Cape buffalo

Cape buffalo

noun \ˈkāp-\

Definition of CAPE BUFFALO

: the large reddish-brown to black wild buffalo (Syncerus caffer) of sub-Saharan Africa —called also African buffalo

Origin of CAPE BUFFALO

Cape of Good Hope, Africa

First Known Use: 1860

Cape buffalo

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Massive, black, horned buffalo (Syncerus caffer), formerly found throughout sub-Saharan Africa but now greatly reduced in number by disease and hunting. It is a gregarious animal of open or scrub-covered plains and open forests. When wounded, it is regarded as one of the most dangerous animals. It stands up to 5 ft (1.5 m) tall at the shoulder, and bulls can weigh almost a ton (about 900 kg). Its heavy horns typically curve downward, then up and inward. A smaller subspecies is found in dense West African forests.