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54-469: One known description of the Catoblepas is said to resemble a cape buffalo , with its head always pointing downwards due to its great weight. Its stare or breath could either turn people into stone , or kill them. The catoblepas is often thought to be based on real-life encounters with wildebeest , such that some dictionaries say that the word is synonymous with " gnu ". Other depictions have it sporting

108-412: A Catoblepas upon his crest: So passed he over into the island, taking with him the two brothers of Anaxius; where he found the forsaken knight attired in his own livery, as black as sorrow itself could see itself in the blackest glass: his ornaments of the same hue, but formd into the figures of ravens which seemed to gape for carrion: only his reins were snakes, which finely wrapping themselves one within

162-417: A black buffalo with the head of a hog , hanging close to the ground, joined to its body by a thin neck, long and loose as an emptied intestine. It wallows flat upon the ground, and its legs are smothered under the huge mane of stiff bristles that hide its face. In The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia ( The New Arcadia ) (c. 1570–1586), by Sir Philip Sidney , the "forsaken knight" that Amphilalus fights has

216-509: A combination of marshes, grassy savannas and the wet African rainforests. Savannas are the area where the buffalo graze, while the marshes serve as wallows and help the animals handle insects. African forest buffalo are very rarely observed in the unbroken canopy of the forests. They instead spend most of their time in clearings, grazing on grasses and sedges. Consequently, their diet is primarily made up of grasses and other plants that grow in clearings and savannas. The mixture of habitats

270-537: A continuous bone shield across the top of the head, referred to as a "boss". The African buffalo is more closely related to other buffalo species than it is to other bovids such as American bison or domestic cattle , with its closest living relative being the Asian water buffalo . Its unpredictable temperament may be part of the reason that the African buffalo has never been domesticated , which would also explain why

324-427: A cow that comes into heat, while keeping other bulls at bay. This is difficult, as cows are quite evasive and attract many males to the scene. By the time a cow is in full estrus, only the most dominant bull in the herd/subherd is there. Cows first calve at five years of age, after a gestation period of 11.5 months. Newborn calves remain hidden in vegetation for the first few weeks while being nursed occasionally by

378-433: A distinct species, Syncerus nanus . The African forest buffalo is a small subspecies of the African buffalo. Cape buffaloes weigh 425 to 870 kg (937 to 1,918 lb), whereas African forest buffaloes are much lighter, weighing in at 250 to 320 kg (550–705 lbs). Weight is not the only differentiation, however; this subspecies has a reddish-brown hide that is darker in the facial area. The shape and size of

432-465: A heavy mane, narrow, bloodshot eyes, a scaly back and shaggy eyebrows. The head was so heavy that the beast could only look down. In his description, the animal's gaze was not lethal, but its breath was poison, since it ate only poisonous vegetation. Constantine Manasses (2, 39) mentions the "fire-breathing katobleps". The catoblepas is described in The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci : It

486-417: A population as long as the health of the animals is good. These diseases do, however, restrict the legal movements of the animals and fencing infected areas from unaffected areas is enforced. Some wardens and game managers have managed to protect and breed "disease-free" herds which become very valuable because they can be transported. Most well-known are Lindsay Hunt 's efforts to source uninfected animals from

540-406: A relatively short standing height. Cape buffaloes weigh 425 to 870 kg (937 to 1,918 lb) (males weigh about 100 kg (220 lb) more than females). In comparison, African forest buffaloes , at 250 to 450 kg (600 to 1,000 lb), are only half that size. Its head is carried low; its top is located below the backline. The front hooves of the buffalo are wider than the rear, which

594-399: A single adult buffalo, and the entire pride may join in the hunt. However, several incidents have been reported in which lone adult male lions have successfully brought down adult buffaloes. On very rare occasions, buffaloes and white rhinos will fight over territory; due to the rhino's strength and size advantage, the rhino typically wins and the buffalo can die from injuries sustained during

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648-459: A sort of "voting behavior". During resting time, the females stand up, shuffle around, and sit back down again. They sit in the direction they think they should move. After an hour of more shuffling, the females travel in the direction they decide. This decision is communal and not based on hierarchy or dominance. When chased by predators , a herd sticks close together and makes it hard for the predators to pick off one member. Calves are gathered in

702-479: A threat only to newborn calves, though larger clans of hyenas have been recorded killing cows (mainly pregnant ones) and, on rare occasions, full-grown bulls. Large packs of wild dogs have been observed to hunt calves and sick adults. The African buffalo is susceptible to many diseases, including those shared with domestic cattle, such as bovine tuberculosis , corridor disease , and foot-and-mouth disease . As with many diseases, these problems remain dormant within

756-443: Is a very robust species. Its shoulder height can range from 1.0 to 1.7 m (3.3 to 5.6 ft) and its head-and-body length can range from 1.7 to 3.4 m (5.6 to 11.2 ft). The tail can range from 70 to 110 cm (28 to 43 in) long. Compared with other large bovids , it has a long but stocky body (the body length can exceed the wild water buffalo , which is heavier and taller) and short but thickset legs, resulting in

810-451: Is also made of hippopotamuses and crocodiles . These numbers may be somewhat overestimated; for example, in the country of Mozambique , attacks, especially fatal ones, were much less frequent on humans than those by hippos, and especially, Nile crocodiles. In Uganda , on the other hand, large herbivores were found to attack more people on average than lions or leopards and have a higher rate of inflicting fatalities during attacks than

864-413: Is associated with the need to support the weight of the front part of the body, which is heavier and more powerful than the back. Savannah-type buffaloes have black or dark brown coats with age. Old bulls often have whitish circles around their eyes and on their face. Females tend to have more reddish coats. Forest-type buffaloes are 30–40% smaller, reddish brown in colour, with much more hair growth around

918-474: Is dependent on the animal's value to both trophy hunters and tourists, paving the way for conservation efforts through anti-poaching patrols, village crop damage payouts, and CAMPFIRE payback programs to local areas. The African buffalo is listed as Near threatened by the IUCN , with a decreasing population of 400,000 individuals. While some populations (subspecies) are decreasing, others will remain unchanged in

972-474: Is described as follows: [Bink] sat up. One leg remained anchored-but now he had anchorage to rip out of the clutch of the demon weed. It didn't even hurt this time. He looked at the battling monsters-and saw the snakelike hair of the catoblepas twined around the head of the argus, gripping it by horns, ears, scales, and eyeballs-anything available. The body of the catoblepas was covered with reptilian scales, from its gorgon head to its cloven hooves, invulnerable to

1026-404: Is essential for the African forest buffalo. Expansion and encroachment of the rainforest on the surrounding savannas and openings are major difficulties of maintaining the ecosystem. African forest buffalo enjoy old logging roads and tracks, where the forest is thinner and grass and other foods can grow. In these areas, African forest buffalo depend on the grass that is able to develop as a result of

1080-472: Is found in Ethiopia near to the source Nigricapo. It is not a very large animal, is sluggish in all its parts, and its head is so large that it carries it with difficulty, in such wise that it always droops towards the ground; otherwise it would be a great pest to man, for any one on whom it fixes its eyes dies immediately. In The Temptation of Saint Anthony (1874), Gustave Flaubert describes it as: ...

1134-399: Is less need to devote time to alert behavior. A herd of African forest buffalo typically consists of one or occasionally two bulls and a harem of adult females, juveniles and young calves. Unlike Cape buffalo bulls, African forest buffalo bulls remain with the herd continually, year round. On the other hand, Cape buffalo bulls stay in bachelor herds until the wet season, when young bulls join

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1188-617: The Battle at Kruger , a calf survived an attack by both lions and a crocodile after intervention of the herd. Males have a linear dominance hierarchy based on age and size. Since a buffalo is safer when a herd is larger, dominant bulls may rely on subordinate bulls and sometimes tolerate their copulation. The young males keep their distance from the dominant bull, which is recognizable by the thickness of his horns. Adult bulls spar in play, dominance interactions, or actual fights. A bull approaches another, lowing, with his horns down, and waits for

1242-700: The Kruger National Park in South Africa . Some disease-free buffaloes in South Africa have been sold to breeders for close to US$ 130,000. Herd size is highly variable. The core of the herds is made up of related females, and their offspring, in an almost linear dominance hierarchy . The basic herds are surrounded by subherds of subordinate males, high-ranking males and females, and old or invalid animals. African buffaloes engage in several types of group behavior. Females appear to exhibit

1296-739: The dwarf buffalo or the Congo buffalo , is the smallest subspecies of the African buffalo . It is related to the Cape buffalo ( Syncerus caffer caffer ), the Sudan buffalo ( Syncerus caffer brachyceros ), and the Nile buffalo ( Syncerus caffer aequinoctialis ). However, it is the only subspecies that occurs mainly in the rainforests of Central Africa and Western Africa , with an annual rainfall around 1,500 mm (59 in). It has been proposed to represent

1350-511: The African buffalo has no domesticated descendants, unlike the wild yak and wild water buffalo which are the ancestors of the domestic yak and water buffalo . Natural predators of adult African buffaloes include lions , African wild dogs , spotted hyenas , and Nile crocodiles . As one of the Big Five game animals, the Cape buffalo is a sought-after trophy in hunting. The African buffalo

1404-401: The actual home range boundaries of these animals is relatively recent, so only time will tell how these boundaries remain over large lengths of time; however, studies have shown almost no movement in range boundaries from one year to the next. Although the area included in a home range is relatively constant over time, the preferences in regard to what part of the range is most used shift with

1458-492: The areas that have been previously clear-cut . In some areas park management staff burn off the savannas on a regular basis to keep the rainforest from growing onto the savannas and changing the ecosystem of the area. Large home ranges can be associated with less-productive habitats; however, a larger area of open grassland has been observed to have a positive relationship with herd size. Home ranges remain remarkably constant and stable year after year. The only documentation of

1512-551: The attack of the argus. In overall shape it was like any quadruped, not all that remarkable; but that deadly writhing prehensile head hair-what a horror! African buffalo S. c. caffer S. c. nanus S. c. brachyceros S. c. aequinoctialis S. c. mathewsi The African buffalo ( Syncerus caffer ) is a large sub-Saharan African bovine . There are five subspecies that are recognized as valid by most authorities: The adult African buffalo's horns are its characteristic feature: they have fused bases, forming

1566-402: The bachelor groups. Young calves, unusually for bovids, suckle from behind their mothers, pushing their heads between the mothers' legs. In the wild African buffaloes have an average lifespan of 11 years but they've been recorded to reach 22 years of age. In captivity they can live for a maximum of 29.5 years though they only live 16 years on average. The current status of the African buffalo

1620-461: The buffalo makes use of its tongue and wide incisor row to eat grass more quickly than most other African herbivores. Buffaloes do not stay on trampled or depleted areas for long. Other than humans, African buffaloes have few predators and are capable of defending themselves against (and killing) lions . Lions kill and eat buffaloes regularly, and in some regions, the buffaloes are the lions' primary prey. It often takes several lions to bring down

1674-515: The calves are most likely to be killed by the elephant attack as they are defenseless when facing an elephant alone, whereas adults will try to fight back and may survive (or succumb to injuries afterward). The average-sized Nile crocodile typically attacks only old solitary animals and young calves, though they can kill healthy adults. Exceptionally large, old male crocodiles may become semi-habitual predators of buffaloes. The cheetah , leopard , African wild dog and spotted hyena are normally

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1728-509: The description given by Pliny the Elder though also notes that the creature is fairly passive and not known to physically attack others. Timotheus of Gaza ( On Animals , 53) says that the catoblepas emits fire from its nostrils. Claudius Aelianus ( On the Nature of Animals , 7.6) provided a fuller description: the creature was a mid-sized herbivore , about the size of a domestic bull , with

1782-406: The distance between the ends of the horns can reach upwards of one metre (the record being 64.5 inches 164 cm). The horns form fully when the animal reaches the age of 5 or 6 years old, but the bosses do not become "hard" until it reaches the age of 8 to 9 years old. In cows, the horns are, on average, 10–20% smaller, and they do not have a boss. Forest-type buffalo horns are smaller than those of

1836-432: The ears and with horns that curve back and slightly up. Calves of both types have red coats. A characteristic feature of the horns of adult male African buffalo (southern and eastern populations) is that the bases come very close together, forming a shield referred to as a "boss". From the base, the horns diverge downwards, then smoothly curve upwards and outwards and in some cases inwards and or backwards. In large bulls,

1890-502: The encounter. Rhinos live solitary lives, whereas buffalo (excluding solitary adult bulls) primarily live social lives and thus they do not usually recognize each other as threats. Hippopotamuses and buffalo also do not normally interact, but if the buffalo provokes the hippo or makes it feel threatened, a fight can break out, but this is also rare. Adolescent bull African elephants may harass or kill Cape buffalo, either out of territorial aggression or while in musth ; when they do this,

1944-431: The females, mate, help protect the young calves and then leave. Animals usually remain in the same herd for their entire lives. Herd-switching in cows has been observed; however, this is not a common occurrence. Herds can split into two groups for a short period of time before merging back together. African forest buffalo are relatively unaffected by seasonal cycles. However, in the wet season, herds are more spread out in

1998-457: The forests of the major mountains of Africa . This buffalo prefers a habitat with dense cover, such as reeds and thickets, but can also be found in open woodland. While not particularly demanding in regard to habitat, they require water daily, and so they depend on perennial sources of water. Like the plains zebra , the buffalo can live on tall, coarse grasses. Herds of buffalo mow down grasses and make way for more selective grazers. When feeding,

2052-435: The head of a hog and the body of a cape buffalo. It is sometimes known as an African version of a Gorgon . Pliny the Elder ( Natural History , 8.77) described the catoblepas as a mid-sized creature, sluggish, with a heavy head and a face always turned to the ground. He thought its gaze, like that of the basilisk , was lethal, making the heaviness of its head quite fortunate. Pomponius Mela ( Chorographia, 3.98) echoes

2106-580: The herd to move. To signal to the herd to change direction, leaders emit "gritty", "creaking gate" sounds. When moving to drinking places, some individuals make long "maaa" calls up to 20 times a minute. When being aggressive, they make explosive grunts that may last long or turn into a rumbling growl. Cows produce croaking calls when looking for their calves. Calves make a similar call of a higher pitch when in distress. When threatened by predators, they make drawn-out "waaaa" calls. Dominant individuals make calls to announce their presence and location. A version of

2160-409: The horns distinguish African forest buffalo from the other subspecies. African forest buffalo have much smaller horns than their savanna counterparts the Cape, Sudan and Nile buffalo. Cape buffalo horns often grow and fuse together, but African forest buffalo horns rarely fuse. African forest buffalo live in the rainforests of West and Central Africa; however, their home ranges typically consist of

2214-469: The light, but the poor beast wanted the moon's light. The Catoblepas was listed in the Book of Imaginary Beings (1957) by Jorge Luis Borges . It is described as a black buffalo with a hog's head that is always looking down. A catoblepas appears in A Spell for Chameleon (1977) by Piers Anthony . In the book, the catoblepas fights an argus and a harpy, all of which want to devour the protagonist, Bink. It

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2268-427: The long term if large, healthy populations continue to persist in a substantial number of national parks, equivalent reserves and hunting zones in southern and eastern Africa." In the most recent and available census data at continental scale, the total estimated numbers of the three savanna-type African buffalo subspecies ( S. c. caffer , S. c. brachyceros and S. c. aequinoctialis ) are at 513,000 individuals. In

2322-491: The middle. A buffalo herd responds to the distress call of a threatened member and tries to rescue it. A calf's distress call gets the attention of not only the mother, but also the herd. Buffaloes engage in mobbing behavior when fighting off predators. They have been recorded killing lions and chasing lions up trees and keeping them there for two hours, after the lions have killed a member of their group. Lion cubs can get trampled and killed. In one videotaped instance, known as

2376-425: The mother before joining the main herd. Older calves are held in the centre of the herd for safety. The maternal bond between mother and calf lasts longer than in most bovids. That bonding ends when a new calf is born, and the mother then keeps her previous offspring at bay with horn jabs. Nevertheless, the yearling follows its mother for another year or so. Males leave their mothers when they are two years old and join

2430-519: The opportunity to hunt one. The larger bulls are targeted for their trophy value, although in some areas, buffaloes are still hunted for meat. One of the "big five" African game , it is known as "the Black Death" or "the widowmaker", and is widely regarded as a very dangerous animal. African buffaloes are sometimes reported to kill more people in Africa than any other animal, although the same claim

2484-440: The opportunity. The Nile crocodile is the only predator which is capable of killing an adult buffalo. African forest buffalo have relatively small herds compared to the well-studied Cape buffalo. Cape buffalo can have herds of over 1,000 members; however, African forest buffalo stay in much smaller groups—as small as three and rarely over 30. If African forest buffalo are in a large group, they spend more time grazing, since there

2538-520: The other bull to do the same thing. When sparring, the bulls twist their horns from side to side. If the sparring is for play, the bull may rub his opponent's face and body during the sparring session. Actual fights are violent but rare and brief. Calves may also spar in play, but adult females rarely spar at all. During the dry season, males split from the herd and form bachelor groups. Two types of bachelor herds occur: ones made of males aged four to seven years and those of males 12 years or older. During

2592-416: The other, their heads came together to the cheeks and bosses of the bit, where they might seem to bite at the horse, and the horse, as he champed the bit, to bite at them, and that the white foam was engendered by the poisonous fury of the combat. His impresa was a Catoblepta, which so long lies dead as the moon (whereto it hath so natural a sympathy) wants her light. The word signified, that the moon wanted not

2646-433: The past, numbers of African buffaloes suffered their most severe collapse during the great rinderpest epidemic of the 1890s , which, coupled with pleuro-pneumonia , caused mortalities as high as 95% among livestock and wild ungulates. Being a member of the big five game group, a term used to describe the five most dangerous animals to hunt, the Cape buffalo is a sought-after trophy, with some hunters paying over $ 10,000 for

2700-613: The predators (the African buffalo, in particular, killing humans in 49.5% of attacks on them), but hippos and even elephants may still kill more people per annum than buffaloes. African buffaloes are notorious among big-game hunters as very dangerous animals, with wounded animals reported to ambush and attack pursuers. The Cape buffalo hybridized with Indian water buffalo to create the Jafarabadi buffalo breed. African forest buffalo Syncerus nanus The African forest buffalo ( Syncerus caffer nanus ), also known as

2754-446: The same call, but more intense, is emitted as a warning to an encroaching inferior. When grazing, they make various sounds, such as brief bellows, grunts, honks, and croaks. Females reach sexual maturity at around five years of age while males are sexually matured at four to six. African buffaloes mate and give birth only during the rainy seasons. Birth peak takes place early in the season, while mating peaks later. A bull closely guards

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2808-523: The savanna-type buffaloes from Southern and East Africa, usually measuring less than 40 cm (16 in), and are almost never fused. Unlike other large bovines, African buffalo have 52 chromosomes (for comparison, American bison and domestic cattle have 60). This means domestic cattle and bison are unable to create hybrid offspring with cape buffalo. The African buffalo is one of the most successful grazers in Africa. It lives in savannas , swamps and floodplains , as well as mopane grasslands , and

2862-468: The seasons. From March until August, African forest buffalo spend most of their time in the forest, while from September through February, they favor the savannas and marshes. African forest buffalo arrange themselves into herds, which help in defense against predators; however, they are not immune to assault. Among predators, the African leopard is the most common, but is generally only a threat to young buffaloes and will feast on them only when they have

2916-595: The wet season, the younger bulls rejoin a herd to mate with the females. They stay with them throughout the season to protect the calves. Some older bulls cease to rejoin the herd, as they can no longer compete with the younger, more aggressive males. The old bachelors are called dagga boy s ("mud covered"), and are considered the most dangerous to humans. African buffaloes make various vocalizations. Many calls are lower-pitched versions of those emitted by domestic cattle . They emit low-pitched, two- to four-second calls intermittently at three- to six-second intervals to signal

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