Antelope

Gazelle are generally small types of antelopes, with most only standing 60-110cm high at the shoulder, with a fawn colour. However, for what they lack in size, they more than make it up in speed: They are known as very swift and fast animals, and some are able to run at speeds of 100km/h (60mph), which is even faster than the Cheetah's sprinting. It can also run at a sustained speed of 50km/h over fairly long distances They tend to favour deserts, grasslands and savannah habitats, and like to live in herds and eat a diet of easily digestible plants and leaves. The genus [...]

The Cape Buffalo are Africa's only wild cow but is in the same species as the domesticated cattle. They are very powerful animals, with a shoulder height between 1 to 1.7 metres and with a head to body length of 1.7 to 3.4 metres. The males can weigh anything from 500kg to a whopping 910kg with females being slightly smaller and weighing less. They have a lifespan of 15 to 25 years in the wild. Females have a gestation period of 11.5 months and they give birth to single calf usually in the rainy season. The males leave their mother and join the bachelor [...]

The Waterbuck is a very large and powerful antelope, with a shoulder height of 1.4 metres and can weigh up to an impressive 260kg. The cows are smaller than the bulls, but both share the similar distinctive brownish-grey coat, while the eyes and nose are patched with white along with a white collar on the throat, and the bulls have long forward curved horns. Their habitat reflects their diet, where they are only found in well watered areas with dense woody vegetation and medium to tall grasses: The Waterbuck are very dependent on water, drinking daily and almost exclusively eating grass. The breeding activities [...]

The Tsessebe bulls are quite bulky, weighing in at 140kg and measure an impressive 1.2 metres at the shoulders, and they are only slightly larger than the cows who weigh up to 120kg. However, both grow horns, but on the bull they are slightly heavier and appear in a 'half-moon' shape. The colour pattern on both sexes have purple blotches on the shoulders and are dark face, with the upper body appearing in a reddish-brown colour. Tsessebe are grazers who eat a wide range of grasses but prefer the leaf over the steam and fresh growth. The breeding habits are seasonal, with the birthing [...]

The Springbok has been an icon of Africa just how like Lions are. In fact, the South African rugby team is named “The Springboks” after this famous antelope. Springboks are the most abundant antelope in the central and western areas of South Africa, but most of them are now confined to farmland and reserves, with only a few herds free roaming in it's natural habitat. The Springbok used to be found in hundreds of thousands all over southern Africa but were almost hunted to extinction by the first settlers. The rams weigh in at a modest 50kg, and the ewes only 37kg. They have [...]

The Sable Antelopes are a favourite among game and safari tourists, and this is partly because of their beautiful appearance. The Sable is a large and powerful antelope, with the male bulls having a spectacular pair of horns that can grow up to 1.4 metres in length. And they weigh in at a bulky 270kg. Their diet consists almost exclusively of grass, favouring speargrass, red grass and species such as Brachiaria, Urochloa and Panicum. But occasionally they will chew on bones of of carcasses in an attempt to counter phosphorous deficiencies. As such, this grazer prefers open savannah woodlands with good quality grass to [...]

Roan are found almost exclusively in lighted wooded savannah, favouring open areas of grass and with easy access to drinking water. Sadly the Roan are an endangered species and only has a haphazard distribution in the savannah ecosystems south of the Sahara Desert. This is mainly due to fairly recent hunting pressures prior to the religiously enforced conservation measures found today. However, despite these conservation efforts there are only 70 left in South Africa in the Kruger National Park, and only an estimated 5-700 in all the other conservation areas in Mpumalanga. The Roan are quite a large and bulky type of antelope, with [...]

Reedbucks have a distinctive grey or brown pelage with white underpants and a bushy tail with a white tip. They are moderately sized weighing in at 70kg and with a shoulder height of 950mm, with the Ewes being slightly smaller at 800mm at the shoulders and weighing in at 51kg. The rams have impressive horns that grow up to 450mm in length, but both the rams and the ewes have inguinal glands in the groin area that secretes a waxy-like substance which is used to mark territories. Reedbuck are first and foremost grazers on grass, but when grass is not available they will eat [...]

Pukus are found exclusively in central Africa, with only a few living in Botswana further to the south of the Africa continent. Although they have a herbivorous diet, their social system is focused on adult males who will fight over territories and defend them against rival males. They behave like this because they then get the prime breeding opportunities when they encounter the wandering female herds. The breeding pattern peaks in rainy season, however both mating and births occur throughout the year. Their habitat is usually located in riverines or floodplains, and they like to graze on the grasslands which are close to rivers [...]

Oryx are well-known due to their very long, striking horns which the males use to fight for mating rights and self-defence. They are 47 inches tall and in the region of 250 pounds to 390 pounds in weight. They are herbivorous and their habitat is almost exclusively dry plains, but they are common around many regions, from Kenya,Uganda and Tanzania all the way up to Ethiopia and Somalia. They can live up to 20 years in the wild, slightly less in captivity. They have many predators, such as lions, hyenas and wild dogs, but luckily the horns can do serious damage to predators if [...]