos and Nile crocodiles.
Appearance
They undoubtedly stand out for their impressive mass:
- 1200 kg in "advanced age" males;
- 800-900 kg - adult bulls;
- 600 kg - younger individuals, incl. females.
At the same time, they are smaller in height than, for example, Indian buffaloes, reaching 1.8 m at the withers, and African buffaloes, on average, have a height of about 1-1.4 m, sometimes 1.6 m with a body length of up to 3 m. they also have short limbs and a stocky build.
The main force is concentrated in the front of the body. For this reason, the hooves on the front legs are many times larger than on the hind ones, this helps the animal to support its own weight.
Horns are a characteristic feature of their appearance. They not only decorate and distinguish African buffaloes, but also serve as weapons for them. The strong, curved horns of the African buffalo reach about 1 m in length from one edge to the other, in females they are about a quarter smaller. On the head of adult males, you can see a bony shell, it appears as a result of accretion of horns and is able to protect the animal even from bullets. In the "female half" this phenomenon is not observed, and the horns themselves are thinner.
The skin of each individual has a dark brown or black color, rare but coarse hair grows on the body.
Subspecies
It is generally accepted that the African buffalo, despite some differences in specimens, is represented by one species. However, its subspecies are distinguished:
- red (or dwarf);
- Sudanese;
- Cape;
- mountain;
- and Nile buffaloes.
Once upon a time there were dozens of times more, about 90.
Today, the Cape subspecies, also known as the black buffalo, is called the largest and most ferocious. True, females are brown with a reddish undertone. Older individuals lose almost all their hair, remaining as if bald. The Nile subspecies has a slightly smaller size and lighter color.
The African pygmy buffalo is the complete opposite of its brother. He is red-haired, with dark spots on his shoulders and head, and has tassels on his ears. In mass, it reaches up to 270 kg, and in height - up to 1.2 m. The horns do not even reach 40 cm, moreover, they do not grow together.
An intermediate place in terms of parameters is occupied by the Sudanese subspecies and mountainous. They weigh no more than 600 kg.
By the way, not everyone believes that the red and mountain subspecies should generally be attributed to the African species.
Habitat
The place of residence of the formidable horned horns is the warm regions of Africa: forests, savannahs, mountains, south of the Sahara. When choosing a territory, African buffaloes give preference to areas with extensive water sources and pastures with densely growing grass. They avoid close proximity to people in every possible way.
Each subspecies has its own habitat. Representatives of dwarf buffaloes are located in the wooded areas of the West and Central Africa. Also in the Western territories of Africa, in particular in Cameroon, Sudanese representatives of the species live.
Cape gobies run across the savannas located in the Eastern and Southern parts, and Nile gobies are found in Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo, Uganda (northeast) and Central Africa. The mountain subspecies jumps mainly in the eastern part of Africa.
In addition, the African buffalo is kept in reserves and zoos.
Lifestyle
In the wild, African buffaloes live for about 15 years. In nature reserves it is much longer - 20-30 years. Long-term migrations are not typical for wild gobies, they prefer to settle in one place. Perhaps this is due to the fact that they are lazy and not too willing to move.
Herd
The African buffalo is a herd animal. Individuals are united in groups of 20-30 heads, and during the drought period they walk in hundreds.
The herd scheme is as follows: older individuals, who are also the most experienced, stand on their sides in order to be able to observe what is happening around, notice dangers, etc. It is they who give the signal to flee for all members of the herd. Everyone who is younger, incl. very small buffaloes, walking in the center.
Groups can be mixed (males, females, young), consist exclusively of "youth" (individuals from 4 to 10 years old) or of "old men" (over 10 years old). Moreover, the latter are quite common, since mature buffaloes leave their herd and may not even unite, but wander alone. Sometimes they carry out their attacks for no reason, although in general they are inclined to go about their business, not paying attention to others: to eat, to rest, and only in a certain territory.
Usually the territory occupied by buffalo groups is 100, sometimes 200 square meters. km.
Food
These horned inhabitants of the expanses of hot Africa prefer to graze in the dark. During the day they usually lie in the shade, fall out in the mud. They rarely rest near the ponds, using them mainly only to get drunk. They drink 30-40 liters of water per day.
The special structure of the stomach, which consists of 4 chambers, also affects the way of eating. First, the first gastric section is completely filled, food enters it, which the animals do not even chew strongly, then part of this food is belched back into the mouth area and is already thoroughly chewed there.
Grass serves as food for buffaloes, incl. shrub branches and dried plants. The daily allowance is up to 2% of the weight of the animal.
Temper
The riot of their character is probably somewhat exaggerated. They can behave calmly until they sense danger. Running back some distance from the enemy, they make a sharp turn and face the enemy.
It has been noticed that the massiveness of groups among African buffaloes is not accidental: this is their main weapon. They gladly rush to the rescue of a comrade who has fallen into the clutches of a predator, and together they fight off the attack.
Between themselves they "fight" during the rut: they attack, break their horns, but do not finish off the loser.
Reproduction
With the onset of the rainy season, and this is from March to May, the turn of mating comes. This means that you can observe the fights characteristic of this period. Intimidating each other, the males roar loudly, begin to snort, throwing back their heads, digging through the ground with their hooves, fighting, etc. Not understanding what is around, they even fight with trees. The most courageous and strongest become the successors of the family.
It happens that one bull needs several "wives", and he collects himself a whole harem.
The buffalo carries one calf and lasts from 10 to 11 months. Before giving birth, she is separated from the herd, takes a quiet place for this process.
Children are born worthy of their parents, weighing 50-60 kg. After 15 minutes they already follow their mother, but they do not leave the parent until the age of 4. They eat milk for about 6 months, although after a month they are already trying the weed, they grow quickly.
Grown up females remain in their native collective, and males are forced to leave it.
Interesting Facts
Features of the
The weak point of horns is their vision: they are myopic, but this deficiency is compensated for by a developed sense of smell. If they do not see the enemy, they will be able to smell it, the main thing is that the wind blows in the right direction. They also hear great.
The sluggishness and sluggishness of the buffalo is replaced by relative agility when it comes to saving their lives. Running away, they accelerate to 57 km / h.
Buffalo enemies
Looking at the photo of an African buffalo, it is difficult to believe that it might have enemies. But lions, crocodiles, hyenas, etc. often attack them. Bulls, of course, are able to fight back, however, if we are talking about babies, then the chances are unequal.
Bloodsuckers and other insects also interfere with them. Various birds try to help the horns by pecking out parasites from them. But there are hard-to-reach places where insects still spoil their lives, drink blood, lay their larvae, and carry infections. Bathing in mud saves: dries up, she disappears along with uninvited guests.
Man can also be called their enemy. For a long time, people have hunted buffaloes for their skins and meat. Despite numerous bans, poachers do not stop helping to reduce the population.