Africa Cape Buffalo

The horns of Cape Buffalo are very peculiar. A characteristic feature of them is the adult bull’s horns have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield referred to as a “boss”, which can not always be penetrated even by a rifle bullet. From the base, the horns diverge, then bend down, and then smoothly curve upwards and outwards. The distance between the ends of the horns of large bulls is more than 6 feet.  Note the the cow (female) in the background does not have the horn “boss”. I have also heard it referred to as a “helmet”.

The Cape buffalo is the largest of the African buffalo, with large males weighing up to 2,000 lb. It is peculiar to South and East Africa. Buffaloes of this subspecies living in the south of the continent, notably tall in size and ferocity, are the so-called Cape buffalo.
Known as one of the “big five, “Black Death” or “widowmaker” in Africa, the African buffalo is widely regarded as a very dangerous animal, as it gores and kills over 200 people every year. Buffaloes are sometimes reported to kill more people in Africa than any other animal, although the same claim is also made of hippos and crocodiles, Buffaloes are notorious among big game hunters as very dangerous animals, with wounded animals reported to ambush and attack pursuers