Bluffalo mug

The Bluffalo is every guy your mother warned you about.

Cool as a cucumber and a bit of a shady character, he sleeps most of the day. Most nights, though, he can be found chewing on Cuban cigars and hosting (and winning) a poker game or five.

Some sore losers say he counts cards, though he’s really just a formidable, talented opponent.

While the other players cockily assume the vast quantities of port he imbibes will cloud his judgement, the Bluffalo holds his liquor really well and always keeps his wits about him.

About our LESSER SPOTTED AFRICAN WILDLIFE latte mugs:

This is what you get when you buy mugs from Stuff by Jools, you lucky person, you!:

• ○ 12oz (350ml) Lesser Spotted African Wildlife cone-shaped latte mug
• ○ Premium grade ceramics with scratch-resistant finish
• ○ Dishwasher- and handwash-friendly
• ○ Microwave-safe
• ○ Individually hand-made in Cape Town
• ○ The perfect gift for coffee, tea and hot chocolate lovers: friends, family members or loved ones – or for you!

*Please don’t scrub hard with bleach and a scourer, even if you’re a die-hard germaphobe (true story) – treat your Bluffalo mug gently and it’ll give you years of pleasure and amusement.

ALL ABOUT the African buffalo:

Native to sub-Saharan Africa and one of the Big Five, this species (Syncerus caffer) – to which our friend, the Bluffalo, belongs, is a large and powerful wild bovine. There are loads of them in the Kruger National Park and some smaller herds in Zululand and the Eastern Cape.  They are regarded as extremely dangerous animals (one of the most dangerous in Africa).

As they’re unpredictable (rather tetchy, actually), they ambush or charge when threatened or wounded and are often referred to as “Black Death” or “Widowmaker”. You wouldn’t want to startle one in a dark alley at night .. which is unlikely to happen as they generally hang around in woodland savannas.

KEY TRAITS:

Size: They can reach heights of 1.5 to 1.7m and weights up to 900kg – a rather formidable force!

Best known for: Their iconic horns (adult males), which form a continuous bony shield across the forehead and are known as a “boss”. They’re quite fearless and protective over their herds – an attack on one (usually by lions) is an attack on all. If one is attacked, others will rush to its defence – buffaloes have been known to kill predatory lions and even to chase them up trees.

Because they carry viruses fatal to domestic stock, disease-free buffalo are bred and fetch extremely high prices. In one instance, allegedly, the proceeds (allegedly again, 4 million USD) were hidden under couch cushions. I’ve found plenty of stuff under couch cushions over the years – TV remotes, smelly socks*, furry vitamins* and some other stuff – but never 4 million USD.

* thanks, kids.

Lifespan: They typically live for 15 to 20 years in the wild and 25 to 29 years in captivity.

Social Structure: They live in herds of 50 to 500 animals and sometimes form super herds of over 1,000 during the rainy season.

Their Diet: African buffaloes are bulk grazers and, while they mostly eat grass, they also eat shrubs and trees if grass is scarce. Like their buddies, the giraffes, they are herbivores (vegan, actually! Though they don’t tell you they are the second you meet them). They need to drink copious amounts of water every day, so they have to stay near permanent water sources.

Breeding: Their breeding season usually peaks between March and May when there’s more rain. Females gestate for roughly 11 to 11.5 months and usually give birth to a single calf (born between January and April).

Spoor Description: Buffaloes are cloven-hooved creatures and their spoor tends to be slightly narrower at the front than at the back.

Collect the full set of 12 Lesser Spotted African Wildlife mugs and give your family and friends an inspirational topic for filling awkward silences.