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African Buffalo
Syncerus caffer
Silhouette: Jan A. Venter, Herbert H. T. Prins, David A. Balfour & Rob Slotow (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassMammalia (Mammals)
- OrderArtiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates and Cetaceans)
- FamilyBovidae (Bovids)
- GenusSyncerus (African Buffaloes)
- SpeciesSyncerus caffer (African Buffalo)
In 3 days >90%
348 Verified sightings at Ngorongoro Conservation Area From 2019 to 2026
5,499 In all 41 parks
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
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About the African Buffalo
The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large species of true buffalo native to Sub-Saharan Africa, where it is found in a number of disconnected ranges stretching from south-eastern Senegal through West and Central Africa to South Africa. The adult African buffalo's horns are its characteristic feature: they have fused bases that form a continuous bone shield, referred to as a "boss", across the top of the head. The African buffalo is more closely related to Asian buffalo (Bubalus) species than it is to other bovids such as American bison or domestic cattle. Its unpredictable temperament may be part of the reason that the African buffalo has never been domesticated and has no domesticated descendants, unlike the wild yak and wild water buffalo, which are the ancestors of the domestic yak and water buffalo, respectively. Natural predators of adult African buffaloes include lions, African wild dogs, spotted hyenas, and Nile crocodiles. As one of the Big Five game animals, the Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer), the largest subspecies native to eastern and southern Africa, is a sought-after trophy in hunting.
The African buffalo is a very robust species. Its shoulder... Wikipedia →
Sounds
Call0:22
Gabon · 2019
© Étienne Leroy · XC960200 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Recording0:37
South Africa · 2025
© Sascha Schumann · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:16
Congo - Brazzaville · 2019
© Mathias D'haen · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recent sightings of African Buffalo in Ngorongoro Conservation Area
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
Zoos & Centres Where Found
Closest Relatives at Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing an African Buffalo in Ngorongoro Conservation Area?
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report an African Buffalo sighting in Ngorongoro Conservation Area on a given day, based on 348 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 37 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see an African Buffalo in Ngorongoro Conservation Area?
July and August
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report an African Buffalo in Ngorongoro Conservation Area on a given day, against about 40% in April, the lowest month. Those are among Ngorongoro Conservation Area's driest months, with almost no rain against 190 mm in April.
What time of day is best to see an African Buffalo?
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Buffalo sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Ngorongoro Conservation Area the best place to see an African Buffalo?
6th of 41
Of the 41 parks where we can rate African Buffalo sightings, Ngorongoro Conservation Area ranks 6th at about 70%. The best odds are in Kidepo Valley National Park (Uganda, about 80%), Aberdare National Park (Kenya, about 80%) and Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Which relatives of the African Buffalo live in Ngorongoro Conservation Area?
Same family: Bovidae
The closest relatives of the African Buffalo that you can see in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (family Bovidae, Bovids) are Blue Wildebeest (about 70%), Thomson's Gazelle (about 60%) and Grant's Gazelle (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the African Buffalo sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Buffalo is recorded against all the mammals logged in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (348 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
