# African buffalo (*Syncerus caffer*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/african-buffalo  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), also called the Cape buffalo or Savanna buffalo, is a mammal in the family Bovidae, subfamily Bovinae and tribe Bovini, within the order Artiodactyla. It is a giant terrestrial herbivore with an adult body mass of 580 kg and up to 646.3 kg, and it is nocturnal. Gestation lasts 333.4 days (up to 341 days), with 1.08 young per litter and 0.4 litters per year, and sexual maturity is reached at 4.3 years. The IUCN Red List assesses the African buffalo globally as Near Threatened, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 580 kg – 646.3 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 29.5 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 29.8 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest, grassland, shrubland, wetland, woodland |
| Gestation | 333 days – 341 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.08 |
| Age at maturity | 4.04 years – 4.58 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.4 |
| Reproduction | Live birth |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Bovidae
- genus: Syncerus
- species: *Syncerus caffer* (Sparrman, 1779)

Synonyms: *Bos caffer*, *Syncerus caffer caffer*

## Common questions

### How heavy is the African buffalo?

The African buffalo has an adult body mass of 580 kg, with the highest value reported by our sources at 646.3 kg. It falls in the giant size class.

### What does the African buffalo eat?

The African buffalo is a herbivore.

### Is the African buffalo endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Near Threatened (NT), which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the African buffalo live?

The African buffalo has a lifespan of 29.5 years, and up to 29.8 years.

### What kind of animal is the African buffalo?

The African buffalo is a mammal in the family Bovidae and order Artiodactyla.

### How many young does the African buffalo have?

The African buffalo has 1.08 young per litter and 0.4 litters per year, after a gestation period of 333.4 days.

### Who named the African buffalo?

The African buffalo, Syncerus caffer, was named by Sparrman in 1779, written as (Sparrman, 1779).

### Is the African buffalo nocturnal?

Yes. The African buffalo is nocturnal and terrestrial.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: African buffalo (Syncerus caffer). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/african-buffalo