White-eared bog antelope

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White-eared bog antelope
White-eared bog antelope (Kobus leucotis), drawing of a male individual, shown in The book of antelopes from 1896/1897

White-eared bog antelope ( Kobus leucotis ), drawing of a male individual, shown in The book of antelopes from 1896/1897

Systematics
without rank: Forehead weapon bearer (Pecora)
Family : Horned Bearers (Bovidae)
Subfamily : Antilopinae
Tribe : Reduncini
Genre : Waterbuck ( Kobus )
Type : White-eared bog antelope
Scientific name
Kobus leucotis
( Lichtenstein & Peters , 1854)

The white-eared bog antelope ( Kobus leucotis ), also called white-eared kob , is a species from the genus of waterbuck ( Kobus ). The animals are widespread in South Sudan and Ethiopia and live in open landscapes relatively close to water. It is a medium-sized representative of the antelope. It is characterized by the gender-specific color of the fur, which appears dark in males and lighter in females. Individual light spots are formed on the face, including on the ears. The main food of the white-eared bog antelope consists of grasses. A special feature is the migration behavior, which takes place in large herds and takes place between the rainy and dry seasons. It is comparable in scope and size to that of the Serengeti wildebeest . The offspring are born during the hike. Usually a mother gives birth to a young. The species was scientifically introduced in the middle of the 19th century. The stock is currently not considered endangered.

features

The white-eared bog antelope reaches a head-trunk length of 160 to 180 cm, with a tail 10 to 15 cm long. The shoulder height is 82 to 100 cm. Males weigh around 55 kg and are therefore significantly heavier than females, whose average body weight is 40 kg. Overall, the white-eared bog antelope is lighter than the neighboring Uganda grass antelope ( Kobus thomasi ). A striking feature of the species is the sexual dimorphism in the body color. Females have a golden to reddish-brown back and a whitish underside. Dark markings appear on the front of the legs. On the face there are lighter spots around the eyes and ears. In principle, the females resemble the young animals. Males, on the other hand, are characterized by a black back that is sometimes drowned out in dark brown. The dark back contrasts with the light underside. The transition is highlighted by a sharp line on the lower sides of the body. The outsides of the legs are also dark, while the insides appear light. This coloring is broken up by a narrow light band above the hooves. Other light spots are formed on the lips, chin and throat, and a whitish mark also surrounds the eyes. The white-eared bog antelope is named for its whitish-colored ears. The development of the characteristic coat coloration begins in the males at around three years of age. Males can also be identified by the lyre-shaped horns, which are similar to those of the impala . The horns first rise almost vertically on the forehead, then bend backwards before they oscillate upwards again. The length of the horns is about 55 cm. Females, on the other hand, do not have horns.

distribution

The distribution area of ​​the white-eared bog antelope includes southern Sudan and eastern Ethiopia , the plains of the White Nile are of great importance here . Occasionally animals also appear in northern Uganda . The limit to the occurrence of the Uganda grass antelope has hardly been investigated. Compared to closely related forms such as the Uganda grass antelope and the Senegal grass antelope ( Kobus kob ), the range of the white-eared bog antelope is very limited. The habitat consists of more humid savannas interspersed with open and individually distributed forest islands. The White Ear Moorantilope not live as close to permanent wetlands as the sympatric occurring Nile lechwe ( Kobus megaceros but no more), away 10 km from waterholes. Typical dry season habitats consist of flooded meadows with barn millet . In the rainy season the animals can be found in Kahngrass savannahs. Littered forest areas consist mainly of acacias and long filaments as well as representatives of the genera Balanites and Ziziphus . The population density averages 5 to 20 individuals per square kilometer over the year. In the dry season, according to field studies in the Boma National Park at water points, it can increase to over 1000 animals on a comparably large area.

Way of life

Territorial behavior

The white-eared bog antelope undertakes annual migrations that are very extensive in relation to other species of waterbuck . In the dry season, beginning at the beginning of January, when the vegetation gradually declines and the available water becomes scarce, the animals gather along river systems in the north of the distribution area, for example in Boma National Park in South Sudan and Gambela National Park in Ethiopia. They sometimes form large herds of up to 700,000 individuals of both sexes and of all ages. The onset of rains in May then triggers the hikes. They lead south into the drier forest savannas in the plains of the White Nile. It is believed that the migrations are not due to scarce food resources. Rather, the animals avoid the stronger flooding of the grasslands. The return hike to the north starts in October. This is also when the offspring are born. It is also possible that the herd movement will prevent the young from being hunted down by predators. The distances covered between the dry and rainy seasons amount to 150 to 200 km each. The migrations of the white-eared bog antelope are among the most extensive in Africa and are hardly inferior to those of the Serengeti white-bearded wildebeest ( Connochaetes mearnsi ) in the Serengeti .

In general, the white-eared bog antelope is active both day and night. But in the greatest heat of the day it rests. The activities become more specific towards the dry season. The animals then graze in swampy landscapes at night and retreat to forest areas during the day. Females tend to be more active than males.

nutrition

The main food of the white-eared bog antelope consists of grasses . The animals prefer to graze on chicken millet all year round . The plants are particularly important in the dry season, as they then form fresh shoots. Tall grasses such as boat grasses , on the other hand, are largely avoided; if no other food sources are available, the animals only eat the leaves of these. In the dry season, an individual eats around one kilogram of grass food a day. When eating, the white-eared bog antelope cuts off the plant around 2.5 cm above the ground and leaves an almost uniformly mowed cover of plants.

Reproduction

The reproduction depends on the season. Mating takes place in the dry season from January to April. Males then occupy small territories with a diameter of 100 to 250 m within courtship areas (leks). A courtship area can accommodate between 20 and 56 individuals. It is the only period of the year when the males show a tendency towards territoriality. The courtship areas are often found near preferred grazing areas in order to attract females more strongly. According to research, females prefer central territories within the breeding grounds. These are also fiercely contested by the male individuals. The fights are all the more intense when a male is accompanied by a female. You can then end up with serious injuries and possibly even fatality. Often a male tries to actively prevent a female from entering foreign territory. The gestation period is assumed to be around eight months; that of the Uganda grass antelope is similarly long . The offspring are born at the end of the rainy season in September to December. Usually a mother gives birth to a young that is hidden in the grass or in the thicket for several weeks. Weaning begins around six months after the birth, around May or June. Females are sexually mature after about a year; no studies are available for males. Their social maturation only takes place with the color change of the fur. From this point on, they are able to hold their own territories during the mating season. In the wild, an animal can live to be around 13 years old; in human care a maximum age of 16 years has been documented.

Systematics

The white-eared bog antelope is a species from the genus of waterbuck ( Kobus ), which contains around a dozen species. The species and genus belong to the family of horned bearers (Bovidae). Within this, the waterbuck belong to the tribe of the Reduncini , to which the reedbuck ( Redunca ) and the deer antelope ( Pelea ) are also to be assigned. The Reduncini comprise medium-sized to large antelopes that live predominantly in water-rich landscapes and mainly feed on grass-eating.

Within the genus of waterbuck, the white-eared bog antelope is closely related to the Senegal grass antelope ( Kobus kob ) and the Uganda grass antelope ( Kobus thomasi ). All three representatives and sometimes also the Cameroon grass antelope ( Kobus loderi ) were originally combined into one species ( Kobus kob ), which was colloquially known as "Kob". As a rule, they were considered to be independent subspecies. In an extensive revision of the ungulate systematics by the two zoologists Colin Groves and Peter Grubb in 2011, however, the "Kob" was divided into four separate species, which gave the individual subspecies a species status. As a closer family group, the authors summarize the four species to form the Kobus kob group.

Internal systematics of the Kobus kob group according to Lorenzen et al. 2007 (simplified)
  Kobus kob group  


 Kobus thomasi


   

 Kobus kob


   

 Kobus thomasi


   

 Population of Murchison Falls National Park





   

 Kobus leucotis


   

 Population of Murchison Falls National Park




Template: Klade / Maintenance / Style

According to molecular genetic analyzes from 2001, the relationships within the Kobus kob group are more complex, since the Uganda grass antelope is paraphyletic in relation to the Senegal grass antelope . This was also confirmed by further studies in 2007. Using the haplotypes, two clades could be worked out: a western one with the Senegal and Uganda grass antelope and an eastern one with the white-eared bog antelope. In addition, it was found that in the Murchison Falls National Park indigenous population , although phenotypically the Uganda grass antelope corresponding genotype but is part of the White Ear Moorantilope. The study's authors explain their results so that the predecessor of today's species in the Pleistocene isolated from each other a western and an eastern group was (a "proto- kob " - and a "proto leucotis group"). The western group later spread to the east into what is now the range of the Uganda grass antelope. Later again, individual populations of the eastern group migrated south and hybridized with the western group. The complex relationships between the Senegal and Uganda grass antelope lead the authors to doubt the independent taxonomic status of the latter.

Graphic representation of the white-eared bog antelope from the first description by Martin Lichtenstein and Wilhelm Peters in 1854

The White Ear Moorantilope was in 1854 by the then director of the Berlin Zoo Martin Lichtenstein and his eventual successor William Peters by the scientific name antelope leucotis first described . The male individual used for the description was in the possession of the Zoological Museum Berlin . It got there through the explorer Ferdinand Werne . Originally it came from Sobat , the type region of the species. In the same year a brief announcement appeared on the first description, which also reproduced the scientific species name. The year before, however, Peters had presented the white-eared bog antelope in a preliminary publication; this contained a description of the new species in Latin , the authorship of the species name was given by Petres as "Licht.Pet." The German trivial name is a rendering of the scientific epithet (from the Greek λευκός ( leukós ) for "white" and οὖς ( oûs ) for "ear"). The gender-specific color of the coat gave rise to various considerations for earlier authors. In 1908 Frederick Courteney Selous saw the varying coat colors as an expression of a seasonal coat change, while only a little later Theodore Roosevelt and Edmund Heller connected the coat color with the individual age of the animals. Paul Matschie had already described a light- colored horned animal from South Sudan in 1899 under the scientific species name Adenota nigroscapulata ( Adenota is a synonymous generic name for Kobus , introduced in 1850 by John Edward Gray ). In 1906 Richard Lydekker named Cobus vaughani, an equally lighter variant from the same region . Both are now regarded as synonyms for the white-eared bog antelope, along with a few others. Subspecies are not known.

Threat and protection

The white-eared bog antelope is currently classified by the IUCN as "not endangered" ( least concern ). One potential danger is hunting and its use as a food resource. In Sudan, among other places, bushmeat is an important source of food. The herding of the animals promotes hunting. The animals were particularly persecuted in the 1980s and 1990s during the civil unrest in Sudan. Aerial observations and censuses in southern Sudan in the mid-2000s showed only a slight decline in the population; the number of individuals observed is given as around 758,000. Similar studies in Ethiopia showed at least 428,000 animals for 2015. The species can be found in Boma National Park and in Bandingilo National Park in South Sudan and in Gambela National Park in Ethiopia.

literature

  • Colin P. Groves and David M. Leslie Jr .: Family Bovidae (Hollow-horned Ruminants). In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 2: Hooved Mammals. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2011, pp. 444-779 (p. 679), ISBN 978-84-96553-77-4

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Colin P. Groves and David M. Leslie Jr .: Family Bovidae (Hollow-horned Ruminants). In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 2: Hooved Mammals. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2011, pp. 444-779 (p. 679) ISBN 978-84-96553-77-4
  2. ↑ a b John M. Fryxell and ARE Sinclair: Seasonal migration by white ‐ eared kob in relation to resource. African Journal of Ecology 26 (1), 1988, pp. 17-31
  3. ↑ a b c Frauke Fischer: Kobus kob Kob. In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume VI. Pigs, Hippopotamuses, Chevrotain, Giraffes, Deer and Bovids. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 439-444
  4. ↑ John M. Fryxell: Lek Breeding and Territorial Aggression in White-eared Kob. Ethology 75 (3), 1987, pp. 211-220
  5. ↑ J. Birungi and P. Arctander: Molecular Systematics and Phylogeny of the Reduncini (Artiodactyla: Bovidae) Inferred from the Analysis of Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Gene Sequences. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 8 (2), 2001, pp. 125-147
  6. ↑ Don E. Wilson and DeeAnn M. Reeder: Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005 ( [1] )
  7. ^ A b c Colin Groves and Peter Grubb: Ungulate Taxonomy. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011, p. 192, ISBN 978-1421400938
  8. ↑ a b Eline D. Lorenzen, Rikke de Neergaard, Peter Arctander and Hans R. Siegismund: Phylogeography, hybridization and Pleistocene refugia of the kob antelope (Kobus kob). Molecular Ecology 16, 2007, pp. 3241-3252
  9. ↑ J. Birungi and P. Arctander: Large sequence divergence of mitochondrial DNA genotypes of the control region within populations of the African antelope, kob (Kobus kob). Molecular Ecology 9, 2000, pp. 1997-2008
  10. ↑ Martin Lichtenstein and Wilhelm Peters: About new strange mammals of the Royal Zoological Museum. Treatises of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Berlin, 1854, pp. 81–100 ( [2] )
  11. ↑ Martin Lichtenstein and Wilhelm Peters: About new strange mammals of the king. zoological museum. Report on the negotiations of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin, suitable for publication, 1854, pp. 334–336 ( [3] )
  12. ↑ Wilhelm Peters: About a new antelope from the northeast of Africa. Report on the negotiations of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin, suitable for publication, 1853, p. 164 ( [4] )
  13. ^ Philip Lutley Sclater and Oldfield Thomas: The Book of Antelopes. Volume II. London, 1894–1900, pp. 127–129 ( [5] )
  14. ^ Theodore Roosevelt and Edmund Heller: Life-histories of African game animals. New York, 1914, pp. 1–798 (pp. 514–518) ( [6] )
  15. ↑ Paul Matschie: An apparently new adenota from the white Nile. Meeting reports of the Society of Friends of Natural Sciences in Berlin, 1899, p. 15 ( [7] )
  16. ^ Richard Lydekker: The game animals of Africa. London, 1908, pp. 1–484 (pp. 207–209) ( [8] )
  17. ^ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group. 2016. Kobus kob ssp. leucotis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. e.T11042A50190165 ( [9] ); last accessed on July 9, 2018

Web links

Commons : White-eared Moor Antelope ( Kobus leucotis )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files