Which one is the top prey hunted by the Apex Predator's?

[Brehm]

A few weeks ago i found an interesting article which compare's the hunting of cape and water buffalo's. It's from a hunter's magazine called sportsafield. Even though it is from the perspective of human hunter's, i think the experiences described in the article are usefull for clearing up with some cliche's.

Some quotes from the article:

"The Cape buffalo of Africa is genus and species Syncerus caffer; and the water buffalo, native to Asia, is Bos bubalus. We call them both “buffalo” (as we do the American bison, which is yet another genus and species), which is confusing. The Cape buffalo is a signature African animal, but for some reason, many people refer to Cape buffalo as “water buffalo.” While this mistake is common and adds to the confusion, for totally unknown reasons I have never heard anyone refer to a water buffalo as a “Cape buffalo.”
As hunters, I think it’s important to understand that water buffalo and Cape buffalo are significantly different animals. In biological terms, they are not as close as white-tailed deer and mule deer (which do share the same genus), and thus might be considered as disparate as sheep and goats or even elk and mule deer. They do have similarities. Both are cloven-hoofed ungulates; both are primarily grazers.
There are also significant differences. In appearance they are both big, black bovines—but even this is an oversimplification. There are numerous races of African buffalo, and the western varieties are usually shades of red and brown rather than black. Water buffalo, though predominantly black, often have pale foreleg markings and a white throat patch—which you will never see in African buffalo—and I have seen mature individuals that are brown and even tan.
The most numerous and widespread African buffalo, the southern or Cape buffalo, has horns that almost grow together in the center to form the distinctive “boss.” Water buffalo grow horns that are separated on the forehead…but the westernmost races of African buffalo also have separated horns, and rarely grow the distinctive boss. The horns of water buffalo may grow out into an incredibly wide spread, may grow upward in a gentle curve, or may curl around radically. Unlike the Cape buffalo, the water buffalo was domesticated many centuries ago, and have been moved around so much that it’s pretty hard to sort them out. There are obviously different gene pools; Australian water buffalo have horns that are almost triangular in cross-section, curving out and up. The water buffalo so widespread in Argentina and the few herds I’ve seen in the United States have horns that are more oval in cross section, and tend to curl around close to the skull.


The wide-horned Australian stock was almost certainly brought in from Indonesia, which lies just north of Australia, while I’m told the curl-horned stock came from India. In any case, at some point in the distant past there was probably more than one race of water buffalo, but they have been moved around for so long to plow fields and provide alternative meat and milk sources that nobody really tries to keep them separate. They are all “water buffalo”—but some look quite different from others. True wild populations still exist here and there, from India southeast to Vietnam and Indonesia, with the only current hunting opportunity I’m aware of in the Philippines. Australia has arguably the best water buffalo hunting today, a vast free-range population introduced in the 1830s and long since established across a huge expanse of the Northern Territories. In Argentina, water buffalo are hunted in both free-range and feral populations, and in the USA there are huntable herds in Texas and Florida, and perhaps elsewhere.
As mentioned, African buffalo also vary regionally in horn configuration, but African buffalo are hunted in Africa, period. I am not implying that they couldn’t be, but they were never domesticated, and with the exception of a few captive disease-free breeding programs, they are pretty much found and hunted on native range.
Despite the fact that both are animals we call “buffalo” with many shared characteristics, there are strong differences. African buffalo are extremely gregarious herd animals, with herds often running into the hundreds and I suppose, in bygone days, sometimes into the thousands. Water buffalo tend to roam in small family groups. In good country in Australia I’ve counted hundreds of buffalo on a single plain—but they were spread out over a vast area, in smaller groups here and there. Even where the population is extremely dense, I’ve never seen a herd larger than possibly twenty; family groups of less than ten seem much more common."

Till here common things are described, in a detailed way.

"Although my Australian friends don’t like to hear this, I’ve messed with water buffalo on three continents and I find them considerably less wary than African buffalo. I’m not sure if this is natural (like American bison), or if it has something to do with eons of domestication. Both are possible, but I personally believe it’s because the majority of African buffalo still coexist with lions, and spend much of their lives on the run from the great cats. I have no experience with wild water buffalo that still coexist with tigers. Australian buffalo, for instance, have lived absent predators for a dozen bovine generations. They are more approachable than any African buffalo I’ve ever seen.

Note that the words I’ve used are “wary” and “approachable.” “Aggressive” is an altogether different matter. In general it doesn’t apply to either buffalo unless you hurt one of them. African buffalo are legendary for their ferocity—but a serious charge from an unwounded buffalo is a very rare event. In this year 2012 alone, three hunters that I know of have been killed by African buffalo…but all three buffalo were wounded. With modern communications and air evacuation, human death from buffalo is also rare, so this is a bad year.
However, a wounded buffalo is unquestionably dangerous, and if you wound one I think instincts take over and the situation is much the same between the two varieties. Some years back, American Jay Carlson, outfitting in the Philippines, was badly gored by a wounded water buffalo. He hunts in heavy jungle, which is somewhat unusual with water buffalo hunting today. Australian outfitter Greg Pennicott, hunting primarily floodplains and semi-open eucalyptus forest, has seen hundreds of water buffalo taken. Although he has seen dangerous situations, he maintains he has never seen a full-out charge. On the other hand, I’ve shot dozens of African buffalo, and I’ve never seen a full-out charge, either. It can happen with any large bovine, but I believe the type of cover may be a major influence on the danger level.
Water buffalo are considerably bigger; the largest African buffalo bulls rarely weigh more than 1,500 pounds, while a big water buffalo bull will weigh a ton. Both are incredibly strong. I’ve seen water buffalo taken easily with fairly light rifles but, once adrenaline is up, I’ve also seen them take multiple good hits from heavy calibers. Cape buffalo, of course, are notorious for being tough—but I don’t think there’s much difference there, except that the water buffalo, whether he’s as tough or not, is a whole lot bigger—and that does make a difference."

Full article: http://www.sportsafield.com/content/cape...er-buffalo

The interesting parts have been described here. The almost legendary aggressiveness of the cape buffalo, which brought him the reputation as "black death", is according to the mentioned experiences from the article and from my point of view perhaps more likely a result of unawarness/provocation of hunters, farmers etc.
It is doubtfull, that there is really a significant difference of aggresiveness in the cape buffalo compared to other bovines, as often believed. The fact, that cape's haven't been effectively domesticated yet, could be also just a result of the history of local civilization and/or the missing experiences with domestication in some areas.
The now extinct wild Auerochs (Bos primigenius) for example was known for its aggresiveness (described by Gaius Julius Caeser), but still it has been domesticated throughout its distribution range.

However, the first reaction of all bovine's is mostly the same, if a predator appears: Flee due to herd instinct. Sometimes they turn around and decide to fight back, this has been observed even in enwildered domestic water buffalo's.

In summary, i believe it can be concluded, that both species -also Gaur's and Bison's- present a unique and dangerous challenge for the apex predator's in their environment. With their own difficulties (the smaller size of the cape buffalo's is "compensated" by larger herd's). Even though the largest individum's of Gaur's and Water Buffalo's, in my opinion, are somehow in their own league for solitary hunter's because of their size.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

  Reply