Sable Antelope (Hippotragus niger)

 

Family:                Bovidae

Status:                 No special status

Size:                    Length is  8 to 10 ft (2.4 to 3 m.). Weight is 400 to 550 lbs. (180 to 250 kg.)

Diet:                    Herbivore

Characteristics:    Sociable, gregarious

Area:                  Africa

Offspring:            One calf per year

Predators:           Lions. Hyenas and leopards kill juvenile sable antelopes

 

Trivia:

·            A subspecies, Hippotragus niger variani, which is a giant sable antelope, is endangered.

·            The blue buck, a related species, became extinct around 1800. 

 

Lifestyle

·            Sable antelope live in herds of 25 to 100 antelopes. 

·            They run when approached by a predator, at speeds of up to 35 mph (57 km per hour). 

·            When cornered, a sable antelope will use its horns to protect itself.

·            During the rainy season, the herd will break up into smaller groups. 

·            Herds are made up of one adult male, several females, and their offspring. 

 

Physical Characteristics 

·            Both males and females have stout, heavily ringed horns.

·            Adult males are predominantly black, while females and juveniles are chestnut in colour.

·            Their fur is short and glossy.

·            Sable antelopes have a short, upright mane and a long tail with a tufted tip. 

·            They need to drink daily, so they never move more than 2.5 miles (4 km) from water. 

 

Geographic area

·            Sable antelope are found in the savanna woodlands and grasslands of southern Kenya,eastern Tanzania, Mozambique to Angola, southern Zaire and South Africa. 

 

Reproduction

·            A female can begin to reproduce at two years of age.

·            The gestation period ranges from 8 to 9 months.

·            Birth usually occur at the end of the rainy season.

·            Calves weigh 24 to 40 lbs. (13 to 18 kg) at birth.

·            When they reach 5 or 6 years of age, young males leave the herd to join bachelor herds.

·            Calves are weaned at six to eight months.