Antelope
Antelope | |
---|---|
Blackbuck antelope of India | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Superfamily: | Bovoidea |
Family: | Bovidae |
Groups included | |
| |
Cladistically included but traditionally excluded taxa | |
The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the
A better definition, also known as the "true antelopes", includes only the genera Gazella, Nanger, Eudorcas, and Antilope.[1] One North American mammal, the pronghorn or "pronghorn antelope", is colloquially referred to as the "American antelope", despite the fact that it belongs to a completely different family (Antilocapridae) than the true Old-World antelopes; pronghorn are the sole extant member of an extinct prehistoric lineage that once included many unique species.
Although antelope are sometimes referred to, and easily misidentified as, "deer" (
Unlike deer, in which the males sport elaborate head antlers that are shed and regrown annually, antelope horns are bone and grow steadily, never falling off. If a horn is broken, it will either remain broken or take years to partially regenerate, depending on the species.[2]
Etymology
The English word "antelope" first appeared in 1417 and is derived from the
Species
There are 91 antelope species, most of which are native to Africa, occur in about 30 genera. The classification of tribes or subfamilies within Bovoidea is still a matter of debate, with several alternative systems proposed.
Antelope are not a
are called antelope.Distribution and habitat
More species of antelope are native to
No antelope species is native to Australasia or Antarctica, nor do any extant species occur in the Americas, though the nominate saiga subspecies occurred in North America during the Pleistocene. North America is currently home to the native pronghorn, which taxonomists do not consider a member of the antelope group, but which is often locally referred to as such (e.g., "American antelope"). In Europe, several extinct species occur in the fossil record, and the saiga was found widely during the Pleistocene but did not persist into the later Holocene,[7] except in Russian Kalmykia and Astrakhan Oblast.[8]
Many species of antelope have been imported to other parts of the world, especially the United States, for exotic game hunting. With some species possessing spectacular leaping and evasive skills, individuals may escape. Texas in particular has many game ranches, as well as habitats and climates that are very hospitable to African and Asian plains antelope species. Accordingly, wild populations of blackbuck antelope, gemsbok, and nilgai may be found in Texas.[9]
Antelope live in a wide range of habitats. Most live in the African
Species living in forests, woodland, or bush tend to be sedentary, but many of the plains species undertake long migrations. These enable grass-eating species to follow the rains and thereby their food supply. The gnus and gazelles of East Africa perform some of the most impressive mass migratory circuits of all mammals.[11]
Morphology
Antelope vary greatly in size. For example, a male common eland can measure 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) at the shoulder and weigh almost 950 kg (2,100 lb), whereas an adult royal antelope may stand only 24 cm (9+1⁄2 in) at the shoulder and weigh a mere 1.5 kg (3+1⁄4 lb).
Not surprisingly for animals with long, slender yet powerful legs, many antelope have long strides and can run fast. Some (e.g. klipspringer) are also adapted to inhabiting rock koppies and crags. Both dibatags and gerenuks habitually stand on their two hind legs to reach acacia and other tree foliage. Different antelope have different body types, which can affect movement. Duikers are short, bush-dwelling antelope that can pick through dense foliage and dive into the shadows rapidly. Gazelle and springbok are known for their speed and leaping abilities. Even larger antelope, such as nilgai, elands, and kudus, are capable of jumping 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) or greater, although their running speed is restricted by their greater mass.
Antelope have a wide variety of coverings, though most have a dense coat of short fur. In most species, the coat (pelage) is some variation of a brown colour (or several shades of brown), often with white or pale underbodies. Exceptions include the zebra-marked
Antelope are
Like many other
Many antelope are sexually dimorphic. In most species, both sexes have horns, but those of males tend to be larger. Males tend to be larger than the females, but exceptions in which the females tend to be heavier than the males include the
The size and shape of antelope horns varies greatly. Those of the duikers and dwarf antelope tend to be simple "spikes", but differ in the angle to the head from backward curved and backward pointing (e.g. yellow-backed duiker) to straight and upright (e.g. steenbok). Other groups have twisted (e.g. common eland), spiral (e.g. greater kudu), "recurved" (e.g. the reedbucks), lyrate (e.g. impala), or long, curved (e.g. the oryxes) horns. Horns are not shed and their bony cores are covered with a thick, persistent sheath of horny material, both of which distinguish them from antlers.[12]
Horns are efficient weapons, and tend to be better developed in those species where males fight over females (large herd antelope) than in solitary or
Behavior
Mating strategies
Antelope are often classified by their reproductive behavior.
Small antelope, such as dik-diks, tend to be monogamous. They live in a forest environment with patchy resources, and a male is unable to monopolize more than one female due to this sparse distribution. Larger forest species often form very small herds of two to four females and one male.
Some species, such as lechwes, pursue a lek breeding system, where the males gather on a lekking ground and compete for a small territory, while the females appraise males and choose one with which to mate.
Large grazing antelope, such as impala or wildebeest, form large herds made up of many females and a single breeding male, which excludes all other males, often by combat.
Defense
Antelope pursue a number of defense strategies, often dictated by their morphology.
Large antelope that gather in large herds, such as wildebeest, rely on numbers and running speed for protection. In some species, adults will encircle the offspring, protecting them from predators when threatened. Many forest antelope rely on cryptic coloring and good hearing to avoid predators. Forest antelope often have very large ears and dark or striped colorations. Small antelope, especially duikers, evade predation by jumping into dense bush where the predator cannot pursue.[13] Springboks use a behavior known as stotting to confuse predators.
Open grassland species have nowhere to hide from predators, so they tend to be fast runners. They are agile and have good endurance—these are advantages when pursued by sprint-dependent predators such as cheetahs, which are the fastest of land animals, but tire quickly. Reaction distances vary with predator species and behaviour. For example, gazelles may not flee from a lion until it is closer than 200 m (650 ft)—lions hunt as a pride or by surprise, usually by stalking; one that can be seen clearly is unlikely to attack. However, sprint-dependent cheetahs will cause gazelles to flee at a range of over 800 metres (1⁄2 mile).[14]
If escape is not an option, antelope are capable of fighting back. Oryxes in particular have been known to stand sideways like many unrelated bovids to appear larger than they are, and may charge at a predator as a last resort.[15]
Status
About 25 species are rated by the
The chiru or Tibetan antelope is hunted for its pelt, which is used in making shahtoosh wool, used in shawls. Since the fur can only be removed from dead animals, and each animal yields very little of the downy fur, several antelope must be killed to make a single shawl. This unsustainable demand has led to enormous declines in the chiru population.[17][18]
The saiga is hunted for its horns, which are considered an aphrodisiac by some cultures. Only the males have horns, and have been so heavily hunted that some herds contain up to 800 females to one male. The species has shown a steep decline and is critically endangered.
Lifespan
It is difficult to determine how long antelope live in the wild. With the preference of predators towards old and infirm individuals, which can no longer sustain peak speeds, few wild prey-animals live as long as their biological potential. In captivity, wildebeest have lived beyond 20 years old, and impalas have reached their late teens.[19]
Humans
Culture
The antelope's horn is prized for supposed medicinal and magical powers in many places. The horn of the male saiga, in Eastern practice, is ground as an aphrodisiac, for which it has been hunted nearly to extinction.. There is, however, no scientific evidence that the horns of any antelope have any change on a human's physiology or characteristics.
In Mali, antelope were believed to have brought the skills of agriculture to mankind.[21]
Humans have also used the term "Antelope" to refer to a tradition usually found in the sport of track and field.
Domestication
However, humans have had success taming certain species, such as the elands. These antelope sometimes jump over each other's backs when alarmed, but this incongruous talent seems to be exploited only by wild members of the species; tame elands do not take advantage of it and can be enclosed within a very low fence. Their meat, milk, and hides are all of excellent quality, and experimental eland husbandry has been going on for some years in both Ukraine and Zimbabwe. In both locations, the animal has proved wholly amenable to domestication.[22] Similarly, European visitors to Arabia reported "tame gazelles are very common in the Asiatic countries of which the species is a native; and the poetry of these countries abounds in allusions both to the beauty and the gentleness of the gazelle."[23] Other antelope that have been tamed successfully include the gemsbok,[24] the kudu,[25] and the springbok.[25] Nor are the characteristics described above necessarily barriers to domestication; for further information, see animal domestication.
Hybrid antelope
A wide variety of antelope hybrids have been recorded in zoos, game parks, and wildlife ranches, due to either a lack of more appropriate mates in enclosures shared with other species or a misidentification of species. The ease of hybridization shows how closely related some antelope species are. With few exceptions, most hybrid antelope occur only in captivity.
Most hybrids occur between species within the same genus. All reported examples occur within the same subfamily. As with most mammal hybrids, the less closely related the parents, the more likely the offspring will be sterile.[19]
Heraldry
Antelope are a common symbol in
Antelope can all also occur in their natural form, in which case they are termed "natural antelope" to distinguish them from the more usual heraldic antelope.
See also
References
- S2CID 198135421.
- ISBN 9781626365315.
- ^ "Antelope". Archived 2014-04-18 at the Wayback Machine Dictionary.com. Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. Accessed 1 September 2008.
- ^ "antelope | mammal". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
- ISBN 9781118409633. Archivedfrom the original on 25 November 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
- ISBN 978-0300063486. Archivedfrom the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
- ISBN 0856611107
- ^ "Republic of Kalmykia » Saiga". Archived from the original on 2016-12-22. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
- ISBN 158544555X
- ISBN 0709944411
- ISBN 0520080858
- ISBN 0801871352
- ^ Bere, Rennie (1970) The World of Animals: Antelopes. Arco Publishing Company, New York.
- ISBN 0124083552
- ^ "Oryx". San Diego Zoo.
- ^ Quarter of antelope species in danger of extinction. IUCN. 4 March 2009
- . Retrieved 13 November 2021. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is considered endangered.
- ^ "Four out of six great apes one step away from extinction – IUCN Red List". iucnworldconservationcongress.org. 4 September 2016. Archived from the original on 8 September 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
- ^ ISBN 0890963991
- ^ Radford, Tim (13 March 2003). "Antelope stampeding to extinction". Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 December 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-85986-059-5.
- ^ Carr, Archie (1964) The Land and Wildlife of Africa, part of the LIFE Nature Library series.
- ^ The International Cyclopedia: A Compendium of Human Knowledge. Rev. with Large Additions, Volume 6. Dodd, Mead, 1898.
- ^ Bokka the tame gemsbok. you.co.za. 28 December 2012
- ^ a b Kirkwood Reviews Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine. safarinow.com
- ^ Vinycomb, John (1906). Fictitious and Symbolic Creatures in Heraldry. Chapman & Hall, Ltd. p. 213. Archived from the original on 2015-07-27.
- ^ Fox-Davies, Arthur (1909). A Complete Guide to Heraldry. T.C. & E.C. Jack. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24.
External links
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. II (9th ed.). 1878. pp. 100–102. .
- Ultimate Ungulate
- San Diego Zoo Antelope