Wildlife

Impala - Aepyceros melampus

Impala, slightly built African antelope that ranges from Kenya south to South Africa. When frightened, impalas scatter, making leaps as long as 9 m (30 ft) and as high as 3 m (10 ft), which have the effect of startling and confusing lions and wild dogs, their main predators. Only male impalas have horns, which are long, black, and of a graceful lyre shape. The impala stands 0.78 to 1 m (2.6 to 3.3 ft) high and is chestnut-brown above and white below, with a distinctive black streak on each haunch. During the dry season they form herds of sometimes hundreds of animals. After the dry season, males compete for territory. Males without territories stay together in a bachelor herd.

Gemsbuck - Oryx Gazella

The gemsbok, a horse-like antelope ranging throughout the arid, semi-arid, and dry grasslands of Africa, is believed to be represented by at least five distinct subspecies. Both male and female of all the subspecies have long horns, which they use with great accuracy when fending off predators. The horns are lowered parallel to the ground and the animals lunge with great accuracy when fending off lions and other predators. Gemsbok can survive dry seasons by eating melons and plant bulbs. Their long horns and striking facial markings have made them prized hunting trophies.

Springbuck - Antidorcas marsupialis

Springbok, small antelope of the southern African plains. The springbok is reddish-tan, with a dark stripe on the flank marking off the white underparts; a fold of skin from the centre of the back to the rump opens like a pouch to reveal a crest of long, white, bristly hair when the animal is startled. It stands about 75 cm (30 in) high. The horns are ringed, lyre-shaped, and hooked at the tips. The animal can leap 2 to 4 m (7 to 13 ft) high, with its back arched, legs straight, and hooves bunched together.

Kudu - Tragelaphus strepsiceros

The Eastern Cape Kudu is one of the largest antelopes, measuring 1 to 1.5 m (3.3 to 5 ft) high at the shoulder. The animal is reddish-brown to pale grey, with a longitudinal white stripe along the middle of its back and several transverse white stripes on each side. The male has long, spiralling horns, sometimes more than 1 m (39 in) in length; the female is hornless. Eastern Cape Kudu, found in the dry forests and dense brush from Chad to Somalia and South Africa, are timid, gentle animals that feed on leaves, fruit, and grass.

Duiker - Sylvicapra grimmia

Duiker, common name for several species of small to medium-sized antelopes that live in shrublands and forests of central and southern Africa. The grey (or bush) duiker ranges into mountain plateaux. Duikers have short, straight, or slightly curved horns, often absent in females of the grey duiker. The largest duikers stand no higher than 87 cm (34 in) at the shoulder; the legs are short, the back arched, and the hooves pointed. The animals are numerous but shy and rarely seen; usually they travel alone or in pairs. They eat a wide range of vegetation and occasionally carrion or small birds, and they are hunted for their meat.

Warthog - Phacochoerus aethiopicus

Warthog, wild pig that has two pairs of tusks and two pairs of wart-like protuberances on a long, wide head. Warthogs have stocky bodies with thin legs, and a long, tufted tail. Widespread on the plains and open woodlands of Africa, their diet includes grass, berries, bark, roots, and carrion. They are normally diurnal, spending the night in burrows, but in places with heavy human activity warthogs may become nocturnal. Male offspring separate from their mother after a maximum of 15 months. The warthog's tusks are sharp weapons used against such predators as lions; fights with other warthogs are mostly pushing matches, the tusks seldom used.

Zebra - Equus zebra

Zebra, striped mammal native to Africa, smaller in size than the related horse and greatly resembling the wild ass in habit and form, having a short, erect mane, large ears, and a tufted tail. The stripes, which distinguish this animal from other members of the horse family, serve as protective coloration in its natural habitat. They are grazing animals and feed on grasses. The chief enemies of the zebra are lions and hunters, who kill zebras for their flesh and hide. The mountain zebra is found in two mountainous areas of southwestern Africa where there is abundant vegetation. All other zebra species are found in more arid parts of Africa where vegetation is sparser.

Red Hartebeest - Alcelaphus buselaphus

Hartebeest, large mammal, common name for a species of African antelope, characterized by a long, narrow head, shoulders higher than the hindquarters, and a cow-like tail. The curved, ringed horns, which are present in both sexes, do not grow directly out of the sides of the head but arise from a short central horn. Adults are 110 to 150 cm (3 ft 7 in to 4 ft 11 in) high at the shoulder and are brownish-grey, with black markings on the face and a white or yellow patch on the rump. Hartebeests are keen-sighted, fleet-footed animals that can outdistance the fastest horses. They feed on grass and inhabit open plains or dry desert regions, being capable of going without water for several weeks at a time.

Blue Wildebeest - Connochaetes taurinus

The blue wildebeest, or brindled gnu, is native to the open woodlands and grasslands of southern Africa and is one of its fastest residents. Standing about 137 cm (54 in) tall, brindled gnus are larger than the related black wildebeest (also called the white-tailed gnu), whose range is limited to Africa.

Eland - Taurotragus oryx

Eland, either of two African antelopes that are the most massive of all true antelopes. The common eland of central and southern Africa has a fawn-coloured coat; it develops a broad, deep-fringed dewlap. Its strong horns spiral straight upwards; in females the horns are shorter and more slender. The Derby eland of southern Africa attains a height of about 1.8 m (6 ft) at the shoulder and has longer horns. Elands are gregarious animals. They can live for more than 20 years in captivity; life expectancy in the wild is probably shorter. Hunted for their meat, they are potentially valuable as domestic animals.