The black antelope, also known as African, belongs to the subfamily of saber-horned antelopes. This beautiful and graceful animal has a number of distinctive features that are not characteristic of other types of antelopes. We will talk about these amazing animals, their habitat and unusual facts in this article.
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Hippotragus niger - this is how the name of this antelope sounds in Latin. She has a blue-black coat color and a white area on the belly, which contrasts strongly with the main color. The horns of these antelopes are both males and females. They consist of a large number of rings and have a semicircular, curved back shape. The horns of the black antelope reach about 160 cm in length, and their ends are incredibly sharp.
The antelope has very hard hair at the withers and neck, which reaches a length of about 12 cm. Surprisingly, unlike other types of antelopes, black males are slightly larger in size than females. The weight of an adult male reaches about 280 kg, and females - no more than 240 kg.
The body length of these animals ranges from 190 to 210 cm, at the withers - from 120 to 140 cm, and the withers significantly exceeds the hind part of the body in height. On the tail of this animal there is a long brush of wool, which helps them to drive away insects. The life expectancy of these representatives of the fauna reaches 20 years. In nature, there are five species of black antelope, these are the common, southern, Zambian, roosevelt and giant.
Features
The peculiarity of black antelopes is the difference in color of individuals. For example, young gobies and adult females are colored dark brown, and adult males black. In young gobies, as they grow older, the coat color becomes darker, and when they reach puberty, they become saturated black.
Also, young individuals have a uniform color throughout the body, and only after reaching adulthood do their belly turn white, the color of the muzzle also changes. Representatives of both sexes have a complex pattern on the face that has a white color. Why nature has awarded the black antelope with such an unusual contrasting color, scientists have no consensus.
Habitat
This species of antelope lives in southeast Africa. From the northern part of the mainland, its habitat is limited by forests growing near the Congo basin. Surprisingly, this antelope does not occur in the southern part of the mainland, despite the fact that the flora there is the same as in southeast Africa.
The black antelope is mainly found in the woodlands of the savannah, as well as in those areas where cereals, shrubs, and trees grow mixed. Despite the fact that these animals do not belong to the so-called near-water species, they never go far from those places where there are sources of water. These antelopes mainly graze in difficult areas: in ravines, on hills and on steep slopes, which are located in river deltas.
Nutrition
The diet of antelopes mainly consists of herbaceous plants, most of them cereals. These animals eagerly feed on young shoots of various trees and shrubs. Most often, they prefer this type of food in dry periods. Black antelopes tolerate a lack of water quite well.
So, for example, in its absence, they can feel quite well for three days. It is worth noting that, being close to the reservoir, they drink water several times during the day. At a time when a group of animals is grazing, it can be quite dispersed, but they never leave each other's visibility zone.
Lifestyle
Young and adult females of the black antelope live in small groups - from 10 to 30 individuals. With the necessary amount of food and water on pastures, the herd is located on the territory of a single male, who leads the entire group. Adult males constantly mark the boundaries of their territory with the help of a special secret and dung, constantly patrolling and checking the marks. All territories divided between males are strictly protected by their owners.
Young bulls are with females from two to three years old, then leave the group on their own, if this does not happen, an adult male drives them away. Young males stray into groups and move through the territories of various dominant males. Having reached the age of five, the group breaks up, and each male becomes a loner.
They begin to carry out attempts to seize any territory, having driven the previous owner out of it. There are numerous fights between males, where their long horns play a major role. New pretenders to the territory and females appear regularly, so one male can hold it for two to three years.
Group behavior
Males who have been expelled from their territory begin to live alone, but there are times when they join the group. Young females of the black antelope most often remain in the parent group for life, but can change it during the redistribution of territories by males. Studying the life of these antelopes in the wild is very difficult, so all the data was obtained as a result of observation of them in zoos and nurseries.
In antelope groups between females, there is a very strict hierarchy, which is followed by absolutely all individuals. Females, like males, quite often find out relations between themselves in fierce fights in which they can inflict serious lacerations with their sharp horns.
At the same time, adult individuals always take care of and protect young animals from aggressive actions from outsiders. Adult females can be absent for a short time, leaving the group and leaving their cub to other adult females. Females protect their babies even from lions, often coming out victorious from such situations, which is quite surprising.
True beauty
Black antelopes are distinguished by their excellent hearing, excellent sense of smell and keen eyesight, which helps them quickly sense danger. They have a very high speed, which makes hunting for them difficult for numerous predators.
In the photo, the black antelope looks very impressive. To appreciate the true beauty of these unique animals, you will have to go to the zoo. This species is listed in the International Red Book and hunting is prohibited. Today, environmental organizations are doing everything to protect and preserve it.