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waterbuck

 
Dictionary: wa·ter·buck   ('tər-bŭk', wŏt'ər-) pronunciation
n., pl., waterbuck, or -bucks.
Any of several African antelopes of the genus Kobus, having curved ridged horns and frequenting swamps, rivers, and other bodies of water.

[Translation of Afrikaans waterbok.]


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Species of antelope (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) that lives in herds, usually near water, on plains and floodplains and in woodlands and swamps of sub-Saharan Africa. Waterbucks are almost 5 ft (1.5 m) high at the shoulder. Males have long, heavily ridged horns that curve backward and then upward. The coarse, shaggy coat is grayish, and the rump has a white ring.

For more information on waterbuck, visit Britannica.com.

Animal Encyclopedia: Waterbuck
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Kobus ellipsiprymnus

TAXONOMY

Antilope ellipsiprymnus (Ogilby, 1833), Molopo River, Lataku, Namibia.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Common waterbuck, defassa waterbuck; French: Cobe à croissant, cobe defassa; German: Ellipsenwasserbock, Defassa Wasserbock; Spanish: Antilope aquatico.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Body length 6–7.3 ft (180–220 cm); shoulder height 3.3–4.3 ft (100–130 cm);tail 8.8–18 in (22–45 cm); males 470–680 lb (217–308 kg), females 350–400 lb (158–181 kg). Horns 1.6–3.3 ft (55–100 cm). Long, shaggy brown-gray coat with conspicuous white ring encircling rump.

DISTRIBUTION

The ellipsiprymnus group (white ring on rump): eastern Africa from southern Somalia south through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, eastern and southern Zambia, and Zimbabwe, to extreme southeast Namibia (Caprivi), southern Botswana, central Mozambique, and extreme northeastern South Africa (Zululand); defassa group: Senegal east to Ethiopia and south to Angola, east and southeast Democratic Republic of the Congo, and most of Zambia; hybrids with ellipsiprymnus group occur in areas of overlap.

HABITAT

Always associated with water; principally in grassland habitats, especially floodplains, small drainage systems, and valleys; also rocky hills, savanna, scrub, and woodland.

BEHAVIOR

Groups of up to 30 females and young wander over a home range of 494–1,483 acres (200–600 ha), which encompasses several male territories. At 5–7 years, males become territorial, staking out areas of 150–625 acres (61–253 ha). About 5–10% of mature males are territorial.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

A grazer, eating protein-rich medium and short grasses; sometimes feeds in water. Also eats foliage, reeds, and herbs when green grass is unavailable. Requires permanent access to water.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Polygynous. Breeds throughout the year. Gestation period 8.5–9 months; weaned at 6–7 months; females sexually mature at 12–14 months, males at 14–18 months. Lifespan 18 years.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Both races are Lower Risk/Conservation Dependent. Populations are apparently decreasing due to poaching and human encroachment along riverine habitat, and protected areas are important for the species' survival.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

Hunted for sport, creating a strong motive to provide effective protection and management. Waterbuck have a high exhibit value in zoo collections.

Veterinary Dictionary: waterbuck
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Medium to large, semiaquatic antelope, called also Kobus spp.

Wikipedia: Waterbuck
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Waterbuck
Male
Female
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Genus: Kobus
Species: K. ellipsiprymnus
Binomial name
Kobus ellipsiprymnus
(Ogilby, 1833)
Subspecies
  • K. e. ellipsiprymnus -- Ellipsen Waterbuck
  • K. e. dafassa -- Dafassa Waterbuck
Range map

The Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) is an antelope found in Western, Central Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa.

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 odor 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 scrub and savanna areas near water where they eat grass. Despite its name, the waterbuck does not spend much time in the water, but will take refuge there to escape predators. Waterbuck are diurnal. Females gather in herds 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 Valley, ranging from Ethiopia west to Senegal, while the Ellipsen Waterbuck occur in south-east Africa, east of the Great Rift Valley.

References

  1. ^ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2008). Kobus ellipsiprymnus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 16 January 2009. Database entry includes justification for why this species is listed as Least concern

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Peter Capstick's Last Safari (1996 Film)
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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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Animal Encyclopedia. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Copyright © 2005 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
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