AnimalsSavanna
African buffalo Fun facts for kids
Syncerus caffer
The African buffalo lives in grassy plains near water in Africa and eats tall grass, sometimes leaves.
- Where it lives
- in grassy plains near water in Africa
- What it eats
- tall grass, sometimes leaves
- How big it is
- as heavy as a small car
Fun facts about the African buffalo
The ones Sammy likes best. She tells them in the game, too.
A buffalo herd seems to vote: grown-up females stand and stare one way, and the herd walks the way they faced.
Big males grow a hard helmet of horn across their forehead, and they can bash with it like a battering ram.
Little birds ride on its back and eat the ticks off its skin.
Old males love to cover themselves in mud to keep cool and keep bugs away.
A charging buffalo can run faster than the fastest human runner.
Buffalo gulp down grass in a hurry, then lie down and chew it all over again.
Buffalo have a special long call that means the herd is about to set off for a drink.
It cannot see very well, but its nose is so good it can sniff out water.
Riddle
Can a friend guess it?
Read the clues to someone, one at a time, without saying the animal. How many clues do they need? Fewer is better, just like in the game.
I live in a big herd on grassy plains near water in Africa.
When my herd must choose a way, the grown-up females stare in one direction, and we follow.
Little birds ride on my back and eat the ticks off my skin.
The big males in my family grow a hard helmet of horn right across their forehead.
I look like a huge black wild cow with wide horns, and my herd can chase off lions.
Sammy might be thinking of an African buffalo.
In Thought Zoo, Sammy picks an animal and you ask her yes-or-no questions to find it. You'll find the African buffalo in the Savanna adventure.
Play the SavannaComing to iPad, iPhone and Android on 12 January 2027
