Scientific name -- Syncerus caffer Size -- about 2000 lbs. Diet -- grasses Buffalo are large, wild bovines. African water buffalo, also called cape buffalo, live in large herds sometimes numbering in the hundreds. When threatened, the animals form a protective ring with horns facing outward, making it difficult for predators to take calves. Lions tend to kill only older, solitary males. Big-game hunters came to refer to the buffalo as more dangerous than lions, because the large animals are unpredictable and dangerous if cornered. Buffalo are usually dark in color, with horns that curve downward and then back up again. Most African buffalo live on the savannah near a source of water, though there is a smaller forest subspecies as well. The animals may have difficulty regulating body temperature, as they stay in the shade or water during the day and forage at night. Although often called buffalo, the North American animal is properly named bison.
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