Greater kudu: the life of a horned antelope. Greater kudu Lifestyle, behavior

Among all the antelopes living on the African continent, the great kudu (lat. Tragelaphus strepsiceros ) have the most striking and memorable appearance. These tall and majestic animals grow up to one and a half meters at the shoulders and can weigh more than three hundred kilograms, thus being one of the largest antelopes in the world.

Their native home- eastern and central areas Africa. Here, depending on the season, they inhabit bush-covered plains, savannas, forests, and occasionally desert hillsides, and in the dry season they gather along river banks. When choosing places to live and search for food, large kudu prefer bushes, which hide them from hyenas, leopards and lions.

Greater kudu's gray-brown coat is adorned with bright white stripes on their sides, white cheek markings, and diagonal stripes between the eyes called chevrons. The coat of males is dark, with a gray tint, while females and cubs are colored beige tones- this makes them more invisible among savannah vegetation.

The main advantage of male great kudu is their large helical horns. Unlike deer, kudu do not shed their antlers and live with them all their lives. The horns of an adult male are twisted in two and a half turns and grow strictly according to a certain schedule: appearing in the first year of a male’s life, by the age of two they make one full turn, and take their final shape no earlier than the age of six. If the horn of a large kudu is pulled out into one straight line, its length will be slightly less than two meters.

Massive horns - reliable way protection from predators and the main argument in mating season when males fight for the attention of females. However, excessive boasting can sometimes have disastrous consequences - having caught their horns too tightly, the males are no longer able to free themselves, and this leads to the death of both animals. In all other cases, they do not interfere with the life of the kudu, and it easily maneuvers even between closely growing trees, raising its chin and pressing its horns to its head.

Males of greater kudu live separately, joining females only during the mating season. Females with cubs unite in small groups, from three to ten individuals, trying to spend more time among bushes or in tall grass. Their protective coloring copes with its role perfectly - only a very trained and keen eye can see antelopes standing motionless.

A disturbed kudu first freezes in place, wagging its huge sensitive ears, and then suddenly rushes to the side. At the same time, he makes a barking sound (the loudest of all antelopes), warning others of danger.

A rapidly spinning white tail is also an alarm signal. Despite their powerful build, large kudu are excellent jumpers, capable of overcoming obstacles up to three meters high. Hiding from the pursuer and running a short distance, it stops to assess the situation. Very often this habit becomes a fatal mistake for him.

Since ancient times, the luxurious horns of great kudu have been considered a prestigious trophy for hunters from all over the world who come to Africa to compete in dexterity with these elusive antelopes.

• Class: Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758 = Mammals
• Infraclass: Eutheria, Placentalia Gill, 1872 = Placentals, higher animals
• Superorder: Ungulata = Ungulates
• Order: Artiodactyla Owen, 1848= Artiodactyls, artiodactyls
• Suborder: Ruminantia Scopoli, 1777 = Ruminants
• Family: Bovidae (Cavicornia) Gray, 1821 = Bovids
• Genus: Tragelaphus Blainville, 1816 = Woodland antelope

Greater kudu - Tragelaphus strepsiceros - distributed from Central and Eastern to South Africa. Kudu live in small groups, less often alone on wooded hills. They feed on grass and tree leaves. In adult individuals, the height at the withers is 1.3-1.5 m, the body length is up to 245 cm, and the weight is more than 300 kg. Females are smaller than males. Coloration ranges from reddish-gray to bluish-gray with white stripes on the sides. The males of these antelopes are very beautiful. They have brightly visible white stripes running along their reddish-brown body, and their heads are decorated with long massive horns, curved in the shape of a corkscrew - their length is on average 1 m (the record is 1.8 m), females are hornless. Along the underside of the neck from the throat to the belly there is a dewlap of long hair, and on the sides there are vertical white stripes.

KUDU BIG is a slender, large (up to 1.5 m high at the withers) antelope, delicate bluish or yellowish-gray in color, with narrow white transverse stripes on the sides, with a small mane and a dewlap of hard, elongated hair on the throat. The main decoration of the large kudu is its horns, twisted in a wide free spiral and reaching more than 1.5 m in length. Females, like other representatives of the genus, do not have horns.

The huge range of this antelope covers the Eastern, Southern and partially Central Africa, however, it is quite rare in most areas. In general, the big kudu is not one of those antelopes that you can often find.

It prefers hilly and mountainous terrain with rocky soil, but also lives on the plain. Everywhere it stays very secretive. An indispensable condition for its life is dense thickets of bushes. The second condition is accessible watering holes, when these dry up during the dry season, the great kudu makes long-distance migrations. It tolerates human agricultural activities much more easily and, being an excellent jumper, overcomes fences 2-2.5 m high without much effort.

Usually kudu lives in small herds of 6-10 (occasionally 30-40) heads. The herd consists of females with calves and young, immature males. Before the rut, old bulls live alone or form groups of 5-6 individuals. Greater kudu graze at night or in the morning and evening hours. The watering hole is scheduled for the same time. The food consists almost exclusively of leaves of various shrubs, and only in dry periods do animals eat bulbs and rhizomes. There is no information about marking individual areas to which kudu is very attached, although there are observations that old males sometimes rub their cheeks on the bark of trees or on stones. It is possible that this is due to the leaving of odorous marks. It is also possible that the role of “claim posts” is played by shrubs broken by horns, which are often found in kudu habitats.

During mating season, male greater kudu join herds of females. At this time, intense rivalry arises between males, manifested in frequent fights. It is not uncommon for two old males to become so locked in their spiral horns that they can no longer free themselves. The threat pose of the great kudu is peculiar: the animal stands sideways to the approaching enemy, lowering its head low and arching its back. If the enemy tries to get around him, the antelope turns sideways towards him again. However, when attacking, the male always changes position and turns his horns towards the opponent.

Mating is also preceded by a special ceremony. The male, approaching the female, takes an impressive pose: he turns sideways to her with his head held high, facing in the opposite direction. If the female is not inclined to accept courtship, she cools the male's ardor with a strong blow to the side. Otherwise, she runs away, provoking pursuit, during which the male, while running, puts her head and neck or one of the horns on her back and tries to stop her. When this fails, the male tries to bend the female’s neck to the ground with his neck.

Pregnancy in the greater kudu lasts 7-8 months; Cubs are usually born during rainy season However, in some places, such as Zambia and Southern Rhodesia, newborns were seen throughout the year. A newborn kudu hides in a secluded place where the mother comes to feed him. When alarmed, the kudu's voice is a dull, distantly audible bark, similar to a cough. Among the predators, the large kudu is attacked by lions, leopards, and hyena dogs. Young and females often fall prey to cheetahs. The great kudu, with its striking horns, has always been the most coveted trophy of European and American sport hunters.

Among all the antelopes living on the African continent, the great kudu (lat. Tragelaphus strepsiceros) have the most striking and memorable appearance. These tall and majestic animals grow up to one and a half meters at the shoulders and can weigh more than three hundred kilograms, thus being one of the largest antelopes in the world.

chasinggulliver.tumblr.com

Greater kudu's gray-brown coat is adorned with bright white stripes on their sides, white cheek markings, and diagonal stripes between the eyes called chevrons. The fur of males is dark, with a gray tint, while females and cubs are painted in beige tones - this makes them more invisible among savannah vegetation.

The main advantage of male great kudu is their large helical horns. Unlike deer, kudu do not shed their antlers and live with them all their lives. The horns of an adult male are twisted in two and a half turns and grow strictly according to a certain schedule: appearing in the first year of a male’s life, by the age of two they make one full turn, and take their final shape no earlier than the age of six. If the horn of a large kudu is pulled out into one straight line, its length will be slightly less than two meters.

Massive horns are a reliable way of protection from predators and the main argument during the mating season, when males fight for the attention of females. However, excessive boasting can sometimes have disastrous consequences - having caught their horns too tightly, the males are no longer able to free themselves, and this leads to the death of both animals. In all other cases, they do not interfere with the life of the kudu, and it easily maneuvers even between closely growing trees, raising its chin and pressing its horns to its head.

Males of greater kudu live separately, joining females only during the mating season. Females with cubs unite in small groups, from three to ten individuals, trying to spend more time among bushes or in tall grass. Their protective coloring copes with its role perfectly - only a very trained and keen eye can see antelopes standing motionless.

A disturbed kudu first freezes in place, wagging its huge sensitive ears, and then suddenly rushes to the side. At the same time, he makes a barking sound (the loudest of all antelopes), warning others of danger.

A rapidly spinning white tail is also an alarm signal. Despite their powerful build, large kudu are excellent jumpers, capable of overcoming obstacles up to three meters high. Hiding from the pursuer and running a short distance, it stops to assess the situation. Very often this habit becomes a fatal mistake for him.

Since ancient times, the luxurious horns of great kudu have been considered a prestigious trophy for hunters from all over the world who come to Africa to compete in dexterity with these elusive antelopes.

These antelopes stand out among other antelopes that live on the African continent with their bright, memorable appearance.

Greater kudu are large animals with a majestic appearance, reaching one and a half meters tall at the shoulders and weighing more than three hundred kilograms. They are among the largest antelopes in the world.

The habitat of greater kudu is central and eastern Africa. They prefer to settle in savannas, on bush-covered plains, in forests, in in rare cases on deserted hillsides. In general, they choose a place to live depending on the season, for example, with the onset of drought they move to the banks of rivers. Their most favorite place is thickets of bushes, which help them hide from predators, of which there are many in these places.

Greater kudu have a grey-brown coat with white stripes on their sides, white markings on their cheeks, and diagonal stripes called chevrons running between their eyes. In males, the coat is darker with a gray tint, while in young animals and females it is colored beige color, which allows them to remain more invisible against the background of vegetation.

The real highlight of the male Greater Kudu are their large helical horns. They don't shed them like deer and live with the same ones all their lives. In adult males, the horns have two and a half turns. Moreover, their horns curl strictly in accordance with the schedule: they appear in the first year of life, and by the time the male turns two years old, they make one revolution. And they are finally formed by the age of six years of the animal. One horn of a great kudu, if extended in a straight line, would be about two meters long.

Such impressive horns are a weapon of great kudu against predators and for sorting out relationships with other males in the fight for females during the mating season. But sometimes battles between males can end quite disastrously: they can cling too tightly with their horns, which they can no longer disentangle. Unfortunately, in such cases both animals die. And in all other situations, the horns in no way interfere with the life of large kudu, so they can easily and naturally move near trees, only by raising their chin and pressing their horns to their back.

The males of these antelopes live separately, and during the mating season they join the females, who, together with their cubs, live in small groups of three to ten animals. These groups spend more time among tall grass and bushes, hiding from predators. Their coloring perfectly helps them camouflage themselves so well that if the antelope stands still, it is almost impossible to see it against the background of vegetation.

If a kudu senses danger, it freezes motionless for a while and moves its large, sensitive ears, after which it abruptly runs away to the side, at the same time making a barking sound, which warns other relatives about the danger. It should be noted that greater kudu produce the loudest sounds compared to other antelopes.

Listen to the voice of the kudu antelope

Another alarm signal of the great kudu is its spinning white tail. These antelopes jump beautifully, and even their large physique does not hinder them. They are able to jump over obstacles about three meters high. Large kudu have a peculiar habit - when escaping from being chased, they run some distance and stop to look around. This behavior can be fatal for kudu.

The African continent supports rich wildlife through its deserts, savannas, vast valleys and forests. Africa is home to the largest land animal ( African elephant) and the tallest animal (giraffe) in the world. But there are many other interesting African animals that you need to know about. For example, Top 10 amazing animals found only in Africa.

1. Greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)

photo Harvey Barrison flickr.com

Interesting facts about the great kudu

The Greater Kudu is an amazing antelope that is native to Eastern and Southern Africa. It lives in savannah forests and rocky slopes.

This is one of the longest-horned antelopes in the world. The impressively curled horns are found only on male kudu. Their horns can be up to 1 meter long with 2 and 1/2 twists. Males use their long horns for protection from predators.

Males have a body length of 2 to 2.5 meters and weigh up to 315 kg. Females are smaller than males. Their length is 1.85-2.3 meters, and their weight is up to 215 kg.

Greater kudu have a brown-gray coat with 5-12 vertical white stripes. They also have a distinctive white stripe between the eyes.

These antelopes are social animals. Females form groups that contain up to 25 individuals. Males join groups only during the mating season.

This one is more close-up view Antelope mainly feed on leaves, grasses, fruits and flowers. IN wildlife Great kudu live up to 7 years, and in captivity, they can live more than 20 years.

1. Ostrich (Struthio camelus)

Interesting facts about ostriches

Non-flying birds, ostriches are the largest birds in the world. They have a length from 2 to 2.7 m and weigh up to 160 kg. Ostriches are found in the savannas and desert lands of Central and Southern Africa.

Ostriches are also known as "camel birds" because they can withstand high temperature and live for a long time without water.

The soft and smooth feathers of adult male ostriches are black and their tail is white. In contrast, females have gray-brown feathers. The neck of ostriches is long and bare.

With powerful long legs ostriches can reach maximum speed 69 kilometers per hour. Each ostrich's foot has very sharp claws. Their legs are powerful enough to kill a person with one blow. Ostriches use their legs as their primary weapon for defense against potential predators such as lions, leopards, cheetahs and hyenas.

Ostriches live in small herds of 10-12 individuals. 15 cm in length is the size of the largest eggs in the world that ostriches lay. These huge birds are omnivores and they feed on leaves, roots, seeds, lizards, insects and snakes. Ostriches also swallow pebbles and small stones to grind up food in their stomach.

1. Okapi (Okapia johnstoni)

Interesting facts about okapi

is the only remaining relative of the giraffe in the world. They are found only in tropical forests Republic of the Congo. The most noticeable feature of okapi is their striped markings, which make them similar in appearance to zebras.

Okapi is one of the most endangered. Habitat loss and hunting are the main threats to this amazing species.

Okapi can reach 2.5 meters in length and weigh between 180 and 310 kg. As a member of the giraffe family, okapi also has a relatively long neck. The coat color is reddish-brown with zebra-like stripes on the hind and forelimbs. This helps okapi easily hide in dense forests. The animal also has a very long tongue, which can reach a length of up to 45 cm.

Okapi often travel 1.2-4 km per day in search of food. Their long tongue helps them easily reach leaves and buds from tall plants.

1. Galago ( Galago)

Interesting facts about galagos

is a small primate that has a length of 15 to 20 cm and a weight of up to 300 grams. They live in the bushes and forests of East Africa.

The galago's thick fur is brown or grey colour. They have very large ears, which give them an excellent sense of hearing. This nocturnal creature also has excellent night vision and large eyes.

Galagos are excellent jumpers as they have very strong back legs. With one jump, the animal can reach a height of 2.25 meters.

Unlike other primates, galagos have an additional tongue that is hidden under the main tongue.

These nocturnal animals spend most of their time in trees. Elastic joints on the legs allow them to move easily between branches. They mainly feed on bark, fruits and insects.

1. Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex)

Interesting facts about the shoebill

One of the strangest birds in the world is. The bird has a huge beak that can grow up to 22 cm. This amazing bird can only be found in the swamps of East Africa.

Shoebills are one of the species that may become endangered in the near future. Habitat loss and hunting are their main threats.

Large shoebills can reach 120 cm in length and weigh from 4 to 6 kg. They have bluish-gray plumage and wide wings.

Shoebills are ambush predators, meaning they remain motionless until prey gets close enough to them. Then they make a surprise attack using their powerful beak. The bird's diet consists of lizards, turtles, water snakes and rats.

Shoebill is also one of the loneliest birds in the world. After all, they only get together during the mating season.

1. Eastern colobus (Colobus guereza)

photo Martin Grimm flickr.com

Interesting facts about the eastern colobus

The Eastern Colobus is one of the most attractive African monkeys. She has bright, glossy, black and white fur and an impressive a long tail. It lives in deciduous and evergreen forests of Western and Central Africa.

This great view monkeys, their length is 53.8-71 cm, and their weight is up to 13.5 kg. Eastern colobus monkeys live in large groups, which contain 3-15 monkeys.

These monkeys are active during the day, but spend the most time in the trees. They also take time during the day to search for food sources. Colobus monkeys use different types of sounds and signals to communicate with each other.

This monkey's multi-chambered stomach contains specialized bacteria that help digest it. a large number of food. The diet of the eastern colobus consists mainly of leaves, seeds, fruits and arthropods.

1. Eastern crowned crane (Balearica regulorum )

photo James Ball flickr.com

Interesting facts about the Eastern crowned crane

Measuring 1 meter in height and weighing over 4 kg, the eastern crowned crane is big bird, living in savannas, rivers and swamps of East and Southern Africa.

Most characteristic feature This amazing African bird is characterized by its crest of golden feathers. The bird's entire plumage is mostly grey, with a pale gray neck and black and white wings. They also have an attractive bright red pouch under their beak.

During the mating season, male cranes perform interesting courtship rituals with females. They dance, jump and make amazing sounds.

The nest of the eastern crowned crane contains from 2 to 5 eggs, and this is the largest average number of eggs among all members of the family.

The Eastern crowned crane is an omnivore, feeding on insects, lizards, grasses, seeds, fish and amphibians.

1. Wildebeest (Connochaetes)

Interesting facts about wildebeest

Although at first glance they look like a bull, the wildebeest actually belongs to the antelope family. There are two different types These antelopes are black wildebeest and blue wildebeest. Both species are found only in Africa. They live in open forests and green plains.

The wildebeest can reach 2.5 m in length and weigh up to 275 kg. Both male and female wildebeest have horns. These animals live in large herds.

Between May and June, when food sources become scarce, wildebeest migrate north. The migratory group consists of 1.2-1.5 million individuals. They are also accompanied by thousands of zebras and gazelles. This is the most great migration terrestrial mammals on the ground.

Wildebeests are capable of walking more than 50 km in one day. During migration, antelopes cover a distance of about 1000-1600 km.

Wildebeest mainly feed on short grass. Lions, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs are their main enemies.

1. Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx)

Interesting facts about mandarilla

The mandrill is the largest species of monkey in the world. They have a body length of 60 to 90 cm, and weigh up to 38 kg. Mandrills live in tropical forests and subtropical forests West and Central Africa.

They are certainly among the most colorful monkeys in the world. They have attractive dense, olive-green fur and a gray belly. The mandrill's cute long nose has a red stripe. Males are larger and more colorful than females.

Mandrills are extremely social animals and they live in large groups of up to 200 individuals.

Besides their coloring and size, these monkeys have long fangs that grow up to 63.5 cm. They use their huge fangs to threaten predators.

Mandrills are active in daytime. They have cheek pouches to store the food they collect. They are omnivores and feed on fruits, seeds, insects, eggs and worms.

1. Lemurs (Lemuriformes)

Interesting facts about lemurs

Lemurs are amazing primates that are found only in... east coast South Africa. In total, there are 30 different species of lemurs, all of which are endemic to Madagascar.

Madame Berthae's lemur (Microcebus berthae), which weighs just 30g, is the world's smallest primate, while the indri (Indri indri) is the largest living lemur, weighing up to 9.5kg.

Most lemurs are arboreal, meaning that they spend most of their time living in trees. The tail of most lemur species is also longer than their body.

Lemurs are social animals that live in groups. They use high-pitched sounds and scent markings to communicate with each other. They have an excellent sense of hearing and smell.

Lemurs are also called one of the smartest animals in the world. They are known for their use of tools and their ability to learn patterns.

- the only one natural predator lemurs The lemur's diet consists of fruits, nuts, leaves and flowers.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.