Water Buffalo are Asian, this is an African Cape buffalo. They're much more formidable and aggressive animals than water buffalo so this is especially impressive.
Ecologist rampaging in here. What an incredible shot!
I see folks debating whether this is a male or female. This is an old matriarch! She is defending her family. You can see here teats at the front of her chest, the nipple would be more behind the front legs. Female African elephants get pretty big; 7,000 to 10,000 lbs (3 to 5 tons) according to the Maryland Zoo - I don't memorize what every animal weighs. The angle the photo was taken is also making her look larger than usual. They have tusks just as the males do, which both sexes use to dig and strip bark from trees. Males also do not usually stay with the family herd but roam as singles. Male elephants have vestigial nipples, but they do not have the swelling of the gland as females do, they're flatter in front. You can see a comparative illustration here.
The bovine in question is a Cape Buffalo, not a water buffalo. Sources are saying the buffalo was likely sick and acting strangely.
I went through about a dozen lame news sources and found what I think is a reliable post. Here is a link about the story from the Rhino Africa Blog, the woman who took the photos is in the comment section talking about the experience.
AceyUK on May 25th, 2017 at 11:25 UTC »
DAYUMMM. Wish there was a slo-mo clip of this, Momma throws a mean uppercut!
Edit: So many replies, holy shit, my youtube recommended is going to be full of elephants goring stuff!
Babirusa1 on May 25th, 2017 at 12:41 UTC »
Water Buffalo are Asian, this is an African Cape buffalo. They're much more formidable and aggressive animals than water buffalo so this is especially impressive.
FillsYourNiche on May 25th, 2017 at 13:43 UTC »
Ecologist rampaging in here. What an incredible shot!
I see folks debating whether this is a male or female. This is an old matriarch! She is defending her family. You can see here teats at the front of her chest, the nipple would be more behind the front legs. Female African elephants get pretty big; 7,000 to 10,000 lbs (3 to 5 tons) according to the Maryland Zoo - I don't memorize what every animal weighs. The angle the photo was taken is also making her look larger than usual. They have tusks just as the males do, which both sexes use to dig and strip bark from trees. Males also do not usually stay with the family herd but roam as singles. Male elephants have vestigial nipples, but they do not have the swelling of the gland as females do, they're flatter in front. You can see a comparative illustration here.
The bovine in question is a Cape Buffalo, not a water buffalo. Sources are saying the buffalo was likely sick and acting strangely.
I went through about a dozen lame news sources and found what I think is a reliable post. Here is a link about the story from the Rhino Africa Blog, the woman who took the photos is in the comment section talking about the experience.
If you're into wildlife and science you might also enjoy /r/ScienceFacts, /r/awwducational or maybe my nature Instagram feed, each photo has some information about each organism.