“AFRICAN BUFFALO HERDS “VOTE”
Researchers have discovered a curious phenomenon in female African buffalo: they appear to “vote” to decide which direction to move the herd in. During times of rest, the females sit on the ground facing the direction they think the herd should move. After resting time finishes, the herd then moves in the direction that the majority were pointing towards. The most interesting aspect of this observed behaviour is that it is communal: the dominance hierarchy does not appear to influence the “votes” of individual buffalo.”
Taurus Buffalo - 24”x 36” Acrylic Painting on Canvas. August 2020
The most difficult painting I’ve done to date, partly due to the fact that I was trying to depict how dangerous the African Buffalo is, but the colors chosen, the texture and the stance painted took time to get close to what was on my mind.
To make matters more interesting, it was during this painting that I got stung by a Yellow Jacket Bee - I guess the bee knew how dangerous the animal in the painting was and gave its life by punishing me :)
Anyway, the painting came out well and now hangs in the basement of my house.
What else is cool about the African Buffalo?
“AFRICAN BUFFALO HORNS TELL MANY STORIES
In adult male African buffaloes, the base of their distinct, curving horns come so close together that the fuse. This creates a sort of shield on their heads known as a “boss”. Female buffalo horns do not have a “boss”, allowing researchers to distinguish between male and female buffalo more easily. In addition, the larger and thicker the horns in adult males, the more likely this male is to be higher ranked in the dominance hierarchy of the herd. In other words, you can tell a lot about an African buffalo from their horns!”