Skip to main content
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Español
  • Site Search
  • Log In/Create Account
  • BioInteractive Resources
  • Planning Tools
  • Professional Development
  • About Us

Mystery of the Buffalo Boom

Topic

  • Microbiology
  • Pathogens & Disease
  • Ecology
  • Populations
  • Scientific Skills & Literacy
  • Experimental Design

Resource Type

  • Videos
  • Scientists at Work

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege

Duration

00:07:07
Saved By
16 Users
Share This

Description

In this video, ecologist Tony Sinclair takes us through the steps of how he uncovered that the eradication of an infectious disease in cattle led to a boom in the Serengeti’s buffalo and wildebeest numbers.

When Sinclair arrived in the Serengeti in the 1960s, he was faced with a mystery: why were buffalo and wildebeest population sizes increasing so rapidly? Sinclair considered the two most likely answers: that these animals now had more food or fewer predators. However, the evidence did not support either explanation. Sinclair then discovered that scientists in the early 1960s had developed a vaccine against a virus called rinderpest. Rinderpest infected domesticated cattle, as well as wild buffalo and wildebeest. By examining skulls and blood samples from both buffalo and wildebeest, Sinclair showed that the disappearance of the virus from these animals precisely coincided with their increases in population sizes.

An audio descriptive version of the film is available via our media player.

Key Terms

epidemic, infectious disease, population growth, regulation, rinderpest, Serengeti, vaccine, wildebeest

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria. Video files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 03.09.20
Date Updated 03.18.20

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS2.A, HS-LS2.C

AP Biology (2019)

ENE-4, SYI-3

IB Biology (2016)

4.1, C.1, C.3

AP Environmental Science (2020)

Topic(s): 3.8

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

2.1

Vision and Change (2009)

CC5 

Materials

HD (M4V) 272 MB
HD (WMV) 224 MB
SD (M4V) 59 MB
SD (WMV) 61 MB
Transcript (PDF) 213 KB

Use This Resource With

Interactive Media Resource
Interactive Video Builder

Explore Related Content

Other Resources About the Serengeti

Showing of
Photo of wildebeest on the Serengeti plain
Phenomenal Images
Wildebeest Populations
Photo of a herd of wildebeest preparing to cross a river.
Case Studies
Population Regulation in the Serengeti
Wildebeest population graph from the interactive
Data Points
Serengeti Wildebeest Population Regulation
Chart from the paper
Data Points
Patterns of Predation
Photo of a wildebeest grazing
Card Activities
Nutrient Cycling in the Serengeti
A map of vegetation and wildebeest locations highlighting the wildebeest moving toward an area of greater vegetation.
Lessons
Investigating Science Practices in Serengeti: Nature’s Living Laboratory
Photo of wildebeest silhouetted by the setting sun
Short Films
Serengeti: Nature’s Living Laboratory

Other Related Resources

Showing of
Image of a bat from the paper
Phenomenal Images
White-Nose Syndrome
Image from the film of a survey plane flying over land.
Click & Learn
Survey Methods
Jay bird
Card Activities
West Nile Virus: Vectors and Hosts Game
Aerial photo of wolves hunting a moose
Phenomenal Images
The Wolves of Isle Royale
Image from the film of elephants by a body of water
Scientists at Work
The Great Elephant Census
Image of the How Science Works diagram
Tools
How Science Works
Image from the activity
Lessons
Pulse Chase Primer: The Meselson-Stahl Experiment
Image from the video of researcher placing a tracking device on a bee
Scientists at Work
Tagging Bumble Bees to Study Their Movements
Image from the film of researcher attaching homing device to a lizard.
Scientists at Work
How Lizards Find Their Way Home
Image from the film of Silliman inspecting grasses.
Scientists at Work
Trophic Cascades in Salt Marsh Ecosystems
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Newsletter Signup
  • HHMI.org
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility