Buffalo Pictures

Although buffalo are placid if undisturbed, they are highly dangerous when molested or wounded.

It's a lot safer photographing buffalo from a vehicle than on foot - walking into a bad-tempered old bull lurking in the undergrowth could be fatal.

Old Buffalo Bull with Oxpecker

Click on picture to enlarge

Telephoto Lens Rather use a telephoto lens - 200mm focal length or more - if you're determined to get a shot of a surly buffalo staring malevolently at you. With their thick necks, massive bodies and short, powerful limbs, buffalo deserve their "Big Five" ranking. Their horns, sought after by hunters, grow from thick, wrinkled bosses on the forehead, flare sideways and downwards and then curve upwards to the tips. Buffalo are gregarious animals and the largest herds can swell to more than a thousand, although herds of a few hundred are more common. To find out more, see our African Buffalo Information page. Because of their size and strength, and the numbers in a herd, buffalo are fairly safe from predators, including lions. It is not uncommon for a group of adult buffalo to chase off a pride of marauding lions. For an incredible example of this behavior, see the famous Battle at Kruger video on YouTube that, at last count, had been viewed more than 70 million times! Good Photo Opportunities If you're on safari in Africa, you stand a good chance of seeing buffalo, either in small groups (usually old bulls who band together) or large herds. The old bulls, because of their massive horns and battle-scarred bodies, make great pictures, particularly when they stare angrily at you. To quote author Robert Ruark, they look at you like "you owe them money!" Huge herds of buffalo can be more difficult to photograph, as the animals are often moving and milling around, while it's difficult to adequately portray the size of the herd unless you're photographing from the air. Return to Wildlife Galleries

Permitted Uses: See Terms of Use.