Spiral Horned Species

SPIRAL HORNED SPECIES

The elegant spiral horned antelope are great favourites of the African hunter. The true spiral-horned antelope (Tragelaphus) consist of Kudu, Bushbuck and Nyala. It’s not uncommon for many people to also include Eland which are actually Taurotragus. All the spiral horned antelope species are predominantly browsers.

The spiral-horned antelope have white chevrons on their faces, white stripes down their sides and bright white under their tails. The bulls also tend to have white tips to their horns. The reasons for these adaptations are a source of some debate. As far as the chevrons on the face go, they are probably there to reflect light into the eyes. Most of the spiral-horned antelope live in dimly lit, thick bush. The white chevrons apparently reflect light into their eyes which in turn helps them to see predators. The white stripes on the flank? These help with camouflage in the dappled light of their habitats. It’s no surprise that species living in the thickest vegetation have the most obvious striping.

Bushbuck

Bushbuck may be active throughout the 24 hours of the day, although they tend to be nocturnal near human settlements. Using trails through dense jungle, the bushbuck ranges through a restricted "home" area, which may be only a few hundred meters / yards across. These home ranges overlap extensively, and it has been noted that the greater the population density, the smaller these home ranges are. Savannah densities have been recorded as over 25 animals per square kilometer, while forest densities are much smaller - only 4 animals per square kilometer.

Males compete fiercely for females in estrous, but they are not territorial. Confrontations between males are composed of displaying and charging, followed by the locking of horns and vigorous twisting in an attempt to throw the opponent off balance. Stabbing with the horns has also been noted. The bushbuck is an excellent jumper, clearing 2 meter / 6.5 feet tall fences with ease, and swims well. The call resembles the bark of a dog.

Eland

Eland are most active in the morning and late afternoon, lying sheltered in the heat of the day. A very gregarious species, the eland is always found in large herds, with no dispersion during the rainy season. A possible explanation for this is the strong mutual attraction by calves, and a "safety-in-numbers" strategy.

Eland are remarkably fast, have have been recorded running over 70 kmph / 42 mph. Despite their size, they exceptional jumpers, easily clearing heights of 1.5 m / 5 feet. Home range sizes vary dramatically with respect to sex and season.

In the dry season, males used an average of 11.7 square kilometers out of their 41.1 square kilometer total range. Female herds had a dry season range of 26.1 square kilometers, while in the wet season this expanded to 222.0 square kilometers.

There is no exclusive use of space or evidence for territoriality, but adult males within a maternal herds have a distinct social hierarchy.

Kudu

Kudu may be active throughout the 24-hour day. The large ears are extremely sensitive to noise, making these shy antelope difficult to approach. Under normal circumstance, kudu will sneak away and hide from potential enemies. When startled, however, they flee with large jumps with their tails rolled upwards and forwards. Kudu often stop and look back after a running for a short distance - a frequently fatal habit. Despite their large size, kudu are accomplished jumpers, with records of heights of over 2.5 meters / 8.25 feet being cleared with ease. Herds disperse during the rainy season when food is plentiful, while as the dry season reaches its peak, there becomes a high concentration in favourable areas.

Greater kudu are not territorial, although they do have 'home' areas. Maternal herds have home ranges of approximately 4 square kilometers which overlap with those of other groups. Home ranges of adult males are about 11 square kilometers, and generally encompass the ranges of two or three female groups. Population densities vary from 1.9-3.2 animals per square kilometer. The spiral horns are so well developed for wrestling that they can sometimes become so severely interlocked that the two animals fighting cannot release each other, and thus both die. Greater kudu have a wide repertoire of vocalizations, including barks, grunts, hooting bleats, and a strangulated whimper.

Nyala

Nyala are very shy, and are very cautious when approaching open spaces.

Most sightings of wild nyala are at water holes.

They are most active during the early morning and late afternoon, resting in thick brush during the hottest times of the day. The alarm call is a sharp, dog-like bark.

Individual nyala home ranges average 0.65 square kilometers for males and 0.83 kilometers for females.

These individual areas overlap extensively, and there is no indication of territoriality.