Snapshot Serengeti Talk

Flies with Buffalo

  • freefall90 by freefall90

    It seems that a lot of the buffalo shots have clouds of flies in them. When I see a large animal I'm unsure of and I see those flies, I almost always default to buffalo. Is that at all reliable, or do other animals consistently have these clouds of flies?

    Posted

  • Jihang by Jihang

    Same goes for mud. Covered in mud and flies? Probably a buffalo.

    I kind of feel bad, because buffalo are the one animal on Snapshot Serengeti that I just cannot find any interest in... I get annoyed when a photo pops up and it's just another expressionless buffalo standing there. Sorry buffalo.

    Posted

  • inaspin by inaspin

    Would it help if you saw buffalo with the cuts of meat lines drawn on?

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  • davidbygott by davidbygott moderator

    Might this interest you?....Buffalos practice democracy!
    When a herd of buffalo are sitting around, from time to time one stands up. points in a certain direction, and sits down. Then another, then another. Eventually when the herd moves off, its direction is the resultant of all those individual 'votes'. (Prins H.H.T, 1996, Ecology and behaviour of the African buffalo, London, UK:Chapman & Hall)

    Posted

  • Jihang by Jihang

    ... okay that is, grudgingly, kinda cool. It kinda reminds me of Snapshot Serengeti, almost, with aggregate animal IDs and grazing directions being averaged from all the responses to get an answer.

    Only apparently bulls don't vote. Because they're too busy looking at the pretty lady buffaloes to remember to look in the direction they wanna graze.

    But also I'm maybe more intrigued by inaspin's suggestion. Now I want to eat a buffalo.

    Posted

  • areinders by areinders moderator in response to davidbygott's comment.

    That is very interesting. I have to say that I like seeing buffalo, they always seem so distinguished looking to me (okay, apart from the mud and the flies).

    Posted

  • freefall90 by freefall90

    I like the buffalo too. They look fairly dumb (like cattle), but in reality are a very dangerous animal to encounter. The fact that they are regarded as one of the more dangerous critters in Africa, at least where hunting is concerned, commands a bit of respect, I think.

    Then again, maybe they're just extra cranky from being covered in mud and flies 😃

    Posted

  • davidbygott by davidbygott moderator

    When you meet one on foot, there is no doubt about who commands respect 😃

    Posted

  • inaspin by inaspin

    The ones in Australia are cranky too - and they really hate the sound of a diesel engine. 😉 but they are tasty.

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  • Jihang by Jihang

    Why can't y'all ever import nice animals into Australia? "Let's take camels, buffaloes, and cane toads, and bring them over here. Hmm, are there any other animals that are complete wankers that we forgot to add?"

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  • inaspin by inaspin

    Well, there are also feral deer (several varieties) and they have severely damaged my orchard. SO I am a bit dark on them as well, even though they are pretty. Not to mention foxes and rabbits. And pest plants. Pity we lacked the knowledge to avoid all this havoc.

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