 A large, fawn
coloured antelope that at first glance seems strangely misshapen and less elegant than
other antelopes. Clumsy in appearance, it is hump shouldered with a sloping back, slim
legs and a long, narrow face. It is one of the fastest antelopes and most enduring
runners. These qualities give it the name "hartebeest" (tough ox).
Size: 48 inches at the shoulder, weight from 165 to 350 pounds
Diet: Herbivorous grazers; the hartebeest feeds almost entirely on grass, but is
not very selective and quite tolerant of poor-quality food. It has suffered from the
expansion of cattle raising, as hartebeests and cattle compete for the same food.
Habitat: Open plains. Hartebeest are mainly found in medium and tall grasslands,
including savannas. They are more tolerant of high grass and woods than other alcelaphines
(archetypical plains antelopes).
Socialisation: The hartebeest is one of the most sedentary antelopes (making it
easy to hunt), but it does move around more when larger groupings form during the dry
seasons or in periods of drought, to seek water and better grazing.
At other times the females form small groups of five to 12 animals that wander around
their home range. Most mature males become solitary and spread out in adjoining
territories. Hartebeests go to water regularly, but in some circumstances territorial
males appear to go without drinking for rather long periods. The home ranges are usually
densely populated. When a territorial male returns from watering, he may find another in
his place.
Reproduction: Single young born any time of the year. Gestation is about 8
months.
Predators: Cheetahs, jackals, lions, hyenas, leopards, hunting dogs and humans
See Hartebeest at Game Reserves and Game Lodges in:
Eastern
Cape · Limpopo · North
West · Mpumalanga · Gauteng
· Free
State
KwaZulu
Natal · Western Cape · Garden
Route · Kruger National Park
Northern
Cape · Namibia · Botswana
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