Meet the Buffalo
The Cape or African buffalo may, on appearance, present itself as just another bovine. However, its unpredictable mood has given rise to nicknames such as “the widowmaker” and “the Black Death”. No wonder it has never been domesticated.
The specie has a repertoire of sounds it uses to signal a variety of actions and intentions. When a big herd—numbering up to one thousand animals and more—are grazing, they emit sounds like bellows, honks, and grunts. Individual animals make longer calls, as much as 20 times in a minute, when seeking water. Low-pitched calls at intervals indicate to the herd that they should move while creaking sounds tell them to change direction. Calves in distress will utter a high pitch call.
Healthy populations of buffalo continue to thrive in protected national parks and private reserves in East and Southern Africa. The continent’s population is estimated at roughly 400,000.
More of the Big Five
Lion
The Big Five
The king of the animal world rules supreme over the grasslands and savannah of sub-Saharan Africa as the second largest cat in the world.
Elephant
The Big Five
As a senior member of the herd, a matriarch leads several adult cows and their off-spring that includes younger cows and sub-adult bulls.
Leopard
The Big Five
The leopard has the greatest distribution of all cats across sub-Saharan Africa. The least social, yet perhaps the most beautiful of the African Big Cats
Rhino
The Big Five
Both species of rhino have two horns from keratin growing on the front of their faces. They use it when feeding, to dig out roots, or break branches.