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The Hartebeest is a large ungulate ranging from 1.5 m to 2.45 m
in length. Its tail is 300 to 700 mm and shoulder height is 1.1
to 1.5 m. It is characterized by a steeply sloping back, long legs,
large glands below the eyes, a tufted tail, and a long, narrow rostrum.
It has paler patches of hair on most of its rump and chest and on
parts of its face. It has been suggested that the pale hair on the
rump may be presented in attracting mates or to ward off aggressors.
It inhabits the savannahs and grasslands of Africa. It is tolerant
of high grasses and may be found in woodland or scrubs and more
often in countries such as Botswana, Namibia, Ethiopia, Tanzania,
and Kenya.
Elands
live in both steppe and sparse forests. They are also found in semi
desert areas and at elevations up to 14400 ft. They are confined
to southern Africa from Ethiopia and southern Zaire to South Africa.
During the heat of the day, they are often found in shaded areas.
The males are much larger than females, weighing 400-1000 kg compared
to 300-600 kg for females. Hides are a uniform fawn color with some
vertical white striping on the upper parts. A dewlap, thought to
be an adaptation for heat dissapation, hangs from the throat and
neck. Heavy horns are twisted in a corkscrew fashion and grow up
to 4 ft. long on males, 2.2 ft. long on females. A short mane occurs
on the nape, and males have long hairs on the throat.
Presently
the Bontebok is found only on game farms and reservations throughout
South Africa. They with the Blesbok occurred historically on grassy
plains which may or may not of had trees. They reach a mass of between
50 and 80 kg's. They have the same adult color pattern, relatively
dark dorsal pelage contrasting sharply with high, white stockings
and buttocks. Bontebok have a dark and glossy, purplish-brown dorsal
pelage, and the blesbok reddish-brown dorsal pelage. The Bontebok
mate mainly in February while the Blesbok mates mainly in April.
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