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Hartebeest
The '''Hartebeest''' (''Alcelaphus buselaphus'') is a grassland antelope found in West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa. It is one of the three species classified in the genus ''Alcelaphus''[Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (editors). 2005. Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp. Available online].
The Hartebeest stands almost 1.5 m (5 ft) at the shoulder and weighs anywhere from 120-200 kg (265-440 lb). Male Hartebeest are a dark brown colour while females are yellow brown. Both sexes have horns which can reach lengths up to 70 cm (27 in). Hartebeest live in grassland and open forest where they eat grass. They are Diurnal animal|diurnal and spend the morning and late afternoon eating. Herds contain five to twenty individuals but can occasionally contain up to three hundred and fifty.
Subspecies
Six subspecies have been described[Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (editors). 2005. Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp. Available online], previously seven [Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (editors). 2005. Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp. Available online].
- *Bubal Hartebeest, ''Alcelaphus buselaphus buselaphus'' (Extinct)
- *Coke's Hartebeest or Kongoni, ''Alcelaphus buselaphus cokii''
- *Lelwel Hartebeest, ''Alcelaphus buselaphus lelwel''
- *Western Hartebeest, ''Alcelaphus buselaphus major''
- *Swayne's Hartebeest, ''Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei''
- *Tora Hartebeest, ''Alcelaphus buselaphus tora''
Two subspecies cross breeds are recognized by some sectors the commercial hunting fraternity.
- *Kenya Highland Hartebeest, ''Alcelaphus buselaphus lelwel x cokii''
- *Neumann Hartebeest, ''Alcelaphus buselaphus lelwel x swaynei''. (Ethiopia)
Other species
- Red Hartebeest ''Alcelaphus caama''.[Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (editors). 2005. Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp. Available online]
- Lichtenstein's Hartebeest, ''Alcelaphus lichtensteinii''[Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (editors). 2005. Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp. Available online] is classified by some in the ''Sigmoceros'' genus as ''Sigmoceros lichtensteinii''.
Two other species less commonly known as 'Hartebeest' are classed in the Damaliscus genus.
- *Korrigum (Senegal Hartebeest), ''Damaliscus lunatus korrigum''
- *Tiang (Tiang Hartebeest), ''Damaliscus lunatus tiang''
Etymology
The word ''hartebeest'' comes from Afrikaans and was originally called ''hertebeest''. The name was given by the Boers who thought it resembled deer (hert in Dutch language|Dutch, the Dutch 'beest' means 'beast' in English).[Llewellyn, E.C. (1936) The Influence of Low Dutch on the English Vocabulary. Chapter XIV The Influence of South African Dutch or Afrikaans on the English Vocabulary. Oxford University Press, Londen. Available online]
See also
- Megalotragus
References
External links
- Hartebeest: Wildlife summary from the African Wildlife Foundation
- Animal Diversity Web Alcelaphus buselaphus (hartebeest)
Category:Alcelaphinae
Category:Mammals of Africa
Category:Megafauna of Africa
Category:Fauna of West Africa
Category:Fauna of Sudan
Category:Fauna of Ethiopia
Category:Fauna of East Africa
Category:Mammals of Kenya
Category:Fauna of Tanzania
Category:Fauna of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Category:Fauna of the Republic of the Congo
Category:Fauna of Namibia
Category:Fauna of South Africa
Category:Fauna of Angola
Related Images- Coke's hartebeest in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.
- Horns
Sources: StartLearningNow, Wikipedia | Usage license: GNU FDL
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