Nyala
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| Nyala | |
|---|---|
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| Male | |
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| Female | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Genus: | Tragelaphus |
| Species: | T. angasii |
| Binomial name | |
| Tragelaphus angasii (Gray, 1849) |
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The Nyala (Tragelaphus angasii) is a South African antelope. It is a spiral-horned dense-forest antelope that is uncomfortable in open spaces and is most often seen at water holes. Nyalas live alone or in small family groups of up to 10 individuals.[2]
The male stands up to 110 cm (3.5 feet), the female is up to 90 cm (3 feet) tall. The male has loosely spiraled horns and a long fringe on throat and underparts; the female has no horns and no noticeable fringe. The male is dark brown, white on the face and neck, with vertical white stripes on the body. The female is reddish brown with clear striping.
The rare Mountain Nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni) is limited to central Ethiopia. While superficially similar to the lowland Nyala, it is now considered more closely related to the kudu.[3]
The name "Nyala" is the Swahili name for this antelope. The Latin name comes from "tragos" (he-goat), "elaphos" (deer), and George Francis Angas, an English artist and naturalist.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2008). Tragelaphus angasii. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 29 March 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern.
- ^ Alden, P. C., R. D. Estes, D. Schlitter, and B. McBride. 1995. National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife. New York: Chanticleer Press.
- ^ Shuker, K. 1993. The Lost Ark: new and rediscovered animals of the Twentieth Century. London: HarperCollinsPublishers.
- ^ Nyala
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