Lesser Kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis)

This elegant antelope is fairly solitary; females are usually found in groups of two or three, or with calves, and males are often found alone. Young males will stay with their mothers for up to two years, but will not acquire enough social status to mate until four to five years old. When large enough, males fight by locking horns and pushing each other backwards. Males and females will also fight each other for superiority, by standing up on hind legs to try to knock each other down, but the larger males normally win. Females are pregnant for seven to eight months, and will separate from their small group to give birth to a single calf (2). The calf has just a one in four chance of surviving to three years old due to disease and predation by leopards, hunting dogs and spotted hyenas (2) (4). The lesser kudu is mainly nocturnal and camouflages well when hiding in dense thickets after sunrise. It feeds at dusk and dawn, eating leaves, shoots, twigs, fruits, grasses and herbs (2). When startled, the lesser kudu will bark and runs in bounding leaps (2), holding the tail upright to reveal the white underside (4).

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