The
Waterbuck (
Kobus ellipsiprymnus) is an
antelopeAntelope 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...
found in
WesternWest Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:*Benin...
,
Central AfricaCentral Africa is a core region of the African continent often considered to include Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
,
East AfricaEast 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:...
and
Southern AfricaSouthern 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...
.
Waterbuck stand 100 to 130 cm at the shoulder and weigh from 160 to 240 kg. Their coats are reddish brown in colour and become progressively darker with age; they have a white 'bib' under their throats and a white ring on their rumps surrounding their tails. The waterproofing secretions of the waterbuck's sweat glands produces an
unpleasant odorAn unpleasant odor is an odor that is repulsive. Terms used to describe unpleasant odors include malodorous, stench, reek, and stink....
in its meat, unless the animal is skinned carefully.
The
Waterbuck (
Kobus ellipsiprymnus) is an
antelopeAntelope 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...
found in
WesternWest Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:*Benin...
,
Central AfricaCentral Africa is a core region of the African continent often considered to include Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
,
East AfricaEast 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:...
and
Southern AfricaSouthern 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...
.
Waterbuck stand 100 to 130 cm at the shoulder and weigh from 160 to 240 kg. Their coats are reddish brown in colour and become progressively darker with age; they have a white 'bib' under their throats and a white ring on their rumps surrounding their tails. The waterproofing secretions of the waterbuck's sweat glands produces an
unpleasant odorAn unpleasant odor is an odor that is repulsive. Terms used to describe unpleasant odors include malodorous, stench, reek, and stink....
in its meat, unless the animal is skinned carefully. According to African myth the meat of the waterbuck is not edible, but this is untrue--whilst not especially tasty, waterbuck venison is safe to eat. The long spiral structured horns, found only in males, sweep back and up.
Waterbuck are found in
scrubScrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation composed largely of shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Scrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...
and
savannaA savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close...
areas near water where they eat
grassGrasses, 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...
. Despite its name, the waterbuck does not spend much time in the water, but will take refuge there to escape predators. Waterbuck are
diurnalDiurnality 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...
. Females gather in
herdA herd is a large group of animals and is a form of collective animal behavior. The term is usually applied to mammals, particularly ungulates. Other terms are used for similar phenomena in other types of animal...
s of between two and six hundred individuals. Males keep territories of around three hundred acres (1.2 km²) during their prime. They usually lose their territories before the age of ten.
The
Defassa Waterbuck is a subspecies (
Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa) in which the ring on the rump is solid white. The Defassa Waterbuck are found west of the
Great Rift ValleyThe Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa...
, ranging from Ethiopia west to Senegal, while the Ellipsen Waterbuck occur in south-east Africa, east of the Great Rift Valley.