(Tourist)

03/15/06 05:19 AM

Birds and Buffalos (or bison?) very interesting :)

my web page

:
www.leventparman.com

Aviation_Man_spotter

(Tourist)

03/16/06 06:16 PM

Re: Birds an Buffalos, very interesting :)

Apparently the "experts" doing the mega flyover dont understand the difference between buffalo and wildebeasts. Buffalo are big, hairy, fat, shaggy beasts and live mostly in the U.S. and some other countries, BUT NOT AFRICA!!!! A species called wildebeasts which are close AFRICAN relativesa of the buffalo have a distinguishing type of bony horn of their head which they use for fighting. If it has a bony head, it's a wildebeast. If not, then they have discovered a brand new type of U.S. Buffalo living in Africa.

rogereh

(Tourist)

03/16/06 06:44 PM

Re: Birds an Buffalos, very interesting :)

I am going to believe Nat Geo when they say the mammals pictured are buffalo (Cape buffalo, formally speaking), which like look this http://espn.go.com/winnercomm/outdoors/general/i/P2_g_enc_illo_capebuf.jpg

and not wildebeests, which look like this:
http://espn.go.com/winnercomm/outdoors/general/i/P2_g_enc_illo_bluwilde.jpg

Note the bulk of the body and the heft of the "boss" of the horns. Buff in that flyover, not wildebeest.

And....those "big, hairy, fat, shaggy beasts" from North America are more appropriately called "bison."
http://www.winona.edu/english/NewUniversity/Photos/KW-Bison.JPG

REH

IanUK

(Tourist)

03/17/06 12:56 AM

Re: Birds an Buffalos, very interesting :)

African Buffalo:

American Buffalo (a.k.a. Bison):

Australian Buffalo:

Indian Wild Buffalo:

European Buffalo (Bison):

There's almost one for each continent!!

The African Buffalo is one of the most famous (and most dangerous) of all the animals to grace the African Plains. If you did some research, you would also know that it is included, along with the elephant, lion, rhinocerous and the leopard in THE BIG FIVE. The phrase was coined by hunters, as these five were the most sought after game animals. Now, they are also the most sought after animals to see on safari.

And just for the record, the Wildebeest (note the double 'e' - a.k.a. Gnu) is not related to the Buffalo. It is an Antelope.

911chief

(Tourist)

03/17/06 02:55 AM

Re: Birds an Buffalos, very interesting :)

Rogereh is RIGHT. They are Cape Buffalo and Buffalo's found in North America are Bison.

JVH

Aviation_Man_spotter

(Tourist)

03/17/06 11:58 AM

Re: Birds an Buffalos, very interesting :)

my bad. i got confused

ozlingula

(Guide)

03/17/06 03:50 PM

Re: Birds an Buffalos, very interesting :)

Quote:

There's almost one for each continent!!

Australia doesn't have any indigenous buffalo, they are all introduced .......

Quote:

Water buffalos were imported to Australia in the 19th century to supply meat to remote northern settlements. The settlements and their buffalos were abandoned in 1949 and, despite harvesting for meat, hides and as hunters' trophies, feral buffalos spread across the northern floodplains. By the 1970s, feral buffalo numbers were so high that they were destroying wetlands and harbouring diseases that could affect native species and livestock. The Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign, developed to protect the meat export industry, has all but eradicated feral buffalos from the wild. The challenge will be to ensure that feral buffalo populations do not rebuild.

I do not know what the current status is, but I think the eradication program is still ongoing. This web page referrered to below helps explain the situation.

See this web page.

IanUK

(Tourist)

03/18/06 02:12 PM

Re: Birds an Buffalos, very interesting :)

Thanks Oz, I didn't know any of that. But you do have one, it just isn't "yours"! What a waste though, and another fine example of man thinking he knows best. Well, we learn something new every day!

ozlingula

(Guide)

03/18/06 04:11 PM

Re: Birds an Buffalos, very interesting :)

Hi Ian,

yes indeed,

Quote:

But you do have one, it just isn't "yours"! What a waste though, and another fine example of man thinking he knows best.

We, as well as probably most countries, have lots of introduced animals and plants that fit the category of "it seamed like a good idea at the time".

IanUK

(Tourist)

03/19/06 03:41 AM

Re: Birds an Buffalos, very interesting :)

That's true. There's some good examples in the UK too, actually. Did you know that Rabbits are not native to Britain? They were brought here from the Mediterannean by the Normans in the 12th century for meat and fur, and now there everywhere! More include the Grey Squirrel, brought from America in the 1800s simply for "ornamental" purposes.

EDIT: Out of curiosity, I just had a quick look at non-native wildlife in the UK on the net, and there's a fair few! They include Reptiles and amphibians, trees and loads more mammals (check out "Table 2").

It's turning out to be an interesting subject! I'm off to read some more!