The African continent has always been called the "natural zoo" because there are many wild animals that are unique to Africa and not found on other continents. Moreover, due to less human interference, in our impression, African wild animals are more spontaneous and wilder than those in other places. Among all the wild animals in Africa, the most famous are lions, African elephants, African buffaloes, leopards and black rhinoceros. They are called the "Big Five" of Africa.
The reason why these five animals have such a famous name is not because of their large size, but because they are the most difficult for humans to catch. Lions, leopards and elephants and rhinos have good reasons to be selected as the Big Five in Africa. The former two are agile and strong, while the latter two have the most violent tempers. So, why have African buffaloes become one of the Big Five in Africa? What are their strengths?
First introduction to African buffalo
African buffalo are mainly distributed in the jungles or grasslands of Central and East Africa. They are social animals and a matrilineal society. The strongest female in the herd The ox serves as the leader. Judging from the name, it can be said that they hate water and need to drink water at least once a day, so their habitat is never far from a water source. During the day, when the temperature is very high, they usually hide in the shade of trees or soak in muddy water to enjoy the coolness. At night, they begin to look for food.
The African buffalo has good physical fitness, with a body length of about 2.1-3.4 meters, an average height of about 1.5 meters, and a weight of more than half a ton, up to 900 kilograms. Their average lifespan is about 15-20 years. Males start mating at about 7 years old, and females usually give birth to their first child around 5 years old. The early stages of a buffalo's life are not smooth. First of all, they may not survive after birth, and the probability of death is as high as 80%. Secondly, a buffalo calf will be expelled from its original herd when it is 15 months old. It will be alone until it joins a new herd.
The notorious "villain"
Although the survival rate of African buffalo calves is very low, and those who survive have a hard time, once they grow up, they become The notorious "villain". One surprising fact is that the African buffalo is the animal that directly kills the most humans on the African continent, killing an average of 200 people every year. Compared with the usual beasts such as African lions and African leopards, African buffalo can be said to be more dangerous and more threatening to humans. Some people may say that although they are not afraid of humans at all, they still run away when they encounter a lion, without even daring to take a breath? In fact, this is not the case. Even in front of the African lion, the buffalo is not weak.
Buffalo usually travel in groups. Lions do not dare to rush into the herd to hunt. The only ones they dare to hunt and kill are those who are alone or old, weak, sick and disabled. Moreover, lions travel in groups, so the possible scenario is that a group of lions attack a lone buffalo, which is a typical bully! Sometimes, a lion who doesn't know the heights of the sky will rush towards the large group of buffaloes. As a result, he will either be seriously injured or be too frightened to hide in a tree and dare not come down. Every time a lion attacks is almost a life-and-death struggle. In fact, being killed and injured by a buffalo often happens on the African continent. African buffaloes are extremely vindictive and are considered to be one of the most "vengeful" animals.
Take the hunter as an example. If he cannot kill the buffalo with one shot, the buffalo will remember the human who wants its life and wait for the opportunity to retaliate. What often happens is that when a hunter is reloading ammunition in the forest, he is suddenly hit hard by a buffalo that comes from nowhere and falls to the ground dead. Even if you kill a buffalo with one shot, it is still very dangerous. You never know when a group of "black whirlwinds" will rush out from around you to avenge your companions.
The "eight-character" horns for offense and defense
The horns of the African buffalo are very special and deserve to be discussed separately. Their horns are long and curved, and they look like British mustaches from the front. This pair of horns is an important weapon for the African buffalo. It plays an important role whether it is fighting with its own kind or fending off an attack by a lion. Generally, the horns of cattle grow on both sides of the head and are widely separated, but the horns of African buffalo are fused at the skull, which turns their "forehead" into an excellent large shield.
This head shield is very strong. Experiments have shown that even at a short distance, bullets cannot penetrate the buffalo's skull. It is said that a head-on collision between two 800-kilogram African buffaloes is equivalent to a car hitting a wall at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour. Which animal do you think can withstand such a large impact?
The strong and ferocious African buffalo are not invincible in the world. If they run rampant on land and are dragged into the water by crocodiles, it will be difficult for them to fight back. I believe friends who have watched the documentary about the Great Migration of African Animals will still remember the scene where a buffalo drinking water by the river was dragged into the water by a crocodile. Although they are among the "Five Hegemons of Africa", African buffaloes do not like to stir up trouble. They still have the inherent honesty and honesty of "cattle". If you do not provoke them, they will not become violent easily. Of course, it is up to them to decide which behavior is considered provocative.