Antelope

Brindled Gnu

The brindled gnu is a large antelope and one of the two species of wildebeest. The blue wildebeest is known to have five subspecies. This broad-shouldered antelope has a muscular, front-heavy appearance, with a distinctive, robust muzzle. Young blue wildebeest are born tawny brown and begin to take on their adult coloration at the age of 2 months. The adults' hues range from a deep slate or bluish-gray to light gray or even grayish-brown. Both sexes possess a pair of large curved horns. The blue wildebeest is a herbivore, feeding primarily on the short grasses that commonly grow on light and alkaline soils found in savanna grasslands and on plains. The animal's broad mouth is adapted for eating large quantities of short grass and feeds both day and night.

Dik Dik

Dik-dik, (genus Madoqua), any of four species of dwarf antelopes (tribe Neotragini, family Bovidae) that are adapted for life in the arid zones of eastern Africa.Dik-diks are among the smallest antelopes. Kirk’s dik-dik, the largest, stands only 35–45 cm (14–18 inches) tall and weighs 3.8–7.2 kg (8.4–15.8 pounds); females are 0.5–1 kg (1–2 pounds) heavier than males. Dik-diks look delicate, with a pointed, mobile snout, large eyes and ears, prominent preorbital glands, pipestem legs, harelike hind limbs much longer than their forelimbs, and a vestigial tail. The coat is grizzled gray to gray-brown with tan flanks, limbs, and erectile head crest and whitish eye ring, ear lining, underparts, and rump. Only the males have horns, which are corrugated, backward-slanted spikes 7.5 cm (3 inches) long. A hairy proboscis with tiny slit-like nostrils is a dik-dik specialization most developed in Guenther’s dik-dik. In this proboscis, an enlarged nasal chamber richly supplied with blood is efficiently cooled by rapid nasal panting, with minimal loss of water in the exhaled air. With other water- and energy-conserving measures (fluctuating body temperature, lowered metabolic rate, concentrated urine, dry feces, resting in shade at the hottest hours, and nocturnal activity) as well as highly selective browsing on foliage, forbs, herbs, and succulents, dik-diks are superbly equipped to subsist in waterless bush country.

Duiker

Duiker, (tribe Cephalophini), any of 17 or 18 species of forest-dwelling antelopes (subfamily Cephalophinae, family Bovidae) found only in Africa. Duiker derives from the Afrikaans duikerbok (“diving buck”), which describes the sudden headlong flight of duikers flushed from hiding.ike most antelopes that live in closed habitats and rely on concealment to evade predators, duikers are compact and short-necked. Their hindquarters are more developed and higher than their forequarters. Duikers have sturdy, short legs, short tails, and fairly uniform, cryptic coloration. Most have grizzled (banded) hair. They move stealthily, lifting each leg high, and often “freeze” in mid-stride. The head is proportionally large with small ears, a wide mouth, and a bare, moist muffle. Gender differences are minimal: both sexes possess short, straight, back-slanting horns (absent in female bush duikers and some blue duikers), and females are often a bit larger than males.

Eland

The cow-like eland is the world’s largest antelope. However, it has the endurance to maintain a trot indefinitely and can jump a 1.5 meter (4 feet) fence from a standstill. Both males and females have horns that spiral tightly, though female horns tend to be longer and thinner. Usually fawn or tawny-colored, they turn gray or bluish-gray as they get older; the oldest animals become almost black. A tuft of black hair grows out of the male’s prominent dewlap, the loose fold of skin that hangs down from the neck. Adult males also have a mat of hair on the forehead that grows longer and denser as the animal ages.

Greater Kudu

Both the greater kudu and its close cousin, the lesser kudu, have stripes and spots on the body, and most have a chevron of white hair between the eyes. Males have long, spiral horns. The greater kudu's horns are spectacular and can grow as long as 1.8 meters (about 6 feet), making 2-1/2 graceful twists. Female greater kudus are noticeably smaller than the males. By contrast, lesser kudus are even smaller — about 90 centimeters at the shoulder. Males can weigh up to 105 kilograms (230 pounds), and females generally weigh about 22 kilograms less. Lesser kudus have smaller horns than their larger cousins and have conspicuous white patches on the upper and lower parts of the neck. Although both species are bluish-gray, grayish-brown, or rust color, the lesser kudus have five to six more lateral white stripes, for a total of 11 to 15. Both species have a crest of long hair along the spine, and greater kudus also have a fringe under the chin.

Hartebeest

The hartebeest is a large, fawn-colored antelope. Their most distinctive characteristics are a steeply sloping back, long legs, and elongated snout. Despite their ungainly appearance, they are as elegant, if not more than, other antelopes. They are one of the most recent and highly evolved ungulates and are far from clumsy. In fact, they are one of the fastest antelopes and most enduring runners — capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 km/h. These qualities gave rise to their name, which means “tough ox.” Their sedentary lifestyle seems to inhibit the mixing of populations and gene flow, and as a result, there are several subspecies of hartebeest.

Impala

Impala, swift-running antelope, the most abundant ruminant in the savannas of eastern and southern Africa. It is often seen in large breeding herds closely shepherded by a territorial male. The impala can be described as perfection in an antelope; it is both beautiful and athletic—a world-class high jumper. Having no close relatives, it is placed in its own tribe, Aepycerotini, of the family Bovidae.Medium-sized with slender, evenly developed legs and a long neck, the impala stands 70–92 cm (28–36 inches) and weighs 40–76 kg (88–167 pounds). Males are about 20 percent heavier than females and have wide, lyrate horns 45–91 cm (18–36 inches) or longer, the largest antelope horns in East Africa. The impala is a seasonal breeder that mates during the rains and births six months later, near the end of the dry season. During the rut, breeding males are highly vociferous: both territorial bulls and bachelors puff and grunt furiously as they run about flagging their white tails. The territorial proprietors try to keep bachelors separate from the herds of females and young.

Oryx

There are four species of oryx living in Africa and the Middle East. They are large antelopes with long, spear-like horns — with the Gemsbok (Oryx gazella) being the largest of the oryx species. They are a true desert animal, with a thick, horse-like neck; a short mane; and a compact, muscular body. A defined pattern of black markings that contrast with their white face and fawn-colored body are prominently displayed during dominance rituals to emphasize the length of their horns and the strength of their shoulders.

Springbok

Springbok, (Antidorcas marsupialis), also called springbuck, graceful, strikingly marked antelope of the gazelle tribe. The springbok is native to the open, treeless plains of southern Africa. It once roamed in enormous herds but is now much reduced in numbers. It is the symbol and nickname of the national rugby team of South Africa.Although closely related to true gazelles (genus Gazella), the springbok is placed in a separate genus because of a unique structure on its back that it displays when excited, consisting of a patch of white hair that is normally hidden beneath a skin fold but is erected during a special form of jumping known as pronking. The species name marsupialis refers to this concealed organ, which also happens to be lined with sebaceous scent glands. Native to southwest Africa, where it is the most abundant plains antelope, the springbok was once a dominant migrating species, along with the black wildebeest and the blesbok, in South Africa’s vast Highveld and Karoo regions, where it is still common on the farms and ranches that have subdivided and transformed this vast ecosystem.