These beasts were once one of the Big Five among trophy hunters, along with elephants, rhinos, leopards, and the lion. They are known for being surly and dangerous, which is a useful reputation to have when dealing with hunters. They are, of course, herd animals. But the herds are comprised mainly of cows and calves. Young bachelor males tend to roam about in their own bands, and I can't imagine a more annoying group of hoofed animals on the Serengeti.
For some reason Cape buffalo have always been scary to me. This is coming from someone who pet snakes and spiders aplenty, even in the past month. I think it has to do with seeing nature documentaries where they get enraged and chase a cheetah up a log and trample the cubs and hang around for hours waiting to gore the cheetah mom... something about that kind of unforgiving rage is unsettling in the deepest way...
ReplyDeleteTheir rep got sealed for me early in life when this illustration from a picture book about wildlife showed a cape buffalo tossing a lion high in the air. Surely they didn't always win, but it's as classic as triceratops vs. tyrannosaurus rex.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your blog so much that I left a comment on Nature Blog Network's post about Ugly Overload. My readers can visit you from my own sidebar as well. Great work! I pray your success continues for a long time. BTW-- While this beast looks a little scary, it is very beautiful to God-- go figure!
ReplyDelete