The world of Antelope

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

The name antelope derives from a Greek word meaning “brightness of eye” – a description particularly apt in the case of the enchanting, Bambi-like dwarf gazelles. Today the name applies to hoofed, even-toed, cud-chewing animals with horns that are hollow and never shed (unlike those of deer). The horns are carried by all male antelope and by does in about half the species.

The hoofs of antelope are centrally split, pushed forward to raise the animal on to “tiptoe”, and hardened to withstand pounding while running. Proportionally, those of the Sitarunga are the longest (up to 18cm), the two halves splaying wide to spread the animal’s weight and enable it to travel over mud and reed beds. Addax also spread hoofs for support on soft desert sands.

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A number of antelope species have elongated muzzles, which are an aid to cropping short grass and the leaves of thorny bushes. They and others grip food between the lower cutting teeth and a hard pad in the upper jaw, tear it off, then swallow. Later it is regurgitated from the multi-chambered stomach and thoroughly chewed using a rhythmic sideways motion. This ensures maximum absorption of nutrients locked up in giant cellulose molecules. Deficiencies in essential minerals and salts are overcome by eating soil.

The variety of antelope is impressive: the majestic Giant eland is the largest living species (weighing up to 900kg) and the Royal the smallest (a mere 2kg).

Many antelope are on the endangered or critical lists, including the hirola (the rarest antelope), the Western hartebeest, Giant sable, Addax and Scimitar-horned oryx. All the gazelles, gerenuk, dibatag, Mountain nyala and duikers, which are hunted throughout Africa for bush-meat, are also under threat. Very serious population declines have been noted in all four lechwe species and only rigid protection has saved the bontebok from annihilation.

GRAZERS AND BROWSERS

Some antelope, such as bongo and nyala, browse bushes and trees; others, for example puku and kob, graze the grasslands. There are a few (including impala, steenbok, Cape grysbok and Beisa oryx) who can switch between the two if need be, but most find the chemical and nutritional differences between grasses and broad-leaved plants too great. The belief that the reactive build-up of tannin in a browsed mopane tree causes a kudu

to move on is unfounded, for the toxic process takes too long to have that affect. Gerenuk and dibatag, with their extraordinarily elongated necks and legs, are able to crop at a higher level than most other browsers and are therefore less susceptible to competition for food.

Among the grazers, oryx and addax can go for months without drinking. By lying down or standing in shade during the day, and by pumping heart-bound blood via an elaborate network of nasal vessels to cool it, gemsbok and Damara dik-dik reduce heat build-up and moisture loss through evaporation. Then, by eating at night after the dew has fallen and by digging up roots and Tsama melons, they, springbok and steenbok can acquire sufficient moisture to survive in the Kalahari. Klipspringer, suni, oribi and Grey rhebok can also live without drinking as long as they have greenery to eat. In contrast, sitarunga and puku are heavily dependent on water for both sustenance and safety from predators. Many antelope prefer brackish water as it helps to keep the rumens (the first stomach compartment) functioning.

MAKING SENSE OF IT ALL

Antelope use all five senses and probably the sixth as well. In touching, for example, courting couples lick and caress, calves butt to stimulate a mother’s milk and she, in turn, nudges her offspring to prompt the excretion of waste. They also “talk” to each other, as reaction to the explosive snorts of the impala, the piercing whistle of the klipspringer, the echoing bark of the bushbuck and the foot-stomping of the Black wildebeest – all danger signals – will testify. However, why eland click their heels while walking remains a mystery.

It is probably the antelopes’ ability to discriminate between hundreds of different odours, many beyond our nostrils, that is most important. Critical in predator detection, it is also employed in mother-offspring bonding, in locating and selecting food or a mate and in navigating. Bodily odours given off are individual and species-specific, as the distinctive niff of the sable and the lingering goat-like smell of the waterbuck will testify. The scent emitted by the suni is so pungent that it’s sometimes called the “musk antelope”.

All antelope have scent glands, sometimes several different ones. The Blue duiker has them in front of the eyes, the steenbok tucks them under the chin, the impala hides them under black, tufts on the back legs, the sable carries them between his hoofs, the Grey rhebok has them in the groin and Springbok hide them under the tail. Secretions from these glands are left on the soil when the animal walks, or on vegetation when it deliberately marks its territory boundary. Klipspringer, for example, scent grass and twigs by pushing their pre-orbital (eye) glands over the ends and moving their heads to impart a sticky fluid. In each case scent deposits yield information about the antelope – identity, age, sex, social and hormonal status, for example.

STAKING A CLAIM

In many antelope species, males lay claim to a demarcated “mating rights” arena. The better the territory’s food resources, the better the attraction to females and, therefore, the greater the coupling opportunities for the holder.

Topi only stake out during the rut, while Blue wildebeest assume temporary residence on a patch when the herd is on the move. Reedbuck, who live in pairs or family groups, claim permanent residence where food is plentiful, but where it is scarce their space is only defended during the mating season. Klipspringers and roan have been known to hold the same area for many years, while eland concern themselves solely with denying others access to their “wives” in oestrus.

Testosterone-charged males may demarcate their mating arena by standing prominently on mounds, horn-scraping the ground, the glandular scenting of bushes and depositing urine and faeces in open middens. Steenbok, however, are unique in that they dig shallow scrapes and lightly cover them after defecating.

A buck advertises his genetic potential by parading his physique (suitably enhanced by erected mane and up-thrust horns), roaring or barking loudly, thrashing bushes and pawing the ground. If successful, he does everything to keep his harem to himself and to butt out other males. Horn-locking confrontations between males are short but energy-sapping and potentially deadly. Before long, the constant round of self-selling, herding, courting, coupling and chasing off challengers exacts a heavy physical toll. A week or two into mating and most males are drained and unceremoniously displaced by a fresh hunk of masculinity.

THE NEXT GENERATION

Roan antelope have no fixed breeding period, but in most other species mating is a matter of making the most of a short-lived seasonal opportunity. The greater the threat of predators, the quicker the coupling. Among springbok and Blue wildebeest, union is just a fleeting moment, often repeated and with several females. Kudu couples, however, will only join when all the conditions are right for conception.

In most cases nature has determined that birthing occurs when the rains break and nutritious new shoots appear. However stories that female impala can regulate dropping their young to coincide with the first downpour are largely unfounded.

Antelope births are fairly quick, as the mother is particularly vulnerable. In a wildebeest herd other females will gather round to protect a calving mother. Her newborn is on its feet in minutes and ready to run with the herd after an impressive quarter of an hour.

In contrast, expectant does in a bonded pair generally deliver under cover and keep the youngsters in hiding for a while. Grey duiker offspring take about half an hour to rise, baby klipspringer require a month before they can boulder-hop and baby roan have to wait about six weeks before being able to trot alongside their parents. Amazingly, sitarunga young can swim before they can walk properly.

While in hiding, newly born antelope are relatively odourless and can remain motionless for hours between a mother’s visits. Ever-committed, after feeding she will either consume her offspring’s waste matter to keep the site smell-free, or find a new site.

Unsurprisingly, some might say, most males walk away from child-rearing responsibilities. However, duiker, suni, klipspringer and Damara dik-dik rams, having pair-bonded for life, stick around to protect the family and its resources.

ONE OF THE HERD

Many of the smaller buck lead solitary lives most of the time, but the majority of the medium- and larger-sized antelope live in groups of varying size (and sometimes species). Gathering together reduces any one individual’s chances of being caught by a predator. It can also provide better opportunities for feeding, social interaction and finding a mate. Plains game in particular find it advantageous to gather together in large numbers when migrating or when predators abound. On the downside, competition for food, water and a mate increases, the herd is more conspicuous and diseases can spread quickly.

Six distinct social groups may be seen: an adult male• female couple; a pair or more of adult males; a group of mixed-age bachelors; a nursery of juveniles; a breeding herd of mothers and offspring; and a harem comprising a male with several wives.

STAYING ALIVE

An acute sense of smell aside, evolution has given antelope very large ears, and eyes on the side of the head. They are therefore fairly well equipped to keep an all-round watch for lion, leopard, cheetah, hyaena, wild dog and, in the case of the smaller buck, pythons and Crowned eagles. Some species – springbok and impala, for instance – also join up with baboons and other mammals, using accompanying oxpeckers and egrets for additional surveillance.

Methods of avoiding detection and for escape when spotted are essential. Duiker, bushbuck and others inhabiting thick bush and dappled forests rely on camouflage and the ability to stand stock-still to avoid discovery. They prefer a silent, unseen retreat but if spotted will suddenly explode from concealment and dash for new cover during the confusion.

Blue duikers dive into burrows and gemsbok and other big animals will, given the opportunity, back into thorny scrub and lower horns ready to repel an attack. With their greasy, water-repelling coats, sitatunga and Red lechwe happily take the plunge to evade pursuers.

For plains game it’s more a case of diligence and speed. Sentries keep watch and feeders periodically raise heads to check the outlook. When an alarm snort or whistle is given, the herd takes to its heels, either in a confusing array of directions or bunching together with the most vulnerable members up front or amid the mass. In flight, oribi scatter wildly, topi leap over each others’ backs and the “Tommy” (Thomson’s gazelle) accelerates to about 80kph. The tsessebe, the swiftest hoofed animal, can sustain its fast, bouncing gait for long distances.

One particularly interesting defence strategy is that of stotting or pronking. Springbok, oribi and blesbok are among those who stot-using a back-arched, bouncing gait or stiff-legged side-to-side spring. Impala pronk with up to 10-metre-Iong and 3-metre-high bounds. Grey rhebok run with a rocking horse motion; dik-diks bounce rhythmically and reedbuck kick backwards at the crest of each leap. Such actions tell the predator he has been spotted, while the sudden movements, flashing of contrasting tail and rump markings, and the emission of a sickly odour may all combine to cause the attack to be mistimed, misdirected or called off.

With such ingenuity, variety and beauty on offer, it’s time to learn the difference between lechwe and springbok, roan and eland, duiker and dik-dik, and place Africa’s antelope firmly on your safari wish-list. And remember to ignore those who dismiss impala. They may be everywhere, but they are still disarmingly beguiling.

Source: The Traveller Msafiri