A large and powerful bovine, the African Buffalo reaches shoulder heights of up to 1.5 m and a mass of 750 kg. Both sexes have horns, those of the bulls are characterized by a heavy boss and upward curved horns. Buffalo herds can have a significant ecological impact on the veld. Being bulk grazers, they are responsible for converting long grasslands into short grassy environments conducive to other browsers with more selective feeding habits. When a herd member is attacked, others will rush to its defense. Collectively a number of buffalo are more than capable to stave off an attack by an entire pride of lions. A wounded buffalo bull is regarded as the most dangerous by hunters and is one of the reasons why this animal is included in the so-called “big five”.
