African buffalo are one of the strongest and most imposing species of the African savanna, with a reputation for being amongst the most dangerous; earning the nickname "Widowmaker" amongst big game hunters. The species is made up of four subspecies, Forest Buffalo (S. c. nanus); West African Savanna Buffalo (S. c. brachyceros); Central African Savanna Buffalo (S. c. aequinoctialis); and Southern African Savanna Buffalo (S. c. caffer). Savanna type buffaloes usually weigh between 500 to 1000kg which makes them roughly twice the size of the forest buffalo; which will weigh from 250 to 500kg. Their shoulder height can range from 1.0 to 1.7 m (3.3 to 5.6 ft) and its head-and-body length can range from 1.7 to 3.4 m (5.6 to 11.2 ft). On top of this massive frame lies the buffalo's most characteristic feature, their horns. Both male and female buffalo have horns, which diverge downwards before smoothly curving upwards and outwards. The horns of the male African buffalo are more intriguing as their bases come close together and fuse to form a shield, referred to as a "boss". These physical characteristics make the African buffalo more than capable of fighting off predators, but with their heard behaviour they become even more dangerous.
Herds are made up of a core of females along with their offspring; surrounded by smaller sub-herds of subordinate males, high-ranking males and females, and older members. Young males will keep their distance from the dominant bull, which can often be recognised by the thickness of his horns. During the dry season males will split from the herd to form bachelor groups, and then during the wet season those young enough to compete will rejoin a herd to mate; staying throughout the season to protect their calf. Older bulls often do not rejoin a herd as they are unable to compete with the younger males. A herd is fearlessly protective of it members and will stick close together when threatened by predators; the distress call of a calf in particular will get the attention of not only its mother, but the whole herd. Buffalo will often try to rescue members captured by a predator by mobbing the attacker making use of both their huge size and numbers. The buffalo is considered the most dangerous animal of the Big Five to hunt due to this propensity for them to prefer fight over flight. There are numerous records of buffalo chasing and killing predators and hunters a like; the most high profile of which being the "Battle at Kruger", an eight minute amateur wildlife video showing a herd fighting both lions and a crocodile to save a calf.
They are the only member of the Big Five not considered threatened or endangered, however they still make the IUCN Red Least under the "least Concern category. This is justified by their widespread population as well as some healthy populations offsetting loses in other less secure areas. While living as a herd brings with it a lot of protection it presents its own unique challenges in regards to population management; most notably the easy transition of diseases and susceptibility to drought (Which often go hand in hand). The African buffalo suffers their biggest collapse during the 1890's due to an epidemic of rinderpest and pleuro-pneumonia, which came with a 95% mortality rate. With the rise of global warming droughts are now becoming a bigger problem with substantial declines during the 1990's in Tsavo, Serengeti, Gonarezhou and Kruger as a direct result of insufficient rainfall in the regions.
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