- Social structure - Activity cycles - Territoriality and aggression

Buffalo are the heaviest species within the Antelope family (Bovidae) with males achieving a body weight of up to 800kg and females up to 750kg (Smithers 1983). Taylor (1985, p355) compared asymptotic body weights for four different buffalo populations in Africa and found that they varied little from 700kg for males and 500kg for females. Coe, Cumming and Philipson (1976) used 450kg as the mean individual weight for the average animal in a buffalo population. Typical shoulder heights are 155cm for adult males and 145cm for adult females. The weight of a buffalo calf at birth is about 40kg and males achieve their full adult weight after about 7 years and females after about 5 years.

Apart from their horn shape, the bodily form of buffalo resembles that of cattle. The front hooves are significantly larger than the hind hooves presumably because of the additional weight in the massive forequarters, head and neck. Adult male buffalo are black and females, subadults and juveniles all show a tinge of reddish-brown colouring.

Buffalo are a key animal in the international sport hunting industry and are perhaps the most sought after amongst the "Big Five" species. Buffalo bulls have a reputation for being extremely dangerous, particularly when wounded.

Social structure

Buffalo tend to form large herds in the wet season when food is abundant and separate into small herds when food is scarce in the dry season.

Sinclair (1974a) found that buffalo in the Serengeti showed no habitat preferences in the wet season - all habitats are equally suitable when food is plentiful.

Taylor (1985) observed that when the large herds at Matusadona dispersed inland in the wet season, bachelor male groups remained on the lakeshore and were thus able to occupy the most favourable habitats the year round. Females, on the other hand, are forced to travel further within their home range in search of food because of the nutritional burden placed on them by nurturing calves and moving in large herds.

Activity cycles

Sinclair (1974c) found that the amount of time which buffalo spent on feeding remained fairly constant throughout the year and, during the wet season, there was no pattern of daily activity cycles.

In the dry season daily cycles of activity became more pronounced: buffalo spent little time grazing in the hottest part of the day and devoted longer periods to ruminating when food quality was poorer.

Much of this behaviour demonstrates adaptations aimed at reducing energy expenditure when food is limiting.

Buffalo are selective grazers in the wet season but this behaviour creates difficulties for them in the dry season when little is left of their preferred species.

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Territoriality and aggression

Buffalo appear to waste little energy in competing for territory. Although Taylor (1985) found non-overlapping home ranges amongst large buffalo herds, the numerous observations of long distance buffalo movements suggest that territoriality is secondary when it comes to securing bulk food resources. The best strategy for buffalo may not be to compete for territory but to use resources as fast as possible when they are abundant.

Instances of intra-specific aggression are observed amongst buffalo males often resulting in animals being expelled from herds. However, male mortality is no worse than female mortality and Sinclair (1974b) concluded that social stress did not appear to cause mortality directly.

Since food shortages affected all age groups of both sexes equally, mortality could not have been socially induced. Undernutrition is a limiting factor for Buffalo rather than any social factors.