When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Buffalo are large members of the Bovidae buffalo chicken dip instant pot canned chicken. There are two types of buffalo: the African or Cape buffalo and the Asian water buffalo.
They are dark gray or black animals that look a lot like bulls. Buffalo are often confused with bison. Early American settlers called bison “buffalo” because the animals are similar in appearance. They weigh a massive 1,500 to 2,650 lbs. The African buffalo is smaller, but they are still quite impressive in size. They are aptly named, for they spend most of their time in water. Their hooves are extra wide and prevent them from sinking into mud at the bottom of ponds, swamps and rivers.
The African buffalo is never far from water. Habits Buffalo are social animals and live in groups called herds. Water buffalo herds are segregated by gender. Young males stay with the maternal herd for about three years, and then they join a male herd. Maternal herds have up to 30 females and their offspring. Male herds have up to 10 members.
African buffalo herds are mostly of mixed gender. They do have a few all-male herds, but these usually consist of old males. Their favorite foods are grass and herbs, but water buffalo will also eat aquatic plants. Both African and Asian buffalo will eat shrubs and trees when they can’t find grass or herbs to eat. Usually, they have one calf at a time, and the female will carry the calf for a gestation period of 9 to 11 months before giving birth. Once the calf is born, a water buffalo will stay with its mother for around three years.
Then, male calves will be moved to the all-male herd, while the female calves stay with the female herd. Females become pregnant every other year. Water buffalo tend to live around 25 years, according to the University of Michigan, while African buffalo live around 26 years. Humans use the meat, milk, horns and leather. Buffalo are also used for transportation and to pull plows.
Wild water buffalo are endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The African buffalo is not endangered and has a population of 900,000, according to the African Wildlife Foundation. Females also have horns, but they are much smaller. When they are ready to travel, they will stand and turn in the direction they want to go. The majority of “votes” wins and the head female will lead the herd in the winning direction. African buffalo are very aggressive and have a tendency to attack humans.
They are very protective of each other and take care of sick and old members of the herd, shielding them from predators. Alina Bradford is a contributing writer for Live Science. Over the past 16 years, Alina has covered everything from Ebola to androids while writing health, science and tech articles for major publications. She has multiple health, safety and lifesaving certifications from Oklahoma State University. Alina’s goal in life is to try as many experiences as possible. Does short sleeper syndrome really exist?