Kobus (antelope)

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Kobus
Puku male.jpg
A male Puku (K. vardonii)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Reduncinae
Genus: Kobus
Smith, 1840
Type species
Antilope ellipsiprymnus
Ogilby, 1833
Species

Six; see text

Kobus is a genus containing six species of African antelopes, all of which are associated with marshes, floodplains, or other grassy areas near water. They are sexually dimorphic, with females being smaller and lacking the horns of the males.

Species

ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
K. anselli Upemba lechwe Upemba wetlands, Democratic Republic of Congo
Waterbuck (4405326082).jpg K. ellipsiprymnus Waterbuck Northern South Africa north to Chad and west to Côte d'Ivoire
Ugandan kob (Kobus kob thomasi) male.jpg K. kob Kob Senegal east to South Sudan and south to Uganda
Kobus leche 5179.jpg K. leche Lechwe Botswana, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Angola
Voduska abok 1.jpg K. megaceros Nile lechwe South Sudan and Ethiopia
Puku - Male-1, in South Luangwa National Park - Zambia.jpg K. vardonii Puku Southern Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zambia

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<i>Tragelaphus</i> Genus of mammals

Tragelaphus is a genus of medium-to-large-sized spiral-horned antelopes. It contains several species of bovines, all of which are relatively antelope-like. Species in this genus tend to be large in size and lightly built, and have long necks and considerable sexual dimorphism. Elands, including the common eland, are embedded within this genus, meaning that Taurotragus must be subsumed into Tragelaphus to avoid paraphyly. Alternatively, Taurotragus could be maintained as a separate genus, if the nyala and the lesser kudu are relocated to their own monospecific genera, respectively Nyala and Ammelaphus. Other generic synonyms include Strepsiceros and Boocercus. The name "Tragelaphus" comes from the mythical tragelaph.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reduncinae</span> Subfamily of mammals

The bovid subfamily Reduncinae or tribe Reduncini is composed of nine species of antelope, all of which dwell in marshes, floodplains, or other well-watered areas, including the waterbucks and reedbucks. These antelopes first appear in the fossil record 7.4 million years ago in Eurasia and 6.6 Mya in Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roan antelope</span> Species of mammal

The roan antelope is a large savanna-dwelling antelope found in western, central, and southern Africa. Named for its roan colour, it has lighter underbellies, white eyebrows and cheeks and black faces, lighter in females. It has short, erect manes, very light beards and prominent red nostrils. It is one of the largest antelope, measuring 190–240 cm (75–94 in) from head to the base of the tail, and a 37–48 cm (15–19 in) long tail. Males weigh 242–300 kg (534–661 lb) and females 223–280 kg (492–617 lb). Its shoulder height is around 130–140 cm (51–55 in).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kob</span> Species of mammal

The kob is an antelope found across Central Africa and parts of West Africa and East Africa. Together with the closely related reedbucks, waterbucks, lechwe, Nile lechwe, and puku, it forms the Reduncinae tribe. Found along the northern savanna, it is often seen in Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda; Garamba and Virunga National Park, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as grassy floodplains of South Sudan. Kob are found in wet areas, where they eat grasses. Kob are diurnal, but inactive during the heat of the day. They live in groups of either females and calves or just males. These groups generally range from five to 40 animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lechwe</span> Species of mammal

The lechwe, red lechwe, or southern lechwe is an antelope found in wetlands of south-central Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nile lechwe</span> Species of antelope

The Nile lechwe or Mrs Gray's lechwe is an endangered species of antelope found in swamps and grasslands in South Sudan and Ethiopia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterbuck</span> Species of antelope

The waterbuck is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa. It is placed in the genus Kobus of the family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833. Its 13 subspecies are grouped under two varieties: the common or ellipsiprymnus waterbuck and the defassa waterbuck. The head-and-body length is typically between 177 and 235 cm and the typical height is between 120 and 136 cm. In this sexually dimorphic antelope, males are taller and heavier than females. Males reach roughly 127 cm (50 in) at the shoulder, while females reach 119 cm (47 in). Males typically weigh 198–262 kg (437–578 lb) and females 161–214 kg (355–472 lb). Their coat colour varies from brown to grey. The long, spiral horns, present only on males, curve backward, then forward, and are 55–99 cm (22–39 in) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puku</span> Species of antelope

The puku is a medium-sized antelope found in wet grasslands in southern Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and more concentrated in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Nearly one-third of all puku are found in protected areas, zoos, and national parks due to their diminishing habitat.

The silver dik-dik is a small antelope found in low, dense thickets along the southeastern coast of Somalia and in Acacia-Commiphora bushland in the Shebelle Valley in southeastern Ethiopia. It is the smallest species of dik-dik, with a length of 45–50 cm (18–20 in), a height of 30–33 cm (12–13 in), and a weight of 2–3 kg (4.4–6.6 lb). Its back and flanks are grizzled silvery, while the limbs, ears, and muzzle are ochraceus in colour. Little is known about its status, but numbers are believed to be decreasing.

<i>Damaliscus</i> Genus of mammals

Damaliscus, commonly known as damalisks, is a genus of antelope in the family Bovidae, subfamily Alcelaphinae, found in Africa.

The Upemba lechwe is a subspecies of antelope found only in the Upemba wetlands in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was described in 2005, after analysis of 35 museum specimens collected in 1926 and 1947–8. Some authorities treat the Upemba lechwe as a species, K. anselli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt's dik-dik</span> Species of mammal

Salt's dik-dik is a small antelope found in semidesert, bushland, and thickets in the Horn of Africa, but marginally also in northern Kenya and eastern Sudan. It is named after Henry Salt, who was the first European to acknowledge the species in Abyssinia in the early 19th century.

<i>Neotragus</i> Genus of mammals

Neotragus is a genus of dwarf antelope, native to Africa. The genus includes only a single species without any dispute, namely Neotragus pygmaeus. Neotragus pygmaeus is the smallest antelope in the world, they usually weigh around 5 to 7 pounds. This animal lives in conditions that are warm and moist, they are found in the tropical forests of Western Africa. The Neotragus pygmaeus diet consists of high nutrients food sources, such as leaves, flowers, plants, fruits, and the growing tips of shoots. Recent nucleic acid studies now suggest that the other two species formerly included in the genus are not closely related, and should be assigned to the genus Nesotragus. Members of the Nesotragus genus are the only surviving members of the subfamily Nesotraginae or tribe Nesotragini and are more closely related to the impala, while the royal antelope is still a member of the subfamily Antilopinae or tribe Antilopini.

<i>Nanger</i> Genus of mammals

Nanger is a genus of antelopes, commonly called gazelles. Nanger was originally considered a subgenus within the genus Gazella, but has since been elevated to genus status. The three living species within the genus Nanger are:

<i>Menelikia</i> Extinct family of mammals

Menelikia is a genus of extinct Artiodactyl mammals, belonging to the bovids. It lived from the middle Pliocene to the middle Pleistocene and its fossils are found in East Africa.

Kobus may refer to:

References

  1. Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. Cotterill, F.D.P. 2005. The Upemba lechwe, Kobus anselli: an antelope new to science emphasizes the conservation importance of Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo. Journal of Zoology, 265: 113-132