Sable Antelope

The Sable Antelope (Hippotragus niger) is an antelope

Antelope

Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species found in the family Bovidae. The term does not refer to a monophyletic group, as not all members of Bovidae are considered antelope. Instead, the term refers to a ‘miscellaneous’ group within the family encompassing the species which...

 which inhabits wooded savanna

Savanna

A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close...

h in East Africa

East Africa

East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...

 south of Kenya

Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...

, and in Southern Africa

Southern Africa

Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...

.

Subspecies

There are four subspecies

Subspecies

Subspecies in biological classification, is 1) a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, or 2) a taxonomic unit, a taxon in that rank...

:

• H. n. niger which is considered low risk conservation dependent
• H. n. variani (Giant Sable Antelope
  Giant Sable Antelope
  The Giant Sable Antelope, Hippotragus niger variani, also known in Portuguese as the Palanca Negra, is a large, rare subspecies of Sable Antelope native and endemic to the region between Cuango and Luanda Rivers in Angola....
  
  ) of central Angola
  Angola
  Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean. The exclave province of Cabinda has a border with the Republic of the...
  
   which is classified as critically endangered
  Critically endangered
  Organisms with a conservation status of critically endangered have an extremely high risk of becoming extinct in the wild or completely extinct in the immediate future.-IUCN Category:...
  
  
• H. n. kirkii (Zambian Sable Antelope) of central Angola
  Angola
  Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean. The exclave province of Cabinda has a border with the Republic of the...
  
   and western Zambia
  Zambia
  The Republic of Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west. The capital city is...
  
   and is classified as vulnerable
  Vulnerable species
  A vulnerable species is a species which is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction improve...
  
  
• H. n. roosevelti the Roosevelt
  Roosevelt
  Roosevelt was the name of a powerful Dutch-American family that produced two Presidents:*Franklin D. Roosevelt - 32nd President of the United States*Theodore Roosevelt - 26th President of the United States- Other Names:...
  
   sable antelope found in Kenya
  Kenya
  The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
  
   and Tanzania
  Tanzania
  The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in central East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.The United...
  
   and possibly in Mozambique
  Mozambique
  Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. It was explored by Vasco da Gama in 1498...
  
  .

Description

The Sable Antelope stands 120 to 140 centimetres at the shoulder and weigh 200 to 270 kilograms, males being larger than females. Female Sable Antelope are chestnut to dark brown darkening as they mature while males are very distinctively black. Both sexes have a white underbelly, white cheeks and a white chin. They have a shaggy mane on the back of their neck. Sable antelope have ringed horns which arch backward, in females these can reach a meter, but in males they can reach over one and a half meters.

Ecology and behavior

Sable Antelope live in wooded savannah where they eat mid-length grass

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns...

 and leaves

Leaves

Leaves are an Icelandic five-piece alternative rock band who formed in 2001. Late in 2001 they played with Emiliana Torrini and drew early praise from the New York Times. They came to prominence in 2002 with their debut album, Breathe, drawing comparisons to groups such as The Verve and Doves...

. They are diurnal

Diurnal animal

Diurnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the day and sleeping at night. Animals that are not diurnal might be nocturnal or crepuscular .  Many animal species are diurnal, including many mammals, insects and birds...

 but are less active during the heat of the day. Sable Antelope form herds of ten to thirty females and calves led by a single male. Sable Antelope males will fight among themselves; they drop to their knees and use their horns.

Miscellaneous

• The sable antelope was one of the national emblems of Rhodesia
  Rhodesia
  When the former colony of Northern Rhodesia changed its name to Zambia on independence in 1964, the colony of Southern Rhodesia changed its name to just plain 'Rhodesia'. The change had not yet been officialy ratified when Rhodesia declared itself independent on 11 November 1965...
  
   (now Zimbabwe
  Zimbabwe
  Zimbabwe , is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers...
  
  ).
• The sable antelope was also introduced into Texas
  Texas
  Texas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
  
  as game in private ranches.

External links

• ARKive - images and movies of the sable antelope (Hippotragus niger)