Details
Tragelaphus strepsiceros
A large antelope of eastern and southern African woodland. Males are recognized by long spiral horns and pale vertical body stripes.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
Greater kudus use dry woodland, bushland, riparian thickets, and rocky wooded slopes. They favor cover rather than very open plains.
The gray-brown body has narrow white stripes. Males carry large spiral horns and a throat fringe, while females are smaller and hornless.
They are most active near dawn and dusk, resting in cover during hotter hours. Females and young form small groups; mature males are often solitary.
They browse leaves, shoots, vines, and fruit. A long neck helps them select foliage from shrubs and small trees.
During the rut, males follow females and spar with their horns. Females hide single calves in dense cover during the early weeks.
Their stripes help break up the body outline in dappled woodland, supporting their tendency to freeze or slip away quietly when alarmed.
