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African antelope types

A selection of antelope types with data and photos found in the Zambezi valley

Bushbuck

The elusive bushbuck with its striped back and spotted flanks are one of the prettier antelope

Females (picture right) are smaller and lighter in colour than males , with more pronounced white spots and stripes. Zulu name Imbabala

The horns, borne only by the male, are about 40 cm long

Bushbuck’s preferred habitat is dense bush at the base of mountains or along river courses

The Bushbuck is always found close to permanent water courses browsing on leaves and shrubs by night and resting during the day.

Their chief predator is the leopard

Males ( picture right ) zulu name Nkonka

Adult males stand less than 90 cm high at the shoulder and weigh about 45 kg.

The very sharp horns of the male render the Bushbuck very dangerous when wounded or if cornered.

The male will fight bravely and if attacked may even become a dangerous foe

In which case the only way to avoid being mortally wounded is to lie face down, hugging good ole earth

They are very territorial and and have a dog like call to summon females into their domain, especially after the first rains

Impala

The graceful impala is a slender, medium-sized antelope so adaptable that it is found from southern Africa to the northern limits of East Africa, moving in large herds.

The female is similar to the male but does not have horns

During the rutting period (Autumn) the males vocalizes loudly, making a sound between a lion's roar and a dog's bark whilst they fight and display, in the process of sorting out their hierarchy, terminating in the dominant male taking over a harem of twenty or more ewes.

The remaining males form bachelor groups who test each other for dominance

Dominant males can seldom hold their territories for more than a few months at a time or sometimes only a few days, before succumbing to predators or exhaustion

They have a well defined lambing season starting at the end of October and in the following weeks, nearly every ewe is seen with a baby

Impala have an unusual tuft of black hair covering a scent gland on the hind legs, above the hooves

To escape their pursuers they employ a confusing, zig zag escape route, with sudden directional changes and exceptionally high leaps making it difficult for the pursuing attacker to strike

Puku

Found in Zambezi Valley, these furry orange antelope with thick, heavily ringed V shaped horns, are gregarious and graze along the floodplain's near permanent water

They have limited distribution in Africa, confined to the area drained by the Zambezi and its tributaries and a few isolated pockets in Tanzania.

They move in herds of up to thirty or so but prefer to stay close to water

The social system is centralised on adult males maintaining and defending territories which accord them breading opportunities amongst wondering female herds. The Puku is predominantly a grazing specie

The waterbuck: when hunted or when it gets much older, it secretes a substance that causes its flesh to take on a pungent smell and an unpleasant taste. This keeps the predators at bay, for they rarely want to waste energy on a kill they cannot eat.