Waterbuck
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Waterbuck | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Male
 Female
|
||||||||||||||
| Conservation status | ||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Kobus ellipsiprymnus (Ogilby, 1833) |
||||||||||||||
 Range map
|
The Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) is an antelope found in Western, Central Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa.
Waterbuck stand 100 to 130 centimetres at the shoulder and weigh from 160 to 240 kilograms. Their coats are reddish brown in colour and become progressively darker with age; they have a white 'bib' under their throats and a white ring on their rumps surrounding their tails. The waterproofing secretions of the waterbuck's sweat glands produces an unpleasant odor in its meat, unless the animal is skinned carefully. According to African myth the meat of the waterbuck is not edible, but this is untrue - whilst not especially tasty, waterbuck venison is safe to eat. The long spiral structured horns, found only in males, sweep back and up.
Waterbuck are found in scrub and savanna areas near water where they eat grass. Despite its name, the waterbuck does not spend much time in the water, but will take refuge there to escape predators. Waterbuck are diurnal. Females gather in herds of between two and six hundred individuals. Males keep territories of around three hundred acres (1.2 km²) during their prime. They usually lose their territories before the age of ten.
The Defassa Waterbuck is a subspecies (Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa) in which the ring on the rump is solid white.
[edit] References
- ^ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2008). Kobus ellipsiprymnus. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2008. Retrieved on 16 January 2009. Database entry includes justification for why this species is listed as Least concern
- Animals Online encyclopedia
- African Wildlife Foundation
- Waterbuck at Animal Diversity Web
[edit] Images
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Waterbuck |
 |
Wikispecies has information related to: Waterbuck |
 Female DeFassa Waterbuck, Kafue, Zambia |
 Male Waterbuck, Kruger National Park, South Africa |
 Male Waterbuck, Masai Mara National Game Preserve, Kenya |
