 |
|
|
| |
| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
|
| COMMON
NAME: |
greater kudu |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Artiodactyla |
| FAMILY: |
Bovidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Tragelaphus
(goat like deer) strepsiceros (twisted horns) |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| DESCRIPTION: |
The
kudu is a large antelope with fawn coloring and
thin, white, sparse vertical stripes. Greater kudu may be distinguished from similar species, lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), by presence of throat main. |
| MALE |
The
male has long black twisted horns |
| FEMALE |
Females
do not have horns |
|
| SIZE: |
Approximately
1.2-1.5 m (4-5 ft.) |
|
| WEIGHT: |
|
| MALE |
225-357.7
kg (495-787 lb.) |
| FEMALE |
180-235
kg (396-517 lb.) |
|
| DIET: |
Includes
leaves, grass, roots, and sometimes fruits and tubers |
|
| GESTATION: |
Gestation
lasts approximately 6-7 months; one offspring (but
rarely two) at birth |
|
| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
1-2
years |
|
| LIFE
SPAN: |
Approximately
15 years in the wild |
|
| RANGE: |
Throughout
Southern and Eastern Africa as far North as Ethiopia |
|
| HABITAT: |
Inhabits
stony, sparsely to densely forested flat hilly and
mountain country |
|
| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
|
| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Lower
Risk/Conservation Dependent |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| 1. |
Kudus are one of the largest antelopes. |
|
|
| 2. |
They produce one of the loudest sounds made by antelope
in the form of a gruff bark. |
|
|
| 3. |
Kudu horns have spirals, which allow males to spar
by interlocking horns. The males then proceed to
shove and twist until one opponent is knocked off
balance and thrown down. Some reports show male
kudus found with locked horns, even in death. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Adult
kudus are an important food source for many larger
predators, such as lions and spotted hyenas. Many
medium-sized carnivores prey upon kudu yearlings
and calves. Newborns also serve as a food source
for smaller predators.
Kudu
are hunted for their horns; they are considered
valuable trophies. They are also hunted for their
meat as well as their reputation in some areas
as pests because of occasional crop damage.
Along
with these factors, kudu, largely woodland animals,
suffer from habitat destruction.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Estes, R.D. The Safari Companion: A Guide to
Watching African Mammals. Vermont: Chelsea Green
Publishing Co., 1993. |
|
|
Gotch, A.F. Mammals-Their Latin Names Explained.
Poole, U.K.: Blandford Press Btd., 1979. |
|
|
Nowak, R. (ed.). Walkers Mammals of the World.
Vol. II, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University
Press, 1991.
|
|
| Parker,
S.P, (ed.). Grizmek's Encyclopedia of Mammals.
Vol 5. New York: McGraw Hill Pub. Co., 1990. |
|
|
|
|
|
