Mating System
The African buffalo exist within a polygynous mating system. Because the males migrate away from the herd each season, there is little parental care or investment. During the mating system, when the adult male buffalo return to the herd, the male to female ration is about 1:4 (Main 1990). Because about 10-15% of the males in the herd are dominant they must fight for and defend the females that they wish to reproduce with (Isvaran 2005). The males at this time will spend less time grazing than the females and they will put more energy into courting activities, scanning for potential mates as well as fighting off other males in order to secure a mate (Turner 2005). The male knows that a female is in estrus because he can identify the smell in her urine. Once a female is identified the male will stand near her and graze by her for 2-3 days. This action is called tending. The other buffalo observe and recognize this tending as a signal that she is in estrus (Sinclair 1977). Over the following days multiple males will approach the female and, depending on his dominance status, she may or may not allow him to take over the tending. The female may wait until a buffalo with an appropriate dominance ranking approaches her before she allows any copulation (Isvaran 2005). The bull will then lick her rump and rest his head on her back; if she stays then he will proceed with copulation. The male will always copulate at least two times within a half hour in order to secure his chances of a successful copulation. Sometimes the female will initiate by putting her head on the males rump or under his belly (Newell 2000).
Photo courtesy of Christopher Jameson
Subordinate males do not get to mate with a female unless she chooses to let him mate with her. Many subordinate males will try to mount the female, against her will, during stampedes (Sinclair 1977). Even though the subordinate male rarely gets a chance to mate he stays with the herd because he is offered protection and a chance at dominance in the future.