Africa Travel Newsletters > Southern Africa
Antelopes
1. The Antelopes of Southern Africa- Enduring and Prolific, Though Underrated by Most
The
antelope family is one of the largest in the animal kingdom. Though antelopes do not exude the sexy aura of the big five- lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard
and rhino; they are very successful and are fully paid up members of the African wilderness. Some species are very prolific such as the impala, of which an
estimated 100,000 can be found in South Africa's Kruger Park alone.
But they are not immune to the human generated changes in
habitat underway in most of Africa. The roan and sable antelopes, for example, are considered endangered in the limited ranges they are forced to live in
today. The blue antelope, a close cousin of the roan vanished in the eighteenth century, making it the first large mammal to go extinct in historical times.
On a daily basis, antelopes are preoccupied in negotiating life alongside mortal enemies that include: man, cheetahs, jackals, lions, hyenas, leopards and
hunting dogs.
Most people tend to underrate antelopes, in comparison with other bigger or stronger animals. But the bushman who is so well attuned
to the rhythms of the natural world has discerned subtle qualities in the eland- the largest of Africa's antelopes. This animal has a special place in his
spiritual life and he indeed believes it can connect him to God. It is taken as an animal endowing peace, well-being, healing and prosperity. The eland is
almost invariably represented in bushman rock art throughout southern Africa.
In Africa, antelopes come in up to 11 tribes and 75 species. South
Africa alone hosts 29 antelope species, more than anywhere else in Africa. All antelopes are herbivores, hoofed and tend to chew the cud. Another defining
characteristic is the horns- carried by at least males of all species and by females in 43 of the 75 African species. Horns consist of an outer sheath
composed mainly of keratin over a bony core of the same shape, which grows from the frontal bones.
Keratin, a tough horny substance, is also the
main constituent of hooves, nails, claws, hair, scales, and feathers. Horns emerge gently from an epidermal layer surrounding the bony core; if broken or cut
off they do not regenerate. Horns are the God-given weapons through which males of all species use to compete for dominance and reproductive success. But
they are also present in females of at least 43 species in Africa. They are however generally smaller and invariably thinner and weaker in
females.
Like other male secondary sex characteristics, the horns' degree of development reflects on the state of male competition.
And so it is that they are no more than simple spikes in the monogamous duikers and dwarf antelopes. But they come huge and elaborate in the highly
polygamous species like impala, sable and kudu that have to fight aggressively for an encounter with females that assures perpetuation of their
bloodline.
Antelopes show a marked variation in size- ranging from the 1.5 kg and 20cm high royal antelope to the 950 kg and 178cm high eland. The
colour of their jackets range from off- white as for the Arabian oryx to black in the black wildebeest, but most are dressed in shades of brown. The eyes are
laterally placed with horizontally elongated pupils, which provide good rear view. The females have a single or double pair of mammary glands.
In
terms of distribution, Africa is said to be the land of antelopes; only two tribes of antelopes occur outside the continent. In this article we shall look at
a few species derived from the more than 6 tribes that thrive in Southern Africa.
Among the small antelopes, the common duiker represents the duiker
tribe- technically known as cephalophini. They have long legs and flat backs and relatively large eyes. The horns are upright and appear only in males.
Duikers live in forest and dense bush, where they browse on leaves, twigs, fruits, flowers and seeds. They sometimes spice their diet with small birds,
caterpillars and lizards. The adult duiker reaches only up to 20 kg. This makes the duiker vulnerable to eagles- which otherwise are unable to prey on the
bigger antelopes.
The dwarf antelope's -which learned people refer to as Neotragini, have about three species secluded in Southern Africa. These
are the steenbok, the klipsringer and kirk's dik dik. The steenbok is a small reddish antelope with big round ears, small tail and slender long legs and
well-shaped hindquarters. They are well distributed in the whole of Southern Africa -from south of Zambezi to southern Angola, and not forgetting the
Kalahari along the major rivers.
The steenbok inhabits open country, which includes grasslands and scattered bushlands. It feeds on the leaves and
shoots of a wide variety of low shrub and trees, seeds and fruits; and at a tender age can also feed on grass. Steenboks are territorial and like most small
antelopes are largely monogamous. They are however more likely to be found singly than in pairs. They are largely nocturnal and spend most of the day under
grassy cover.
The Kirk's dik dik is another arid antelope. It has a pointed and mobile snout and hairy muffle with slit like nostrils, large eyes
and prominent erectile crest. They weigh an average of 5-6 kg and the horns are ridged and slant backwards. They live in a variety of habitats, provided
there is good cover, but generally avoid tall grass that may obstruct their view. They feed mostly on the leaves, shoots and fruits of most edible plants
within reach.
The dik dik's extremely narrow muzzle and incisor row, combined with their small body size enables them to select small food items.
They greatly benefit from disturbances caused by larger animals like elephant and giraffe, which may drop off branchlets from the top of trees. They are
territorial, and live in closely associated monogamous pairs.
The Klipspringer, another variety of small antelope lives on rocky areas and cliffs.
Their hooves are well adapted to steep and rocky terrain -a refuge from predators and food source. They weigh up to 14kg and are well built with big
hindquarters. They are well distributed in the Eastern Africa right down to the tip of South Africa.
Due to their unique habitat, Klipspringers have
a niche diet of shrubs and the succulent plants that grow in rocky areas. They will also tuck in to leaves, new shoots, berries and fruits. Like most
antelopes, they are territorial and live in closely associated pairs. Territory size depends on rainfall and food distribution.
The gazelles are one
of the largest antelope tribes with up to 19 species. This tribe enjoys the widest distribution, ranging from South Africa, across Asia, Siberia and China.
They are slender medium sized antelopes built for speed, with long, evenly developed limbs, a level back and long neck. Both sexes except in a few species
like the gerenuk have horns-, which are strongly ridged and S-shaped.
The Springbok is the gazelle's principal representative in Southern Africa,
where it is found in most parks in the region. They have a distinctive dorsal skin fold containing erectile white hair. They are mostly associated with their
joyous jumping displays, especially in celebration of the rains. Springboks are prolific sprinters and can reach speeds of up to 80 km/h. The springbok is
well honoured in South Africa, and it is indeed the national symbol. The South African national rugby team is proudly named after this agile
antelope.
The springbok has a considerable habitat tolerance and is the most abundant plain antelope in the arid lands of southern Africa. However
it hardly thrives in mountains and rocky hills and avoids woodlands and tall, dense vegetation. It is a mixed feeder -in the sense of being both a grazer and
a browser. It grazes on long tender grasses and browses on low shrubs and succulents. They average 40 kg in body weight though some reaching a mass of 59 kg
are on record in Namibia.
Another antelope tribe of Southern Africa is the reduncini, of which members are reedbucks, kob and waterbuck. The
reedbuck is the most common in the region, especially the mountain reedbuck and common reedbuck. The reduncini is a close-knit tribe with only 2 genera and
about 8 species -of which 6 are geographically paired. Thus the waterbuck, lechwe and kob are so genetically close that in captivity they interbreed and
produce viable hybrids.
Reedbucks are medium sized and have a yellow-to-grey-to-brown coat with a round bare spot below each ear, white underparts
and bushy tail. The horns are found in males only and have a forward facing hook design. Reedbucks fall between solitary and gregarious territorial social
systems. The common reedbuck lives in monogamous pairs whereas the mountain reedbuck gathers in small herds of an average of 6 animals.
Another
southern Africa antelope in this tribe is the rhebok. This medium-sized animal has a long neck, bulbous nose, long narrow years and upright spike like horns,
which are found only in males. They exhibit short, rabbit like fur with varying shades of grey and legs with a dark stripe on the lower front sides. They are
found only in South Africa and typically occur in grassland habitats extending to the coastal belt of the Cape region up to almost sea level.
The
rhebok inhabits grasslands and scrub savannah and is a mixed feeder that stays on the higher slopes during the rains and moves to the lower slopes of
grasslands when it dries out. They are gregarious and territorial and herds consist of 1- 15 females and young ones and a single adult male. Females
voluntarily remain in a harem within a single territory, giving chosen males an exclusive family group.
The other key antelope tribe is the horse
antelope, technically known as hippotragini. These are usually large antelopes with horse-like body formation. Their leading representative in southern
Africa is the oryx- a large level-backed antelope with short neck, deep chest and long limbs. The males are heavier than females and have thicker necks and
longer horns.
The oryx is the most perfectly desert-adapted large mammal, and is capable of living in waterless habitats. Only very few other hoofed
animals survive in such habitats. The African species include the Beisa oryx, mostly found in northern East Africa; the Fringe-eared oryx of southern East
Africa and the Gemsbok, exclusively found in southern Kalahari.
The Nyala is another unique species whose distribution is confined to southern
Africa. It belongs to the antelope tribe called tragelaphines, which includes the bushbuck, kudu and eland. They have spiral horns with vertical stripes and
the males are markedly different from females in body form and structure. The males are far larger than females- reaching up to 114 kg, while females can
only attain 58 kg.
The Nyala's preferred habitat is riverside thickets, dense brush and the fringes of forest. They are almost entirely confined to
the Lowveld of the southern savannah closely corresponding to the area of the Mozambique coastal plain. The most popular places to see them are Hluhluwe
Reserve and Kruger National Park.
The kudu is especially noted for its spectacular spiral horns, which give the animal a rather solid appearance. In
the greater kudu, horns can reach a length of 72 inches. In parts of southern Africa, the horns are used as musical instruments and symbolic ritual objects.
If you see the kudu's horns, you will understand why some cultures take them as a symbol of male potency.
The eland is the largest of Africa's
antelopes. They can rise to 178 cm at the shoulder, and a really hefty one can reach 950 kg. Both male and female carry horns- the males can reach an
impressive 50 inches. They can live in semi desert, miombo woodlands, grasslands, and acacia savannah.
The hartebeest is another species widely
found in southern Africa. Among antelopes, it is one of the fastest and most resilient runners. This gift comes in very handy, as it is rather sedentary and
therefore easy to hunt. The hartebeest is relatively large, and a full grown adult reaches 160 kg. They thrive in open plains, and medium to tall grasslands.
Females live in a limited home range in small groups of between 5 and 12 members; most mature males are solitary. The wildebeest and topi are similar in many
ways to the hartebeest.
Your best bet of seeing most of the antelopes of Southern Africa is by taking a
South
Africa safari. On such a safari, you will of course also see the other more celebrated wildlife, which includes the big five. When traveling, remember to
pack a pair of binoculars- they bring the animals closer without the usual risks. A pair of decent sunglasses is a good idea, especially if you travel to the
Kalahari, where the glare can be somewhat unsettling.
Also pack photographic and video equipment to record your safari for the sake of those of your
unlucky friends who may not have traveled to southern Africa. On safari, you are advised not to wear white or bright clothing to avoid exciting the animals.
Light cottons and linens are adequate for summer.
To survive winter mornings and evenings, you need warmer wraps and sweaters. Women should avoid
wearing scanty beachwear in rural areas, away from hotels and campsites to avoid offending locals.
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