Syncerus caffer nanus

(Boddaert, 1785)

Vernacular names
English : Forest Buffalo
French : Buffle nain

Classification
Class : Mammalia
Order : Cetartiodactyla
Family : Bovidae
Notes : 4 other subspecies known.

Identification
220 cm body length, shoulder height of 130 cm, weight up to 320 kg. This subspecies is unmistakable. Chocolate brown to dark brown hairs, longer on ears and on neck. Black legs. Horns are backward oriented, very thick for males and slightly curved.

Range and habitat
The subpecies lives Western and Central Africa from Nigeria and Cameroon to DR Congo. Species found in most of Subsaharan Africa. Lives in rainforests, usually in grassy areas near water and other open areas in primary and secondary forests.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NEAR THREATENED
CITES : Not listed
Status : The species hasn’t been precisely assessed but it seems to be globally declining because of habitat destruction (oil exploration, land-use changes), disease spreading and hunting for bush-meat.
Ex-Situ Programs : ESB in Europe

Observation

 

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