We came upon a small pond on an evening game drive. On the shore was a skull of a Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer). Mr Nixon stood on alert; Vicki and me hopped out of the truck to get the picture. Little was left of this cantankerous bovid but its horns still commanded attention.
Horns grow on bulls and cows, rising, drooping, curling, pointing. In mature males, the horns often grow together forming a "boss" across the top of the skull (you can see a gap on this one). The point spread may reach a meter. This accessory gives the animal a formidable helmet for infighting or a weapon for repealing predators. I stepped close for the shot, stopped, sniffed the approaching night air and wondered what took this one down.
Unlike its cousins, the water buffalo or the yak, the Cape buffalo has never been tamed by man.