Dear Kingdom minded, success driven
Teens and Kids. Welcome to the Animal Kingdom segment of your cherished
Platform. Our thanks go to the amazing and amiable Amazon and lover of Teens
and Kids, Aunty Mercy Chuwang.
Please enjoy the wonderful story of
the Buffalo, brought to you from the stable of your Anchor and Host, Chinazaekpere Nnabugwu.
There are two main types of
buffaloes; The African Cape buffalo and the Asian water buffalo, as well as
several sub species of buffalos.
They come from the bovine family that
include bison, antelopes and domestic cattle.
Buffaloes are mainly herbivores. This
means that they eat mainly grass and leaves. They are great swimmers and often
cross deep waters in search of places with more vegetation to eat.
An adult cape buffalo can stand up to
6 feet tall and weigh around 900 kilos. The adult Asian water buffalo can stand
up to 6 feet tall and can weigh around 1200 kilos.
The hide of an adult male’s neck is
around 2 inches thick in places which serve to protect them during battle.
The average life span of all species
of buffalo is between 18 to 20 years. In captivity, they can live up to 30
years of age.
Buffaloes use their large horns to
fight their predators and sometimes use them to fight other buffaloes.
Buffaloes are extremely powerful
animals. They are around four times stronger than an ox and are capable of
defending themselves against lions. They are regarded as very dangerous animals
and are responsible for hundreds of human deaths each year.
The collective name given to a group
of buffaloes is a heard. They live in large heard of between 50 to 2000
buffaloes and sometimes even more.
They can run at a speed of up to 35
miles per hour. Males are called bulls, females are called cows and babies are
called calves.
Many years ago in America, people
referred to the bison as the buffalo due to the similar appearance between the
two animals. The name buffalo has now stuck but the American buffalo is not a
true buffalo. It is more closely related to the European bison.
The female is pregnant for about 340
days after which one calf is born weighing approximately 40 kilos. The calf
remains hidden in vegetation for the first few weeks where it is nursed and
looked after by the mother. When the calf is ready to join the group, it is
held in the center of the herd to keep it safe.
COURTESY OF MERCY CHUWANG
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