Colour Variants

COLOUR VARIANTS

Welcome to our Colour Variant section.

Saddleback Impala
Black Impala
White Flanked Impala
Dappled Impala

The impala (Aepyceros melampus) is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The sole member of the genus Aepyceros, it was first described by German zoologist Martin Hinrich Carl Lichtenstein in 1812. Two subspecies are recognised—the common impala, and the larger and darker black-faced impala. The impala reaches 70–92 centimetres (28–36 inches) at the shoulder and weighs 40–76 kg (88–168 lb). It features a glossy, reddish brown coat.

Active mainly during the day, the impala may be gregarious or territorial depending upon the climate and geography. Three distinct social groups can be observed: the territorial males, bachelor herds and female herds. The impala is known for two characteristic leaps that constitute an anti-predator strategy. Browsers as well as grazers, impala feed on monocots, dicots, forbs, fruits and acacia pods (whenever available). An annual, three-week-long rut takes place toward the end of the wet season, typically in May. Rutting males fight over dominance, and the victorious male courts female in oestrus. Gestation lasts six to seven months, following which a single calf is born and immediately concealed in cover. Calves are suckled for four to six months; young males—forced out of the all-female groups—join bachelor herds, while females may stay back.

The impala occurs in woodlands and sometimes on the interface (ecotone) between woodlands and savannahs; it inhabits places close to water. While the black-faced impala is confined to southwestern Angola and Kaokoland in northwestern Namibia, the common impala is widespread across its range and has been reintroduced in Gabon and southern Africa. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the impala as a species of least concern; the black-faced subspecies has been classified as a vulnerable species, with less than 1,000 individuals remaining in the wild as of 2008.

Black Kudu

The Black Kudu’s colour is from a recessive gene and is not because of inbreeding.

The kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros, English: Greater Kudu) is a wild buck prevalent in South Africa. The bull weights up to 270kg and the cow up to 210kg. The horns of the bull can be up to 150cm long and the cow has no horns. Between the eyes is a white chevron mark.

The animal is usually found in typical undergrowth in bushveld regions especially close to or on hilly terrain.

He has a ability to quietly disappear among plants and thicket due to his ability to move without noise while he grazes.

White Kudu

The colour of the White Kudu is from a recessive gene and is not from inbreeding. They are not albinos.

The kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros, English: Greater Kudu) is a wild buck prevalent in South Africa. The bull weights up to 270kg and the cow up to 210kg. The horns of the bull can be up to 150cm long and the cow has no horns. Between the eyes is a white chevron mark.

The animal is usually found in typical undergrowth in bushveld regions especially close to or on hilly terrain.

He has a ability to quietly disappear among plants and thicket due to his ability to move without noise while he grazes.

Red Waterbuck

As it name would suggest, the waterbuck is a good swimmer and flees into water if pursued, although it is reported that they do not actually like going into water. At 7-9 months, males are driven from their maternal family and join up with a bachelor herd. These groups have a distinct social hierarchy based on size and strength, and contests are frequent. Around 6-7 years, males become territorial, staking out areas of 150-625 acres and defending them against mature rivals with posturing and fights.

These territories are maintained throughout the year, and a male is generally overthrown before he reaches 10 years of age. Only about 5-10 % of mature males are territorial at the same time. Female groups wander over a home range of 200-600 hectares, which may be kept for up to 8 years and encompasses several male territories. Population densities in Uganda vary from 0.15-17.8 animals per square kilometer

Kings Wildebeest

A king wildebeest must have a grey/blue to dark blue/black colour on his body, similar to the colour of the ordinary blue wildebeest and darker. The tail, mane and beard must be white. King wildebeest are born with a white tail, beard and mane. The nose and mouth around the eyes and inside the ears must be pink in colour. This is a characteristic of all king wildebeest, although some may be lighter pink and some darker pink. The colour of the face of the adult king wildebeest should be mostly or completely white. At a younger stage the face has darker shades of brown and black which will turn lighter as the king wildebeest grows older. The king wildebeest must have a white line on its back from where the mane ends to his rump.
If the king wildebeest has a spot on his body, these spots should be identical on both sides of the animal. Note: a spot is not a requisite characteristic of the king wildebeest.

Royal Wildebeest

The Royal Wildebeest / Royal King Wildebeest (also known as ghost wildebeest) is the most rare colour variant of all the blue wildebeest variants.

There are an estimated 20 – 30 in the world. Currently there are only five breeders actively breeding with the Royal Wildebeest.

The colour variants are not to be confused with subspecies, they are also not hybridised through cross breeding of the various subspecies.

Golden Wildebeest

The first confirmed records of golden wildebeest date back as far as the early 1930’s, when they were called “Vos Wildebeest".

The golden wildebeest has a golden coloured face and a very light yellow/gold mane, tail and beard.

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White Blesbuck

The Blesbok or Blesbuck is a purplish antelope with a distinctive white face and forehead. Its white face is the origin of its name, because bles is the Afrikaans word for blaze.

Although it is a close relative of the Bontebok and can interbreed with it, creating an animal known as the Bontebles or Baster Blesbok, it does not have the same habitat. The Blesbok is indigenous to South Africa and is found in large numbers in all national parks with open grasslands, from the Transvaal Highveld, through the Free State veld, to as far south as the Eastern Cape.

It is a plains species and dislikes wooded areas. It was first discovered in the 17th-century, in numbers so numerous that herds reached from horizon to horizon.

Saddleback Blesbuck

The Blesbok or Blesbuck is a purplish antelope with a distinctive white face and forehead. Its white face is the origin of its name, because bles is the Afrikaans word for blaze.

Although it is a close relative of the Bontebok and can interbreed with it, creating an animal known as the Bontebles or Baster Blesbok, it does not have the same habitat. The Blesbok is indigenous to South Africa and is found in large numbers in all national parks with open grasslands, from the Transvaal Highveld, through the Free State veld, to as far south as the Eastern Cape.

It is a plains species and dislikes wooded areas. It was first discovered in the 17th-century, in numbers so numerous that herds reached from horizon to horizon.