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Classification
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Kobus
megaceros
Nile lechwe, Mrs. Gray's lechwe
Taxonomy
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photographs
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General Characteristics
Body Length: 135-165 cm / 4.5-5.5 ft.
Shoulder Height: 80-105 cm / 2.6-3.5 ft.
Tail Length: 45-50 cm / 18-20 in.
Weight: 60-120 kg / 132-264 lb.There is extreme sexual dimorphism in the Nile lechwe. Both sexes have a shaggy coat with a short throat mane or beard. The undersides are whitish, and the tail has a black tip. The hornless females and young have a yellow-brown coat, with whitish yellow markings around the eyes, muzzle, chin, and throat. The long coat in males turns mahogany or blackish-brown between two and three years of age. There is a conspicuous whitish shoulder harness which stretches into a line on the neck. This saddle remains the tan colour of the females until sexual maturity is reached. White markings include rings around the eyes, the lower lip, ears, and haunches. The hoofs are exceptionally elongated. The ridged horns curve back and down, then up in an "S", growing 45-87 cm / 18-35 inches long.
Ontogeny and Reproduction
Gestation Period: 7-8 months.
Young per Birth: 1
Weaning: After 4 months.
Sexual Maturity: Females at 1.5 years, males at 2.5 years.
Life span: Over 10 years.
Ecology and Behavior
The Nile lechwe is particularly adept at wading and swimming, travelling with a series of leaps when the water is too shallow to swim. They are most active during the early morning and late afternoon. During the mating season, bucks mark themselves by bending their horns to the ground as if to jab them into the dirt. They then urinate through their forelegs onto their long throat and cheek hair. Males may utter squeaky grunts when fighting, which they often do in water, submerging their heads in horn-to-horn combat. As a result, these contests are generally short and vigorous. Females are quite vocal, emitting a toad-like croaking when on the move. Old males are presumed to be territorial, though this has not been closely studied.Family group: Large harem herds of 50 or more females usually with one male, though more have been noted, or bachelor herds.
Diet: Grasses, water plants.
Main Predators: Lion, leopard, Cape hunting dog, crocodile.
Distribution
Floodplains and freshwater marshes on the White Nile in central Africa.
Range Map (Redrawn from IEA, 1998)
Conservation Status
The wild population is estimated at 30,000 to 40,000 animals, and is potentially jeopardized by water development projects which reduce available habitat. The Nile lechwe is considered a low risk, near threatened species by the IUCN (1996).
Remarks
The Nile lechwe was named "Kobus maria" in 1859 by Dr. J. E. Gray FRS (1800-1875), keeper at the British Museum, in honour of his wife Maria E. Gray (1787-1876); but the name had to be replaced by the earlier K. megaceros. However, the name of Mrs. Gray stuck. Lechwe (pronounced "lesh-we" or "lesh-way") is a name of Bantu origin meaning antelope. Kobus (New Latin) from koba, an African name. Megas (Greek) big, wide; keras (Greek) the horn of an animal.
Literature Cited
Alden, P. C., R. D. Estes, D. Schlitter, and B. McBride. 1995. National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife. New York: Chanticleer Press.IEA (Institute of Applied Ecology). 1998. Kobus megaceros. In African Mammals Databank - A Databank for the Conservation and Management of the African Mammals Vol 1 and 2. Bruxelles: European Commission Directorate. Available online at http://gorilla.bio.uniroma1.it/amd/amd177b.html
Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals. Academic Press, London and New York: NaturalWorld.
Nowak, R. M. [editor]. 1991. Walker's Mammals of the World (Fifth Edition). Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Walther, F. R. 1990. Reedbucks, waterbucks,.and impalas. In Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. Edited by S. P. Parker. New York: McGraw-Hill. Volume 5, pp. 448-461.
Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder [editors]. 1993. Mammal Species of the World (Second Edition). Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. Available online at http://nmnhwww.si.edu/msw/
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