Common Eland

Common Eland

Southern eland, Eland antelope

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Family
Subfamily
Genus
SPECIES
Taurotragus oryx
Population size
136,000
Life Span
15-25 years
Top speed
40
25
km/hmph
km/h mph 
Weight
300-942
660-2072.4
kglbs
kg lbs 
Height
125-183
49.2-72
cminch
cm inch 
Length
200-345
78.7-135.8
cminch
cm inch 

The Common eland (Taurotragus oryx) is an antelope species from East and Southern Africa. It was scientifically described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1766. The Common eland is used by humans for leather, meat, and milk, and has been domesticated in many areas.

Appearance

Common elands are spiral-horned antelopes. Their coat differs geographically, with elands in the northern part of their range having distinctive markings (torso stripes, markings on legs, dark garters, and a spinal crest) that are absent in the south. Apart from a rough mane, the coat is smooth. Females have a tan coat, while the coats of males are darker, with a bluish-grey tinge. Bulls may also have a series of vertical white stripes on their sides (mainly in parts of the Karoo in South Africa). As males age, their coat becomes more grey. Males also have dense fur on their foreheads and a large dewlap on their throats. Both sexes have horns with a steady spiral ridge (resembling that of the bushbuck). The horns are visible as small buds in newborns and grow rapidly during the first seven months. The horns of males are thicker and shorter than those of females (males' horns are 43066 cm (17-26 in) long and females' are 51-69 cm (20-27 in) long), and have a tighter spiral. Males use their horns during rutting season to wrestle and butt heads with rivals, while females use their horns to protect their young from predators.

Video

Distribution

Geography

Common elands inhabit southern Africa and the foothills in the great southern African plateau, as well as Ethiopia and most of the arid zones in South Sudan, as well as western Angola, Namibia, and South Africa. They prefer to live in semi-arid areas that contain many shrub-like bushes and often inhabit woodlands, and mountaintops. Elands typically avoid deep forests, swamps, deserts, and very open grasslands but do occur in grassland with good herb cover.

Common Eland habitat map

Climate zones

Common Eland habitat map
Common Eland
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Habits and Lifestyle

Common elands are crepuscular and are most often found feeding at night, when vegetation has taken in moisture from the air, thus providing a higher water content. When it is hot during the day, they will often be found resting in areas of shade. Common elands are social animals, often found in herds of 25-60, occasionally gathering in groups of more than 1,000, especially during the rainy season. Typically, mature males form herds, and mature females do as well, with the young congregating in nursery herds. A hierarchy exists within these herds, which determines, for a male, access to breeding females, and to feeding sites for a female. Common elands are nomadic creatures. Males are not territorial, though will become possessive with regard to breeding females. The home range of a female, which makes extensive movements in the wet season, is much bigger than that of a male. Male territories are mostly in wooded areas. If a predator is seen, the bull of a group will bark and start walking back and forth to warn other elands of danger. They also use the odors in their urine to communicate.

Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Common elands are herbivorous (folivorous, graminivorous) animals. They browse during drier winter months but have also adapted to grazing during the rainy season when grasses are more common. They require a high-protein diet of succulent leaves from flowering plants but will consume lower-quality plant material if available including forbs, trees, shrubs, grasses, seeds, and tubers.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
any time of the year
PREGNANCY DURATION
8.5-9 months
BABY CARRYING
1 calf
INDEPENDENT AGE
2 years
FEMALE NAME
doe
MALE NAME
buck
BABY NAME
calf

Common elands are polygynous breeders and dominant males will mate with multiple females. Sometimes males fight with their horns. Mating may take place at any time, usually when the elands gather on the lush plains to eat the plentiful grass. Gestation is for 8.5-9 months and females give birth to a single calf, which they keep hidden in vegetation until it is two weeks old. Calves grow very quickly, feeding on the nutritious eland milk, soon joining a nursery herd that remains close to the herd of females. Most of the time calves are concealed or moving around along with their mothers. Weaning takes place after 6 months and the calves stay for as long as two years within their calf group. After this, they go off to join a female or male herd. Reproductive maturity is reached by females when they are 1 to 3 years old and by males when they are the age of 4 to 5 years.

Population

Population threats

Habitat loss as a result of expanding human settlements and being poached for its high-quality meat have meant drastic reductions in the range and numbers of the Common eland.

Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the total Common eland population size is around 136,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) and its numbers today remain stable.

Fun Facts for Kids

  • The name "eland" is Dutch for "elk" or "moose".
  • Common elands are the slowest antelopes in the world.
  • This animal is adapted to conserve all its precious water by allowing its body temperature on hot days to rise up to 7° Celsius (13.5° Fahrenheit), thus reducing its need to sweat. When the sun sets, its body heat then is able to radiate out into the cooler air.
  • Recently these animals have become popular for their meat and milk. Needing less water than dairy cows, their milk is richer in milkfat, does not have to be refrigerated, and will last for as long as eight months if properly prepared, rather than a few days.
  • The Common eland features on the Grootfontein coat of arms in Namibia.
  • When walking, the tendons or joints of the eland's foreleg make a sharp click, the cause for which has not been fully investigated. This sound carries a long way and is a good sign of an approaching herd. Scientists believe it could be a means of communication - when a male walks through his territory, such clicking can be heard as far as a mile away and may alert another eland with regard to his territory.

Coloring Pages

References

1. Common Eland Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_eland
2. Common Eland on The IUCN Red List site - http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22055/0

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