African Buffalo

Description

African Buffalo

By Marc Alexander from his ‘In The Balance‘ series. African Buffalo, oil and gold leaf on canvas, 90cm by 120cm, (2015).

African Buffalo

The African buffalo or Cape buffalo, is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, and its ancestry remains unclear. The Cape buffalo, is the typical subspecies, and the largest one, found in South and East Africa. The adult buffalo’s horns is its characteristic feature, it has fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield referred to as a “boss”. It is widely regarded as a very dangerous animal, as it gores and kills over 200 people every year. Other than humans, African Cape buffalo have few predators and are capable of defending themselves. The buffalo are the lions’ primary prey. Being a member of the “big five” game family, the Cape buffalo is a sought-after trophy in hunting. The birds are called Oxpeckers and are usually found sitting on the Buffalo eating ticks, small insects, botfly larvae, and other parasites.