Forest Buffalo

Syncerus caffer nanus

The forest buffalo, Syncerus caffer nanus (sometimes also called dwarf, or Congo buffalo) is a subspecies that lives in forests of West Africa and looks quite different from the savannah buffalo, Syncerus caffer caffer (or Cape buffalo), found in sub-Saharan Africa. Forest buffalos have longer red-brown hair, while S. c. caffer has shorter dark hair. They graze mainly grass, and spend more time feeding at night than during the day. When under attack, the adult members of the herd form a circle around the young or weaker members, with their horns pointing outwards. Only the older, solitary-living males can be taken by lions.

The picture of this forest buffalo was taken at the Chicago Brookfield zoo, in August 2004.

Genus Syncerus
Subfamily Bovinae
Family Bovidae
Order Artiodactyla
Subclass Eutheria
Class Mammalia
Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum Chordata
Kingdom Animalia
Life on Earth
Index