sable antelope

Sable Antelope
Sable Bull (Kafue, Zambia)
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Subfamily:	Hippotraginae
Genus:	Hippotragus
Species:	H. niger
Binomial name
Hippotragus niger Harris, 1838

The Sable Antelope (Hippotragus niger) is an antelope which inhabits wooded savannah in East Africa south of Kenya, and in Southern Africa.

Subspecies

There are four subspecies:

• H. n. niger which is considered low risk conservation dependent
• H. n. variani (Giant Sable Antelope) of central Angola which is classified as critically endangered
• H. n. kirkii (Zambian Sable Antelope) of central Angola and western Zambia and is classified as vulnerable
• H. n. roosevelti the Roosevelt sable antelope found in Kenya and Tanzania and possibly in Mozambique.

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 tenth meter. The life span of these animals is up to 18 years.

Ecology and behavior

Sable Antelope live in savanna woodlands and grasslands during the dry season where they eat mid-length grass and leaves. They are diurnal 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, called a bull. Sable Antelope males will fight among themselves; they drop to their knees and use their horns.

In each herd, the juvenile males are exiled from the herd at about 3 years old. All of the female calves remain, however. When the herd gets too large, it divides into smaller groups of cows and their young. These groups will form new herds, once again with only one adult bull. The young males, which have been separated from the herd, associate in "bachelor groups" of up to 12 individuals. Among the bachelors, the most dominant will be the first individual to join a new group of females when the position is open. Very seldom, during their fights for supremacy, are they able to inflict bodily harm to the contender.

When sable antelopes are threatened by a predator, including lions, they will confront it, using their scimitar-shaped horns. Many of these big cats have died during such fights. Despite their effectiveness, the sable's horns have contributed to the sharp decline of the animal, being a highly prized hunting trophy. In addition to heavy hunting, numbers have been reduced severely as part of regional Tse-tse fly control programs.

The grassland habitat of the sable is being reduced due to habitat destruction for agricultural development. Antelope are important to their habitats as grazers and browsers. They are also important as prey for carnivores.

Miscellaneous

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (March 2009)

• The sable antelope was one of the national emblems of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
• The sable antelope was also introduced into Texas as game in private ranches.

Gallery

A female sable antelope at the San Diego Zoo

References

External links

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