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Buffalo : Wildlife Southern Africa
Habitat: Buffalo are extremely adaptable animals, being able to occupy open grasslands, wooded savanna and thickets.
Habits: Highly gregarious animals, buffalo associate in herds of up to 1000 or more individuals. Despite being very aggressive and extremely dangerous animals (more hunters are killed by buffaloes than any other animal), buffaloes are very peaceful amongst themselves. The dominant bull normally is the oldest bull in the herd. Both sexes have horns, but those of males are more robust and heavier. Males can attain a mass of about 800 kg and they have a life span of approximately 20 years.
Diet: Buffalo are exclusively grazers.
Breeding:
Female buffalo become sexually matured at the age of 5 years. The gestation period is 11 months and one single calf is born.
Both male and female buffalo have horns, but those of the males are much longer and end in broad cartilages. In older animals, these cartilages join on the forehead.
Buffaloes are normally quite peaceful and only become aggressive when they feel threatened. For example, it is reported that buffaloes which were shot, closed in on the hunter in a circle and attacked him.
Related Travel Information
Hippo : Wildlife Southern Africa
Hippos are the most feared animals in southern Africa. Each year more people are killed by them than by all the other animals together.
Hippos weigh up to two tons and can be four metres long. Hippos are vegetarians and feed exclusively on grass.
Hippos watch strictly over their territories and threaten anybody invading it by what looks like yawning. If the invader does not withdraw, they usually attack without any further hesitation. Smaller boats are particularly at risk, because a rhino can easily topple it over, and as their front teeth are as sharp as razorblades,
Wildlife in Southern Africa
South Africa is quite justly proud of its rich natural heritage, which is being diligently protected in the many nature reserves and national parks. The country is home to more than 300 mammal species, over 500 bird species, over 100 kinds of reptiles and countless insects.
Not all the animals are easy to watch. Besides the fact that many species are night-active, season, place, wheather and, of course, luck play a part as well. To observe and photograph animals, always requires a lot of patience and also good lenses with a long focal distance.
Explore the animal
Buffalo Springs National Reserve
Buffalo springs is a 131 sq kms located south of the Ewaso Ngiro River, which serves as its northern border with Samburu Nationa Reserve. The unusual Down palm, the only palm tree species whose trunk divides into two branches, grows to over 60 Feets in height in this arid park. Wildlife seen here is same as Samburu National park.
Snakes : Wildlife Southern Africa
In all areas of South Africa, there are different species of snakes, most of them harmless, but some extremely venomous.
The Cape Cobra on the right is one of the more dangerous kinds. Its bite paralyses the muscles, respiration and eventually heart failure. One can recognize the snake by its flat throat. If disturbed, it raises its upper body and takes on a threatening posture. The probability of encountering such a poisonous snake is very small, since they all, except the puffadder, quickly disappear as soon as they sense the slightest movement.
Nevertheless, one should never go for
Kafue National Park
Kafue National Park is one of the largest in Africa, covering 8687 square miles (22,400 km2), making it two and one-half times the size of South Luangwa National Park and half the size of Switzerland.
Kafue has the largest number of different antelope spe¬cies of any park in Africa. However, game is more difficult to see here than in South Luangwa, since much of Kafue, especially the southern area, is clothed with a double-canopy forest. It is seldom visited by international travelers.
The southern and central parts are open all year while the northern area is only open during the
