Syncerus nanus (Boddaert, 1785)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6512484 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6636733 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F50713-995B-FFE1-064E-F763F5F2F7D3 |
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treatment provided by |
Conny |
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scientific name |
Syncerus nanus |
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Forest Buffalo
French: Buffle de forét / German: Rotbuffel / Spanish: Bufalo de bosque
Other common names: Dwarf Forest Buffalo, Red Buffalo
Taxonomy. Bos nanus Boddaert, 1785 ,
Congo, Africa.
The Forest Buffalo is considered by some to be the ancestral form of the African buffaloes. The synonymy of the Forest Buffalo is complex, depending on whether the West African populations, which are somewhat larger in size with slightly greater horn span on average, are recognized as a distinct subspecies. There are slight average differences between West and Central African populations of Forest Buffaloes, and there are intermediate populations between this species and the Lake Chad Buffalo in southern Nigeria and in the Central African Republic, south of the Shari River and the Uele district. The name brachyceros has been applied to these intermediate populations in the past, but new evidence suggests that they are not homogeneous and represent a fairly narrow hybrid zone. Monotypic.
Distribution. Found in lowland rainforest regions of W & C Africa, including S Nigeria (perhaps one population remaining that may be an intermediate form), S & C Cameroon, S Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea (extinct on Bioko I), Sao Tomé and Principe Is, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, C & N DR Congo, W & C Angola (two disjunct populations). View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head—body 180-220 cm,tail 70 cm, shoulder height 100-130 cm; weight 2656-320 kg. The Forest Buffalo is distinctly smaller than the other three African buffalo species, and although still cattle-like, it appears much less massive than the Cape Buffalo. It is generally pale reddish-brown, with dark markings on the limbs and shoulders, but some individuals are entirely black. The horns of the Forest Buffalo are shorter than the other species and do not curve much laterally; they mainly curve upward, forming a crescent. Their length is greater than the total span, a discrepancy that is greater in Central than in West African populations. Horn span is 34.1-65. 5 cm and 34.5-72 cm, and horn length along the curve is 41-69 cm and 35-635 cm in Central and West African specimens, respectively. The bases of horns do not form a convex boss, as on the other savanna buffalo species. The skull is less massive than in the other species, but still short, broad, and convex in profile. The greatest length of the skull is 39.4-46. 8 cm and 41.1-49. 2 cm and the mastoid breadth is 13.7-25. 7 cm and 19.9-27. 6 cm in Central and West African specimens, respectively. The ears very large and prominent, with heavy fringes on the lateral (= inferior) edges; the long thick hair begins well into the inner surface of the pinnae. Two streaks of long white to pale yellow hair cross the ears and extend off the bottom edge. The mouth is wide, and the nose is moist and bare. The tail is tufted. No scent glands have been described in the Forest Buffalo. Dental formulais10/3,C0/1,P 3/3, M 3/3 (x2) = 32.
Habitat. Forest Buffaloes prefer open, grassy areas and watercourses in the rainforest belt of Central and Western Africa. They can be found in forest-savannas in drier areas in their range as well as areas of near-continuous primary and secondary forest. In south-western Gabon, however, Forest Buffaloes were absent in primary forest and only occurred in secondary forest in open areas and along roads, where more understory forage was available. In coastal Gabon, Forest Buffaloes are found most commonly in coastal shrub habitat. In Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic, Forest Buffaloes depend on forest clearings, but also favor forests characterized by large trees and open canopy. Logging roads that open the forest canopy and encourage understory growth are used by Forest Buffaloes in southern Cameroon.
Food and Feeding. Little specific information on the diet of Forest Buffaloes is available, but given their occupation of the rainforests, their diets likely are composed of fewer grasses than other African buffaloes occupying more open and drier savannas. In Campo-Ma’an National Park, southern Cameroon, Forest Buffaloes ate early pioneer, shade-tolerant, and swamp species of plants. Their diets were only 42:9% grasses (dominated by Leptochloa caerulescens ), with 21-3% non-grass monocots (dominated by Commelinaceae species), 32:7% dicotyledonous species, mainly their leaves (26-5%), and 3-1% cryptogams (presumably ferns and mosses).
Breeding. There is no specific information available for this species. Presumably similar to other African buffalo species, but without pronounced seasonality in breeding and birthing periods. Maximum longevity in the wild may be 18-20 years, perhaps less. Forest Buffaloes have lived more than 28 years in captivity.
Activity patterns. Forest Buffaloes follow the same general activity patterns of other ruminants, with feeding periods followed by resting/ruminating periods throughout the day and night. Forest Buffaloes in Lopé National Park, Gabon, spent about 30% of the day feeding, mostly in the morning in savanna habitat, and more than 38% of the day resting/ruminating, often in the afternoon in marshes. Activity patterns did not differ annually or seasonally at Lopé, but individual buffaloes varied somewhat in the time they devoted to feeding and resting. In Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic, groups of Forest Buffaloes tended to move rotationally from one forest clearing to another; clearings were favored as resting places during the day, but forests were preferred for resting during the night.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Numbers of Forest Buffaloes are difficult to estimate because oftheir often localized distribution and the forest cover they typically occupy. Density estimates range from 0-1-0-3 ind/km? in near-continuous forests to 6-4 ind/km? in secondary forests with open canopies and greater understory development. In a coastal shrub area in Réserve de Faune du Petit Loango, Gabon, density was 1-75 ind/km?, but it was only 0-01-0-4 ind/ km? in Campo-Ma’an National Park, southern Cameroon (highest along logging roads and their associated habitat). Forest Buffaloes do not have to move extensively in search of water and ephemeral food resources, as do many Cape Buffalo populations; therefore, movement patterns and home ranges are much smaller. Forest Buffaloes in Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic, moved greater distances from forest to clearings in the dry season than the rainy season. While moving, individuals at Dzanga-Ndokistayed closer together than they did while foraging, and the amount of time spent foraging by each individual increased with increasing group size. Home range sizes of adult females in Lopé National Park, Gabon, were 2-3-7-64 km?, and there waslittle overlap among them. Individual home ranges were stable over two years of study and were dominated by savanna habitat despite there being a greater proportion offorests in the landscape. Habitat use varied seasonally; marsh habitat was preferred over forest in September— February and forests were preferred in March—-August. Generally, the buffaloes rested/ruminated in forests, fed in savannas, and rested and wallowed in marshes. In the Lopé study area of 72 km?®, about 340 buffaloes lived in 18 relatively stable groups with a mean size of twelve individuals (range of means 3-24, maximum size observed 46). Groups occupying a traditional home range have been thought to be stable, but one of nine radio-collared females in Lopé switched groups. This suggests some fluidity in group membership, but not as much as for Cape Buffalo groups. In coastal Gabon, mean group size was smaller at 5-1 buffaloes.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List (included under S. caffer as all African buffaloes). Range-wide, Forest Buffaloes are decreasing, and their numbers have been greatly reduced because of land-use changes, disease (notably anthrax, rinderpest, and bovine tuberculosis), poaching, and extended drought. Likely extinct in Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Benin. In some areas, these are still common threats. When the bushmeat market is fueled by local increases in human activities, the Forest Buffalo and other wildlife suffer. Recent oil exploration near the Gabonese town of Gamba has resulted in unsustainable illegal harvest of forest wildlife. During a one-year survey in the late 1990s, 54 Forest Buffaloes were tallied in Gamba’s market, representing an estimated removal of 22-7 kg/km?/year from the Gamba Protected Areas Complex, the fourth highest among 30 wildlife species noted in the market. In the late 1990s, the IUCN/SSC Antelope Specialist Group estimated the total number of Forest Buffaloes at 60,000, with 75% of them occurring in and around protected areas in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, DR Congo, and Republic of the Congo. It is unknown how many Forest Buffaloes actually exist in the species’ primary range in Central Africa.
Bibliography. Bekhuis et al. (2008), Butynski et al. (1997), Chamberlan et al. (1998), Cribiu & Popescu (1980), East (1999), Estes (1991a, 1991b), Groves & Grubb (2011), Grubb (1972), Huffman (2010d), Kingdon (1982), Korte (2008a, 2008b, 2009), Lydekker (1913), Melletti, Mirabile et al. (2009), Melletti, Penteriani & Boitani (2007a), Melletti, Penteriani, Mirable & Boitani (2007b, 2008), Morgan (2007), Nowak (1999), Plumptre et al. (1997), Prins & Reitsma (1989), Sinclair (1977), Thibault & Blaney (2003), Van Hooft et al. (2000, 2002).
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