Cape buffalo calf on a game farm© Photography Phor Phun/Shutterstock.com
Click here to view the Video on YouTube
The video clip showcased above, filmed by YouTube user Larry Egolf, captures a tense moment when a group of Cape buffalo defends their calves against a pack of hyenas. Is this typical behavior for Cape buffalo herds? Do hyenas often risk confronting larger animals for prey? Let’s delve deeper into the behavior of these intriguing creatures.
Cape buffalo exhibit social behavior by forming large herds to safeguard themselves from predators in the savannah. ©Gunter Nuyts/Shutterstock.com
About Cape Buffalo
Cape buffalo, also known as African buffalo, are a subspecies of buffalo found in sub-Saharan Africa. In contrast to bison in America, Cape buffalo inhabit grasslands, coastal savannahs, and lowland rainforests. They are highly social animals, residing in herds of hundreds to thousands for protection against predators like Nile crocodiles, lions, and hyenas. While Nile crocodiles pose a significant threat to adult buffalo, lions and hyenas typically target the younger members of the herds.
How Do Cape Buffaloes Protect Calves?
Herds primarily consist of females and calves, with males forming separate groups as they age. Adult buffalo are fiercely defensive of their young, responding swiftly when a calf is in peril. In the face of predators like the hyenas in the video, the group encircles to shield the vulnerable young, with older and stronger buffalo facing outward to confront the threat.
How Large Can Cape Buffaloes Grow?
Cape buffalo are robust herbivores capable of defending themselves against predators, weighing up to 2,000 pounds for the largest males. Newborn calves, however, are significantly smaller at around 100 pounds, making them more susceptible to attacks. Both males and females possess long horns and sharp hooves for protection, swiftly rallying to defend any member under threat.
Hyenas Form Complex Social Groups
Hyenas, depicted in the video as spotted hyenas, are the predominant species in Africa, organizing into socially intricate clans led by dominant females. They coexist in communal groups and are known to engage in confrontations with larger animals like Cape buffalo for prey.
In the video, the intense standoff between the Cape buffalo herd and the hyenas highlights the protective instincts and cooperative defense strategies employed within the buffalo community. The ongoing interactions in the wild serve as a testament to the dynamic relationships and survival tactics observed in these fascinating animal species.
Groups of up to 100 individuals, known as clans, exhibit complex social structures. Dominant females, larger and more aggressive than males, lead these clans. Even the lowest-ranking female cub holds a higher social status than a fully grown adult male.
Hyenas hunt collaboratively, targeting the weakest prey and scavenging if necessary. When pursuing larger prey like Cape buffalo, they target stragglers such as older individuals or young calves vulnerable on the savannah. The size of the hyena clan correlates with the risks they are willing to take. Given the opportunity, hyenas can swiftly break a buffalo’s bone with their strong jaws.
While solitary or in small groups, hyenas hunt smaller prey like guinea fowls and snakes. In contrast, large groups have been observed taking down zebra, wildebeest, and even massive Cape buffalo. In a video featuring hyenas attempting to overwhelm a buffalo herd, the buffalo put up a strong defense, resulting in a tense standoff with no clear winner.
To watch the video, click here: [link to the video].
The article “See the Heart-Pumping Video of Genius Buffalo Protecting Their Young from 30 Hungry Hyenas” was originally published on A-Z Animals.
