African buffalo

The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), is a bovine (cloven hoofed animal). It is also known as the Cape buffalo. They are not closely related to other bovines. Because of its aggressive behavior, it has not been domesticated like the domestic Asian water buffalo. 

 Appearance 
They can be up to 3.2 meters high, 6 meters long, and can weigh from 800-1200 kg. The males are bigger than the females. The African buffalo's power and size make it easy to defend itself. They have been known to kill spotted hyenas, Nile crocodiles, lions, and other wild predators, and sometimes even humans. The African buffalo is part of the African big five. The phrase "big five" was introduced by hunters. The big five are the hardest animals to hunt, and the African buffalo is considered the most dangerous. They are herbivores.

There are also other two subspecies of the African buffalo that inhabit Western and Central Africa, the Forest or Red buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus), found in the equatorial forests of Central Africa, and the Sudanese or Western savannah buffalo (Syncerus caffer brachyceros), which inhabits the Sudanian savannahs of West Africa.

References

Category:Bovines
Category:Mammals of Africa