Antelopes are an extremely diverse group. It contains species whose size is the same as the size of a hare, for example, dik-dik, and there are also those whose growth is the same as that of a bull, for example, eland. And antelopes live in different climate conditions. If some can survive in bushes, in forests or savannas, in the steppes, then others live in arid.

Antelopes of Africa share many traits with bulls. They have similar hooves. having such hooves are called artiodactyls. In addition, all types of antelopes are classified as ruminants. They eat and swallow them, and then chew them again during rest, so that the obtained food is used to the maximum benefit for the animal.

An important feature of all animals of this group are their horns. And on this basis, you can also see that antelopes are relatives of bulls. A horn is a bone rod, dressed in a natural horn sheath, which develops from the frontal bones on the corresponding outgrowths. The antelope's horn grows throughout its life and is not shed by them, as, for example, in roe deer and deer.

The horns of antelopes can be very diverse. Some of these animals have only small points, while others have unique ones.

for instance:

• At oryx antelope, the horns grow long and sharp, shaped like a sword.
• A kudu antelope has spirally twisted horns.
• Horns elands I have a peculiar structure, they have one horn facing the other horn.
• A Impala has beautiful lyre-shaped horns. They are used mainly during duels with rivals.

A large number of zoologists do not believe that antelopes are a single family. Considering the fact that antelopes are representatives of bovids, they belong to various families by pundits:

• bullish: two species of Asian antelopes (four-horned and nilgai) and nine species of African markhorned antelopes (nyala, kudu, eland, bongo and others).
• Duikers: These are approximately 17 different species, which are the smallest of these animals.
• Equine antelopes: readbacks, waterbucks, bases, oryxes, horse and saber-horned antelopes, cow antelope (Kongoni, topi, wildebeest, etc. 24 species).
• Endangered antelope species include Arabian oryx, which is practically exterminated.
• Neotragus- the smallest antelopes.
• neotragus pygmy, or the royal antelope, the smallest, its growth is equal to the growth of a hare - in the hall about 25-30 cm. The legs of this antelope are slightly thicker than the little finger, and the hooves are about the same as a fingernail. Usually gazelles are called agile, small antelopes that jump well and run fast.
• kanna has very beautiful horns.

The gazelle subfamily consists of 16 species of antelopes that live in Asia and Africa.

There is an opportunity to see springbok gazelle. In these places, it is called "trek-bok", which translates as a stray goat: most likely, these gazelles, due to lack of food, migrated over long distances with their entire livestock. Previously, when the number of these animals was much greater, huge herds could be seen across the African fields and savannahs, numbering in the thousands and thousands of thousands of heads. In 1896, the last procession of this kind, called the "track", took place. At that time, gazelles filled the space, the length of which was 220 km, and the width - 25 km!

Usually these animals graze in meadows and eat the lower leaves on trees and shrubs. Unlike other antelopes that live in this region, the giraffe gazelle has a considerable advantage: using its long neck, it can reach high branches and leaves. Very often, these antelopes can also stand on their hind legs in order to be able to reach higher. The uppermost leaves are eaten with an extra long neck.

Wildebeest live only on If there is enough water and food, then animals can stay in one place for a long period. During droughts, as well as hunger and thirst that are associated with them, wildebeest gather in herds of large sizes and set off. During the whole year, the antelopes follow the rains, because in those places where it passes, low grass grows, which is the main food of the antelopes.

Antelope. Species of large antelopes

The following article will cover the names of the great antelopes, which will help you learn more about these beautiful animals.

The great antelope is beautiful in itself and is one of the animals most easily spotted on an African safari. Antelopes they are herbivores and belong to different groups of oldest species in the world. They do not belong to the group of cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison and goats. There are 91 species of antelope that are native to Africa. We will focus on the great antelope of Africa and learn a little about these majestic creatures. But, you ask, what are the great antelopes? We must answer this question in the following paragraphs.

We will see different kinds of big antelope at this point. But, before that, let's answer the question of who are called great antelopes. Elend is the largest African antelope among all other large antelope species. Let's look at the names of the large antelopes and briefly cover some information about each of the large antelope species. Large Antelope Species

Eland (Taurotragus oryx)

This is the largest African antelope, light brown in color and with light white vertical stripes. As a rule, they can be seen in open savannahs, semi-desert areas, and also in mountain meadows. The Elend herd consists of over 100 animals that graze together. Both males and females have horns, although males have larger horns. Males are over 1.8 meters tall and weigh over 998 kg. The females are slightly smaller. As they mature, their light brown coloration becomes more bluish-gray and the oldest antelopes look almost black.

Oryx (Oryx Gazella)

This large antelope is a member of the genus Oryx. They are light brown, gray in color and have light spots on the lower back of the sacrum. They have long black tails and a brown stripe that extends from their chin to the underside of their neck. A Gemsbok herd consists of about 10 - 40 animals. They are about 1.4 meters in height. Males weigh about 249 kg and females about 208 kg. They can run at a speed of 56 km per hour.

Kongoni (Alcelaphus caama)

This large African antelope is a member of the Bovidae family. It lives in southern Africa and is closely related to Topi and Tsebe. It has high horns, rounded forward and then in the opposite direction, both in males and females. Males become very territorial during courtship. They are 1.5 meters tall and weigh about 199.5 kg. Males are dark brown in color and females are yellow-brown in color. The herd consists of 5 - 20 animals, but it can grow up to 350 animals in one herd.

Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)

The greater kudu is a forest antelope. It lives in eastern and southern Africa. Kudu have long legs, and coat color ranges from brown to bluish-gray to reddish-brown. There are 4 to 12 vertical stripes on the body of the kudu. Males are larger than female Kudu. Males also have large manes and large twisted horns. The females of this large antelope species do not have horns. Males weigh about 270 kg and females about 210 kg.

Ron (Hippotragus equinus)

This is a beautiful large antelope that looks like a horse. It has a gray fawn coloration and a pale belly. It has short, straight horns and a light mane. This is a very rare species of large antelope that lives in a lightly wooded savannah. They prefer to graze, but will roam if food is limited. They form groups of 5 to 15 animals with a dominant male.

Sable (Hippotragus niger)

The sable antelope is a majestic animal with long horns thrown back. They live in the wooded savanna in East and South Africa. Males are larger than females and have a distinct black coloration. The females are chestnut and dark brown in color. Both males and females have white cheeks and a white chin. At the back of the neck, they have a shaggy mane.

Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus)

The Waterbuck is a reddish-brown antelope with a white bib under its throat. She also has a white ring on her rump around her tail. Females form a herd of about 200 to 600 individual animals. Their meat has a very unpleasant taste and hence they are not preyed upon by most predators. Only the males of this species of great antelope have horns.

Wildebeest (Connochaetes)

This antelope belongs to the genus Connochaetes. Wildebeest can grow up to 1.2 meters and 25.5 cm. It weighs between 122 and 272 kg. They are known for their annual migration and settlement in the Serengeti National Park. They also live in the Masai Mara in Kenya and Liuwa National Park in Zambia. They are herbivores and graze in the morning and late afternoon. There are two types of wildebeest, black wildebeest and blue wildebeest. The favorite food for African lions is none other than wildebeest.

It's all about the different types of antelopes that inhabit the African plains. These are just a few of the large antelope species found in Africa. Large African antelopes are beautiful creatures. You can easily distinguish different species by the shape of their horns. The list of African animals is very long. We hope that the above points have helped answer your question, who is called the great antelope ....

The African antelope belongs to a large group of animals. It has species that differ significantly in size. For example, the dik-dik antelope is the size of a hare. There are also species that reach the growth of a bull - this is a species of eland. These animals live in different climatic conditions.

As you know, antelopes have many common external features with ordinary bulls. For example, they have similar hooves. In addition, the African antelope is a ruminant. When eating plants, she does not swallow them, but during rest she chews food again. This method of nutrition allows livestock to maximize the use of all the beneficial substances of food.

A distinctive feature of all these animals is their horns. They are strong bone rods that develop on outgrowths from them. These rods are dressed in special horn covers. Horny covers grow throughout the life of the antelope along with the rods. The antlers are not shed every year, like those of roe deer and deer. Horns can be very different. Some of them look like little spikes. The antelope, whose species are called oryx and kudu, has long horns. Wu kudu not only have significant

length, but also a very interesting spiral shape. The African eland bears horns facing each other. As for the impala, the animals of this species are characterized by beautiful lyre-shaped horns. They are used, as a rule, for fights with dangerous opponents. The gazelles subfamily consists of sixteen species of antelopes that live in various parts of Africa and Asia.

Beautiful African lives exclusively in Africa. When there is enough water and food for her, the animal can stay in one place for quite a long period. In times of drought, famine and thirst, the wildebeest always gather in herds and set off on a long journey. Throughout the whole year, African antelopes can follow the rains, because in those places where it passes, there is a low, but nutritious grass.

The cute sitatunga lives almost throughout Africa in forest swamps. It is considered a large, predominantly nocturnal, semi-aquatic animal. It grazes, as a rule, in reeds and sedge thickets. It prefers to dine on the leaves of low-growing trees and shrubs. This beautiful antelope is an excellent swimmer, escaping from pursuers. She is good at diving. Sitatunga gets along well in almost any swamp. She has very wide and long hooves, which provides her with support on muddy soft ground.

Bushbuck is a representative of medium-sized antelopes. It is found most often in close to dense thickets of shrubs. There the animal takes refuge when it senses danger. Males are usually much larger than females. Their height reaches approximately one meter at the withers, and their weight is up to eighty kilograms. The horns are ribbed and spiral, up to sixty centimeters long. As a rule, the color varies from yellowish-brown to black.

Antelope is an animal belonging to mammals belonging to the order of artiodactyls. The animal antelope received its name from the Greek phrase, which in translation means “horned animal”.

Description

There are a huge number of species differences between antelopes from different genera, however, all antelopes have common features, for example, despite the different body composition, this animal all have graceful, long legs.

The average height and weight of antelopes is as follows, with a body length of 1 m, the weight of an antelope is 150 kg. The largest species of this animal is the common eland, which, with a height of 1.6 m and a body length of 3 m, weighs about 1 ton.

And the smallest is the dwarf antelope, not exceeding 25-30 cm in height, weighing 1.5-3.6 kg.

habitats

Many are interested in where the antelope lives? The habitat of antelopes depends on their species, so there are animals that live in savannahs or steppes, and there are species of antelopes that live in dense forests or even jungles, there are species of these beautiful animals living in the mountains.

Most species of antelopes live on the African continent, less often antelopes are found in Asia. Only two species of antelopes live in Europe - the saiga and the chamois. Separate species, including the pronghorn, live in North America.

Classification

Scientists identify seven basic subfamilies of antelopes, which include a variety of species of this animal.

The African antelope or wildebeest belongs to the bubal subfamily. This group of animals includes the black wildebeest and the blue wildebeest.

The black wildebeest is one of the smallest species. This animal lives in South Africa. The average height of a male black wildebeest ranges from 111 to 121 cm, and the weight is 160-270 kg.

Females of this species do not differ much from males in terms of size. The color of the animal is from dark chocolate to black, tails are white. Moreover, females have a lighter color.

The horns of the black wildebeest are hooked up to 78 cm long. The muzzle of the animal has a black beard and a snow-white mane, the tips of which are black.

The blue wildebeest is an animal 115-145 cm tall and weighing 168-274 kg. The color of this species of antelope is bluish-gray, the sides are decorated with dark vertical stripes.

The head of the blue wildebeest is adorned with a black mane and dark gray sometimes black horns. The tail of this species of animal is always black, as in the photo of an antelope. About 1.5 million African blue wildebeest live in African shrouds, up to 70% of animals live in the Serengeti.

Plain markhorned African antelope belongs to the bovine subfamily, is an animal with a height of 110 cm, and a weight of 55-125 kg.

A characteristic difference of this species is that males are much larger than females.

In addition, males are gray in color, with 60-83 cm long helical horns and a mane, while females are reddish-brown in color and do not have horns on their heads. However, regardless of gender, the sides of the animals are decorated with a large number of vertical white stripes.

The plain markhorn antelope lives mainly on the territory of such countries as Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa.

Mountain antelope is an animal up to 1 meter high and weighing 150-300 kg. Males have large horns up to 1 m. You can meet this animal only in the mountains of the Ethiopian Highlands or in the East African Valley.

The largest representative of the antelope family is the saber-horned African antelope, its height reaches 1.6 m and its weight is 300 kg. The color of the animal is gray-brown with an orange tint.

The muzzle of the antelope is decorated with a black and white pattern in the form of a mask. There are tassels on the ears of this species of antelopes, the heads of the animal are decorated with horns of a twisted, arched shape. The habitat of the antelope is the African savannah.

The Bongo antelope is one of the rarest species of antelopes that are listed in the Red Book. This species belongs to the bovine subfamily. The Bongo antelope is a large mammal with a height of about 1-1.3 m and a weight of about 200 kg.

This species is characterized by a bright brown-red color and white transverse stripes on the sides. In addition, the lower part of the legs is dyed white, and the fur on the chest is also dyed white. This species lives in the forests and mountainous regions of Africa.

The four-horned Asian antelope is a rare species. A characteristic difference of this type of antelope is the presence of four horns on the head.

The four-horned Asian antelope is an animal that is 55-54 cm tall and weighs 22 kg. The color of the antelope of this species is a brown back and a white belly. The heads of males are decorated with horns, females are hornless.

The front horns do not exceed 4 cm, and the rear ones reach 10 cm. The four-horned antelope lives in the Indian jungle, and is also found in Nepal.

Antelope photo

Antelopes are a very diverse group. It has species the size of a hare, such as dikdik, and there are those that are as tall as a bull - an eland. And they live in different climates. If some are able to survive in the arid desert, then others live in the steppes, in bushes, in the savannah or forests.

Antelopes have a lot in common with bulls. They have similar hooves. Animals with such hooves are called artiodactyls. In addition, all antelopes are ruminants. They eat plants, swallow them, and then chew them again during rest. In this way, the food is used much more completely than if they simply swallowed it and immediately digested it. An important feature of all antelopes is their horns. And it also shows that antelopes are relatives of bulls. The horn is a bone rod that develops on outgrowths from the frontal bones. This rod is dressed in a horn sheath, which grows with the rod throughout life. Antlers are not shed every year, like deer and roe deer.

Antelopes have different horns. Some have only small points, but the oryx has long and straight points, like a sword. And at kudu they are twisted in a spiral. The horns of the eland face each other. The impala has beautiful lyre-shaped horns. They are used mainly for fights with rivals.

Many zoologists do not consider antelopes to be a single family. Considering that antelopes are representatives of bovids, pundits attribute them to different families:

Bull: 9 species of African markhorn antelopes (kudu, nyala, sitatunga, eland, bongo, etc.) and 2 species of Asian antelope (nilgai and four-horned). Duikers: the smallest of the antelopes - 17 species. Horse antelopes: waterbucks, readbacks, oryxes, bases, saber-horned and horse antelopes proper, cow antelopes (bog, kongoni, wildebeest) - 24 species. The Arabian oryx is nearly extinct. Neotragus are the smallest antelopes. The royal antelope, or neotragus-pygmy, is the smallest, growing from a hare: 25-30 cm at the withers. Her legs are not thicker than a little finger, but hooves the size of a fingernail. Usually, gazelles are considered small, agile antelopes, running fast and jumping well.

In fact, for zoologists, gazelles are all real antelopes. The gazelle subfamily has 16 species of antelopes, and all of them live in Africa and Asia.

Springbok gazelle (Antidorcas marsupualis) can be found in southern Africa. There it is called "trek-bok" (stray goat): probably due to lack of food, these gazelles migrated with all their livestock over long distances. Before, when their numbers were more impressive, herds of thousands and even millions of heads moved across the fields. The last such procession ("track") took place in 1896. Then the gazelles filled the space 25 km wide and 220 km long!

In the steppes and savannas of East Africa, Thomson's gazelle (Gazella thomsoni) and Grant's gazelle (G. grand) are most common. In the Serengeti National Park alone (Tanzania), there are 275,000 Thomson's gazelles and 30,000 Grant's gazelles. Other types of gazelles are much rarer. Some of the population has been greatly reduced. Uncontrolled hunting and the lack of reserves are the reasons why some species of gazelles are on the verge of extinction today. For example, about 4 million blackbuck antelopes lived in India 100 years ago, but now there are only 10 thousand heads left.

"Normal" antelopes graze in meadows or eat the lower leaves on shrubs and trees. Unlike all other antelopes living in this region, the giraffe gazelle (Litocranius walleri) has a great advantage: with its long neck, it can reach high leaves and branches. Often these animals also stand on their hind legs in order to reach higher. The topmost leaves are left to giraffes I with their extra long necks.

Wildebeest live only in Africa. If there is enough food and water, then the animals stay in one place for a long time. During droughts and hunger and thirst associated with them, the wildebeest gather in large herds and set off on their journey. In the Serengeti steppe alone in East Africa, 400,000 wildebeests migrate. For a whole year they follow the rains, because where it passes, low grass grows - the main food of antelopes. Then you can get offspring - after mother's milk, the baby will find food for himself in the steppe.

Dikdiki (Madaqua) are only slightly larger than a hare, and this is the main feature by which this antelope can be recognized. Animals stay mainly in dense bushes and emerge from this shelter only in the early morning and late evening. Their nose is very mobile and turns in different directions, resembling a small trunk. Dik-diks perceive the smells of both food and a close enemy with their nose. And there are many enemies - servals, leopards and eagles, as well as monitor lizards and giant snakes. Unlike other antelopes, dik-diks always live in pairs in their small area. In the wild, these animals live 3-4 years. The impala belongs to the gazelles and lives mainly in groups of 10-20 individuals, rarely in large herds. The group lingers for a long time in any area. Only when food and water are scarce do animals migrate to other places. Fleeing from predators, impalas can reach speeds of up to 60 km / h and jump over obstacles up to 2.5 m high.

For orientation, they often jump up. Such jumps can reach 3 m in height and 10 m in length.

There are two types of kudu - large kudu and small kudu (T. imberbis). Both species live in Africa. Lesser kudu is found only in East Africa. It is not only smaller, but also looks a little different. The length of his body is only 1.05 m, and the weight is 80-105 kg, the length of the horns is only 90 cm. He has no mane and dewlap on his throat, and 2 white spots are clearly visible on the underside of the neck. The sides are also striped, but the stripes are narrower and more distinct. Its horns are also helical, but shorter and more parallel. Although only male kudu usually wear horns, female large kudu sometimes have small horns.

Kudu horns are a favorite hunting trophy, so these antelopes are constantly hunted, and the great kudu has disappeared from many of its former habitats.

Oryx is a representative of saber-horned antelopes and one of the rarest species of antelopes. Once it was found throughout Africa and Asia Minor. Today, the oryx has been extirpated from most of its former territory. The remaining animals are most often found in national parks and reserves. The range of the oryx is represented by three isolated areas, each of which inhabits one or more subspecies. The least numerous now is the so-called white oryx (O. g. leucoguh), which inhabits the deserts of South Arabia.