Giant sable antelope
| Giant sable antelope | ||||||||||||
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Whole body preparation of a giant sable antelope in the American Museum of Natural History . |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hippotragus niger variani | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1916 |
The giant sable antelope ( Hippotragus niger variani ) is a very rare subspecies of the sable antelope , which is particularly noticeable due to its large horns. As Palanca Negra Gigante ( Portuguese ), it is considered a national symbol of Angola and the stylized head of the species is depicted in the logo of the Angolan airline TAAG .
features
The giant sable antelope does not differ from the nominate form Hippotragus niger niger in terms of body size . Their length amounts to 216 to 260 cm and their weight up to 220 kg (females) and 260 kg (males). Distinguishing features are the lack of the white stripe on the cheeks and the around 30 cm longer, backward-curved horns. The color of the fur ranges from light brown to almost black, with the underside of the abdomen completely and the face partially white.
distribution
The species can only be found in the Miombo forests in Angola , but only inhabits a small section there.
Way of life
The males live as solitary animals outside the mating season, whereas the females join together in small groups of 5 to 25 animals. The animals mainly eat grass, and plant seeds, leaves, succulents , tubers and melons are not spurned either. The females use their horns to drive away other conspecifics, the males also to determine the order of precedence among themselves during the mating season. The males are true to their location and defend large territories with watering holes and food sources from other conspecifics. The females can only be kept by a buck (male) if its territory offers sufficient sources of food and water for its females and their offspring.
Reproduction
After a gestation period of 270 days, the females give birth to a young that is suckled for 6 months. From the age of 3 months, the young can also eat solid plant food.
Danger
The giant sable antelope was last sighted in 1982 and was already considered extinct. In 2004 they rediscovered British and Portuguese scientists by confirming their existence at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin on the basis of faecal samples collected in the wilderness and genetic analyzes carried out with them . Since then, the giant sable antelope has been listed as critically endangered (CR) again by the IUCN . The population in Angola is estimated at only 200 to 400 specimens and the population size continues to decline. In addition to the small number of animals, the occurrence of hybridization with the roan antelope ( Hippotragus equinus ) represents an additional risk. In the Washington Convention on the Protection of Species , Hippotragus niger variani is listed in Appendix I (total trade ban). Illegal hunting by poachers and habitat reduction are other reasons for their vulnerability. The poachers are particularly interested in the up to 1.65 m long horns of the antelope species. In the meantime, live photos of the animals could also be made through a photo trap .
literature
- David MacDonald (Ed.): Encyclopedia of Mammals (2nd edition: 2003) Publisher: Könnemann ISBN 3-89731-928-4 Page: 546-559 (translation of the English edition The Encyclopedia of Mammals ISBN 978-3-86690-036 -3 )
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.wildlife-baldus.com/download/WuHRiesenrappenAntilope.pdf
- ↑ http://www.markuskappeler.ch/tex/texs/rappenantilope2.html
- ↑ http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species/about_ssc/specialist_groups/directory_specialist_groups/directory_sg_mammals/asghome/asgspecies/
Web links
- Hippotragus niger ssp. variani inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011.1. Listed by: IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2011.