Dictionary:

waterbuck

  (wô'tər-bŭk', wŏt'ər-)

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.]

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.

For more information on waterbuck, visit Britannica.com.

Medium to large, semiaquatic antelope, called also Kobus spp.

Waterbuck
Female
Conservation status
Conservation Dependent
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Genus: Kobus Species: K. ellipsiprymnus
Binomial name
Kobus ellipsiprymnus (Ogilby, 1833)
Range map

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

Waterbuck stand 100 to 130 centimetres at the shoulder and weigh from 160 to 240 kilograms. Their coats are reddish brown in colour and become progressively darker with age; they also 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. 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.

References

• Antelope Specialist Group (1996). Kobus ellipsiprymnus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006.
• Animals Online encyclopedia
• African Wildlife Foundation

Female DeFassa Waterbuck, Kafue, Zambia

Male Waterbuck, 16 November 2004, Kruger National Park, South Africa

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