Categories
Animal Age

How old does a African buffalo get? (age expectancy)

What is the maximal age a African buffalo reaches?

An adult African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) usually gets as old as 29.5 years.

African buffalos are around 337 days in the womb of their mother. When born, they weight 39.82 kg (87.79 lbs) and measure 11.2 cm (0′ 5″). As a member of the Bovidae family (genus: Syncerus), a African buffalo caries out around 1 little ones per pregnancy, which happens around 1 times a year. Fully grown, they reach a bodylength of 2.53 meter (8′ 4″).

As a reference: Usually, humans get as old as 100 years, with the average being around 75 years. After being carried in the belly of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks), they grow to an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) and weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual.

A African buffalo gets as old as 29.5 years

The African buffalo or Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large sub-Saharan African bovine. Syncerus caffer caffer, the Cape buffalo, is the typical subspecies, and the largest one, found in Southern and East Africa. S. c. nanus (African forest buffalo) is the smallest subspecies, common in forest areas of Central and West Africa, while S. c. brachyceros is in West Africa and S. c. aequinoctialis is in the savannas of East Africa. The adult buffalo’s horns are its characteristic feature: they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield across the top of the head referred to as a “boss”. They are widely regarded as among the most dangerous animals on the African continent, and according to some estimates they gore, trample, and kill over 200 people every year.The African buffalo is not an ancestor of domestic cattle and is only distantly related to other larger bovines. Its unpredictable temperament means that the African buffalo has never been domesticated, unlike its Asian counterpart, the water buffalo. African Cape buffaloes have few predators aside from lions and large crocodiles. As a member of the big five game, the Cape buffalo is a sought-after trophy in hunting.

Animals of the same family as a African buffalo

Not really brothers and sisters, but from the same biological family (Bovidae):

Animals that reach the same age as African buffalo

With an average age of 29.5 years, African buffalo are in good companionship of the following animals:

Animals with the same number of babies African buffalo

The same number of babies at once (1) are born by:

Weighting as much as African buffalo

A fully grown African buffalo reaches around 592.83 kg (1306.97 lbs). So do these animals:

  • Moose weighting 541.46 kilos (1193.71 lbs) on average
  • Banteng weighting 631.49 kilos (1392.2 lbs) on average
  • Common eland weighting 561.8 kilos (1238.56 lbs) on average
  • Bactrian camel weighting 550.76 kilos (1214.22 lbs) on average
  • Cattle weighting 615.82 kilos (1357.65 lbs) on average
  • Domestic yak weighting 500 kilos (1102.31 lbs) on average
  • European bison weighting 674.44 kilos (1486.88 lbs) on average
  • Giant eland weighting 644.51 kilos (1420.9 lbs) on average
  • Dromedary weighting 490.36 kilos (1081.06 lbs) on average
  • American bison weighting 622.29 kilos (1371.91 lbs) on average

Animals as big as a African buffalo

Those animals grow as big as a African buffalo: